March 22nd, 2013
04:51 AM ET
Comments (4 comments)

Toll rises in sectarian clashes in Myanmar

The death toll from clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in central Myanmar has risen to around 20, a local lawmaker said Friday.

Set off by a dispute between a Muslim gold shop owner and two Buddhist sellers, the violence in Meiktila Township has prompted thousands of residents to flee their homes as rioters set fire to houses, schools and mosques, according to Win Htein, a member of parliament for the area.

FULL STORY
Post by:
Filed under: Islam • Myanmar • Religion • World
March 10th, 2013
04:52 AM ET
Comments (Add comment)

Suu Kyi elected as Myanmar opposition leader

Aung San Suu Kyi won re-election Sunday as the opposition leader in Myanmar at a gathering of opposition members in Yangon.

It was the first conference of opposition members in 25 members, and is another indication of the military junta loosening its reins and allowing such a gathering.

One hundred and twenty members of the National League for Democracy voted for Suu Kyi on the third day of the party's meeting.

FULL STORY
Post by:
Filed under: Myanmar
February 13th, 2013
03:13 AM ET
Comments (1 comment)

Thai forces thwart attack on military base, killing 16 insurgents

Sixteen insurgents were killed during a fierce battle after they attacked a military base in a restive area of southern Thailand early Wednesday, authorities said.

Thai military officials said 50 to 60 heavily armed attackers tried to storm the navy base in the province of Narathiwat under cover of darkness, but navy personnel had been forewarned and fought the insurgents off in an intense, hour-long firefight.

It appeared to be the latest flare-up in a worsening conflict between government forces and Muslim separatists in southern Thailand in which more than 5,000 people are believed to have been killed since 2004.

FULL STORY
Post by:
Filed under: Thailand
Fresh sectarian violence leaves mosque, monastery burned to the ground in Myanmar
Myanmar refugees from the Rohingya community, a predominantly Muslim sect, take refuge on a street, in this photo taken in May.
October 23rd, 2012
02:51 AM ET
Comments (2 comments)

Fresh sectarian violence leaves mosque, monastery burned to the ground in Myanmar

Fresh sectarian clashes in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine killed three people and left more than 400 houses, a monastery and a mosque burned to the ground, authorities said Tuesday.

The clashes began Sunday night and spread to four townships, said state Attorney General Hla Thein.

Authorities have declared at state of emergency in two of the townships, with the state's prime minister instructing that medical teams be accompanied by security personnel when they visit them.

FULL STORY
Post by:
Filed under: Myanmar • World
Myanmar's Suu Kyi to run in next elections
Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi leaves the National League for Democracy party offices on November 18.
November 18th, 2011
09:46 AM ET
Comments (2 comments)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi to run in next elections

Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will participate in the next elections, Nyan Win, the spokesman for her National League for Democracy, said Friday.

Her National League for Democracy announced earlier Friday that it planned to re-register as a political party and participate in all future parliamentary elections.

The NLD won more than 80% of the legislative seats in 1990, the first free elections in the country in nearly 30 years, but the ruling military junta refused to recognize the results.

The elections, as yet unscheduled, are by-elections to fill 48 seats left vacant in parliament by the appointment of ministers in the new government. The last national elections were held in November 2010 and were the first in 20 years.

FULL STORY
Post by: , ,
Filed under: Uncategorized