Posts Tagged ‘Internet’
World focus on Burma (27-11-2008)
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Thailand considering postponing ASEAN summit: Thai FM
Mizzima.com, India
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Sompong Amornviwat, on Thursday said the upcoming 14th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, scheduled to be held in Chiang Mai beginning December 15,…….
Foreign press issues plea to reopen Gaza crossing
The Benton Crier, IA -
Floto noted that the only countries in the world where BBC journalists are currently denied access are North Korea, Burma and Zimbabwe. ..
Zarganar and Journalist Associates Receive Additional Sentences
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
By SAW YAN NAING Burma’s best-known comedian, Zarganar, and two journalist friends were given additional prison terms by a special court in Rangoon’s Insein …
Burmese fishery export hit hard
Mizzima.com, India -
by The The New Delhi (Mizzima) – An official from the Myanmar Fishery Department said that exports of fishery products to Bangladesh have fallen by about …
Internet users increasingly concerned over security
Mizzima.com, India -
by Nam Davies New Delhi (Mizzima) – A sense of insecurity is developing among Internet users in Burma after seeing the long prison terms given to dissidents …
Burma Crackdown Could be Convenient for China
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
“Myanmar [Burma] is part and parcel of China’s grand strategic design to achieve its goal of becoming a great power in the 21st century,” said Poon Kim Shee …
Mhlanga and Zarganar win arts awards for human rights
guardian.co.uk, UK -
A Zimbabwean playwright who has repeatedly challenged the Mugabe regime and a Burmese comedian who has recently been sentenced to 45 years in prison have …
Final battle in Bangkok a Pyrrhic victory
United Press International, Asia, Hong Kong -
… a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission with over 15 years of experience as an advocate of human rights and the rule of law in Thailand and Burma. …
Letter from the Zimbabwe Vigil to South Africa and the Elders …
The Zimbabwean, Africa -
China, North Korea, Burma, Iran, Libya, Venezuela, Cuba? The $30million offered by South Africa will not go far given the mendacity and greed of the Mugabe …
No Laughing Matter
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
By AUNG ZAW Be warned—if you crack a joke, Burma’s military leaders usually don’t laugh. Instead, they send you to prison. Burma’s most famous comedian, …
Who’s behind the Thai protests?
New Statesman, UK -
… and Burma, where the military junta recently jailed a comedian for 45 years for criticising the generals’ slow response to Cyclone Nargis. …
Imprisoned Burmese comedian honored
Mizzima.com, India -
… and satirist Zargarnar, who was recently sentenced to 45 years imprisonment for his social activism and critical voice against Burma’s military rulers. …
Listen To A Voice Of Gratitude
Hartford Courant, United States -
His earliest memories of Myanmar (The Karen people call it Burma) are far worse than that. “I remember one thing — the military, they came and attacked our …
Two youth activists handed eight year prison terms
Mizzima.com, India -
by Than Htike Oo New Delhi – Continuing a series of handing down long prison terms to dissidents, Burma’s military authorities on Monday sentenced two …
Mizoram shows how to hold election
MorungExpress, India -
The Assam Rifles mans the international border with Burma and the Border Security Force is deployed on the Bangladesh border. The low decibel campaign, …
JUNTA HANDS DOWN RIDICULOUS PRISON SENTENCES IN LATEST CRACKDOWN …
IFEX, Canada -
Meanwhile, ARTICLE 19 and Index on Censorship note that the states with the largest influence on the Burmese junta – China, India and Thailand – have …
Junta Hands Down Ridiculous Prison Sentences
Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand -
A popular comedian active in Burma’s democracy movement was sentenced to 45 years in jail on 21 November for criticising the junta’s slow response to the …
We must heed the sage advice of our elders
The Herald, UK -
During their twice-yearly meetings, a symbolic empty chair is always reserved for Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi. It’s easy to mock the idea. …
Open-entry system reducing fishing resources
Daily Times, Pakistan -
Today majority of Bengalis are in fishing business and then come the Burmese, while in the past the fishermen of Sindh were at the top in this field, …
Disagreements between India, China surfacing
Daily Times, Pakistan -
