The Stateless Rohingya Blog

By Monstersandcritics  Yangon - United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar arrived in the once-pariah state Tuesday on a six-day assessment mission that will include visits to rebel territories. 'This mission will take place at an important moment in the country's history,' Tomas Ojea Quintana said in Geneva prior to his departure. Myanmar, a pariah state among Western democracies for the past two decades, has taken dramatic steps towards reform in the past 10 months under President Thein Sein. Since coming to power in March, Thein Sein has opened a political dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed more than 600 political prisoners and initiated peace talks with four of the dozen insurgencies.

By THE IRRAWADDY Burma’s Parliament in session in the capital of Naypyidaw. (Photo: AP) Burma’s Minister of Finance and Revenue, U Hla Tun, formally presented the government’s budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year (FY) to Parliament on Tuesday. The budget reportedly allocates an increased percentage of spending to health and education and a decrease in percentage spending to the military. U Hla Tun visited Parliament on Tuesday and presented each MP with a copy of the FY 2012-13 budget for all of the government’s 34 ministries, as well as for “national projects.”

By Aljazeera Millions of residents of western Myanmar have been stripped of citizenship and basic human rights. Will Suu Kyi help? The Rohingya ethnic group of Myanmar is not recognised by the government [GALLO/GETTY] This   article   is   the   first   in   a   series   by   Ambassador   Akbar   Ahmed,   a   former   Pakistani   high   commissioner   to   the   UK, exploring   how   a   litany   of   volatile   centre/periphery   conflicts   with   deep   historical   roots   were   interpreted   after   9/11   in   the new   global   paradigm   of   anti-terrorism   -   with   profound   and   often   violent   consequences.   Incorporating   in-depth   case studies   from   Asia,   Africa,   and   ...

 Kaladan News The High school is controlling U Kyaw Zaw Htun, the headmaster and collecting 1000 kyat for extra tuition class fee and 1500 kyat for monthly examination fee which is very big amount for poor student, the elder said. The poor students are not able to pay the collecting money from school where didn’t not take any extra tuition class within this academic year, said a student who is a son of rickshaw puller.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) waves to supporters as she leaves after addressing a gathering as part of her campaign trail on the outskirts of Myanmar’s southern city of Dawei DAWEI: Huge crowds lined the streets to greet Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she hit the campaign trail yesterday ahead of by-elections seen as a key test of the regime’s commitment to reform. Tens of thousands flocked to hear the Nobel Peace Prize winner speak in the coastal district of Dawei, as she made her first political trip outside Yangon since declaring she would stand for office in the April 1 polls.

By Voice of America A top Burmese official is promising the international community that his country's military-backed government is not done implementing democratic reforms. Trade Minister U Soe Thane told  Reuters  Saturday the process of reform "is not finished yet."  He said Burma's government is still looking at additional political changes as well as reforms in the economic sector. U Soe Thane made the comments in Davos, Switzerland where he is leading Burma's first official delegation to the World Economic Forum.

By globalvoices The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees considers the situation of between 110-150,000 Burmese refugees located in camps on the border with Thailand as  one of 29 protracted refugee situations globally . And, according to East Asia Forum, there are also an  additional 1.5-2 million refugees in Thailand  and represent the ‘visible side of human rights abuse.' Ruled by a military junta from 1962 to 2011, Burma, known locally and by the United Nations as  Myanmar , has often been accused of violating human rights and the forcible relocation of civilians. Although an ostensibly civilian government was  controversially elected in 2010 , a quarter of seats in parliament as well as three cabinet seats are reserved for the army. Other concerns include the use of forced labour, among them children,  human trafficking  and internal ethnic conflict . In an extensive post, Mary Ditton, a Senior Lecturer in Health Management in Au...