Beijing is developing strategic port facilities in Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in order to protect sea lanes and ensure uninterrupted energy …
Obama the Realist
The Weekly Standard -
Democracy activists were slaughtered in Burma. The administration has removed North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terror in exchange for what …
Burma and a Task Unfinished: Considering the Options
OpEdNews, PA -
… the UN on the situation in Burma, the 28 February 2008 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, reports on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar. …
Zimbabwe writer Mhlanga honoured (Zarganar awarded Imprisoned Artist Prize)
BBC News, UK -
Pakistani-Norwegian singer and human rights activist Deeyah, nicknamed “The Muslim Madonna”, was third. Burmese satirist Zarganar, who was recently …
Burmese Comedian Gets 45-Year Prison Sentence
OneWorld.net, UK -
HRW says the increased efforts to prosecute political activists “confirm that Burma’s rulers are undermining basic freedoms more strongly than ever as they …
Refugee youths in county schools fled repression
Explore Howard County, MD -
… began for Hammond High School senior Sui Hnem Iang Ngun Hei when her father became a wanted man in their native Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. …
Competence Over Ideology
The National Interest Online, DC -
… watched and measured America’s shifting stance on apartheid, so it will measure the next administration’s commitment to democracy in Burma and beyond. …
Bangkok airport storming sells Thai people short
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom -
Thailand, currently reaching the apex of months-long political turmoil, has taken this concept one step further, as the People’s Alliance for Democracy …
Military government paralyses Internet
9 October 2008
Reporters without borders
Reporters Without Borders condemns the way the Burmese military government has paralysed the Internet, silencing online dissidents and carrying out regular raids on Internet cafés, while hacker attacks have blocked access to the leading websites with news and information about Burma for the past few weeks.
“The Burmese can no longer obtain information about the situation in their own country because the main news websites have been blocked by repeated hacker attacks,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Access to online information deteriorated sharply in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the September 1988 opposition uprising and the situation continues. The Internet is now under the government’s heel, just like the traditional media.”
For the past three months or so, four news websites based abroad have been the target of regular Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, in which web servers are blocked by an automated flood of contact requests. The Irrawaddy (http://www.irrawaddy.org), a magazine whose site is hosted on servers in Thailand, has been inaccessible in Burma since 16 September. Although it set up a mirror site (http://theirrawaddy.blogspot.com), it has lost nearly half of its visitors in the past three months (see Reporters Without Borders site).
The websites of the exile radio station, Democratic Voice of Burma, and the exile news agency, Mizzima, which are both dedicated to news about Burma, have been the target of DDoS attacks since August. These stepped up between 15 and 22 September, with the result that they were also inaccessible outside of Burma during that week. They are still being attacked and are still inaccessible within Burma.
The New Era (http://www.khitpyaing.org), an online daily newspaper based in Thailand, was the victim of the same kind of attack from 15 to 17 September. It is now accessible again, after changing its hosting company.
Three countries have been identified as the geographical origins of there hacker attacks – Russia, China and Singapore.
“These DDoS attacks from abroad are targeting websites providing news about Burma,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We do not think these attacks are random, and we strongly suspect the military of trying to control the Internet. The authorities already demonstrated their stranglehold by cutting all access to the Internet at the same moment in 2007. They now suspect Internet users of sending information to exile media, as already happened last year.”
According to The Irrawaddy, soldiers began inspecting Internet cafés in the capital at the start of October. They questioned clients about the sites they visit and the people with whom they have online contact. Internet café owners say connection speeds have declined considerably, making it almost impossible to send or receive photos and videos.
The Internet was introduced in Burma in 1997, but access for individuals was not permitted until 2000 as the government feared being unable to keep the Internet under its total control. There are two access providers, MPT and Bagan Cybertech. MPT is state-owned. Bagan Cybertech’s services are hosted on MPT servers. The authorities acknowledge filtering email messages sent by such services as Yahoo!, Gmail and Hotmail. Only 0.1 per cent of Burmese inside connect to the Internet.
Two cyber-dissidents are currently in prison for using their right to freedom of expression online. One is the Nay Phone Latt, the owner of two Rangoon Internet cafés, who has been held since 29 January in Rangoon’s Insein prison. He appeared before a Rangoon court on 30 September on a charge of undermining the social order under section 505 (b) of the criminal code.
The other is the comedian Zarganar, also known as the Burmese Charlie Chaplin, who had been keeping a blog since August 2007 in which he criticised the government. He has been held in Insein prison since 5 June, probably because of his criticism of the government’s handling of the relief efforts after Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the country a month before his arrest.
Around 3,000 people died when the security forces cracked down on the widespread pro-democracy protests of September 1988. The victims included many of the Buddhist monks who joined the uprising by students and activists. For the first time since then, monks demonstrated again on 26 September 2007, this time against Gen. Than Shwe’s government. The authorities cut off Burma from the rest of the world when they cracked down on last September’s protests.
Read more about the situation in 2007
World focus on Burma (31 July 2008)
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Private donations for cyclone victims in Burma petering off
Mizzima.com, India -
Rangoon – Three months after the killer cyclone lashed Burma’s coastal regions, survivors said aid from private donors is slowly petering off, …
PRWeek UK, UK -
‘People know how brutal the Burma regime can be after coverage of the revolution and Cyclone Nargis,’ he said. ‘They want to know why it is still in power. …
Canadian Trade Controls For US Companies Doing Business In Canada
Mondaq News Alerts (subscription), UK -
Canada’s Burma sanctions program, the most aggressive elements of which came into effect in December 2007, is a case in point. …
2008 Beijing Olympics: China Blames USA
Sports-Odds.com, FL -
… were made after the US House of Representatives passed a resolution, by 419 votes to one on Wednesday that attacked Beijing history of human rights. …
Bomb explodes in Mudon, no casualties
Mizzima.com, India -
Chiang Mai – A small bomb on Wednesday night exploded at the telecommunication office in Mudon of Southern Burma’s Mon state, sources said. …
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia -
Giving the Games to China would in fact help human rights, the IOC said. China would be forced to open up and be nice. I mean, those nice Chinese leaders …
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia -
… rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma (Myanmar). …
Awareness campaign on Burma’s August uprising in Delhi
Mizzima.com, India -
… of Burma the activists will be conducting a conference; a photo exhibition of protests in September last year and the recent devastation by Cyclone …
China and the West: parallel worlds
The Age, Australia -
… rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma (Myanmar)”. …
Bush Heads to Asia For Olympic Games, Talks
Voice of America -
Mr. Bush is expected to shift focus in Thailand to another world trouble spot – neighboring Burma. “Our message is the United States believes in democracy …
THAILAND: Thaksin’s Wife Gets Jail Term For Tax Fraud
Inter Press Service (subscription), Italy -
‘’It was a fair trial and the decision rendered by the court was fair,’’ Somchai Homlaor, a Thai human rights lawyer, told IPS. …
Eritrea “Has Become One Big Jail,” Activist Says
NewsBlaze, CA -
At a panel discussion hosted by the US Mission to the United Nations, she was one of six panelists – the others being from Belarus, Burma, Cuba, …
help: Benefit Concert for Burma and Sichuan
FStation.com, CA -
1000000 people, the populations of Oakland and San Francisco combined, already have or might die in Burma ( Myanmar ) as a result of Cyclone Nargis. …
Thailand’s human rights chief must resign
United Press International, Asia, Hong Kong -
… a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission with over 15 years of experience as an advocate of human rights and the rule of law in Thailand and Burma. …
Zarganar and Zaw Thet Htway appear in court
Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway -
Both Zarganar and Zaw Thet Htway were enthusiastically working to provide aid to cyclone victims before their arrests on 4 and 13 June respectively.
Zarganar Appears in Court in Insein Prison
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand - By SAW YAN NAING After nearly two months in detention, Zarganar, Burma’s best-known comedian, and a colleague, appeared in court in Insein Prison in Rangoon …
Christiane Amanpour, CNN Investigate Tibetan Buddhist Struggles ...
RealityTVWebsite.com, IN -
In Myanmar, formerly Burma, Buddhist monks are also at the forefront of political unrest. Amanpour meets the leaders of the September 2007 Saffron …
News Sentinel, IN -
… and Kyi were dental school classmates in Rangoon, then joined the revolution against the military dictatorship that now runs Burma, also called Myanmar. …
House Resolution Demands China End Human Rights Abuses Before Games
AHN -
Washington, DC (AHN) – The US House approved a resolution on Wednesday asking China to correct its poor human rights record before next week’s Olympics …
Junta Slams Exile Group’s UN Campaign
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
The New Light of Myanmar published an article about Maung Maung, the secretary-general of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) and other groups …
Burma on Bush Agenda while in Thailand
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
… that broadcasts into Burma, so he can give a message directly to the Burmese people,” said Dennis Wilder, the senior director for Asian affairs at the …
Burma: Tom Lantos “Block Burmese Jade Act” has been passed by both …
UNPO, Netherlands -
The National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) acclaims the United States Government for enacting the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s …
Reuters -
Another 800000 were displaced in a disaster that the UN says affected 2.4 million people in the former Burma, where most people rely on farming for a living …
ABFSU slams abuse of ten Muslim students
Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway -
Jul 31, 2008 (DVB)–The All Burma Federation of Student Unions has criticised the treatment of ten Muslim student activists who have been sent to hard labour …
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
“On the international front, the Chinese government continues to support the genocidal regime in Sudan and the military junta in Burma.” Pelosi said human …
The Jewish Journal of greater L.A, CA -
Human Rights Watch reports that as a direct result of inequalities found in their countries of origin, women from Ukraine, Moldova, Nigeria, the Dominican …
US House: Statement by Chairman Berman on the House floor in …
ISRIA (subscription), DC -
Because of China’s failure to improve its record on supporting human rights at home and abroad, now is the time to call on China to take immediate, …
Africa: World Community Renews Call to Free Prisoners of Conscience
AllAfrica.com, Washington -
Panelists from Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Eritrea, Syria and Uzbekistan spoke to more than 120 diplomats, journalists and representatives of nongovernmental …
Australia rebukes China over reporter internet censorship
The Australian, Australia -
… rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma (Myanmar). …
Chinese FM Spokesman Urges US to Curb “Odious Conduct” of Anti …
istockAnalyst.com, OR -
… criticized China on human rights issues and asked the Chinese Government to stop supporting the governments of Sudan and Myanmar [Burma]. …
Chiang Mai City Life, Thailand -
It is estimated 1500 citizens of Burma are held captive – some have been for many years – for having political credos different from the kleptocrats ruling …
Fresh charge against Maung Weik
Mizzima.com, India -
“He (the businessman) is suspected of allowing the Malaysian to stay in Myanmar (Burma) without informing the immigration authority,” a police source said. …
Myanmar plays the UN and the world for suckers
The Gazette (Montreal), Canada -
It’s hard to say which is more appalling: the way Myanmar’s elite skimmed as much as $10 million from international aid money flowing into the country for …
Letter: Doesn’t trust food statistics
Appeal-Democrat, CA -
Does anyone remember the recent tragedy in Myanmar (formally Burma) when a cyclone killed more than 85000 people. Their government confiscated all the …
Farmers struggle with lack of resources
Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway -
Jul 30, 2008 (DVB)–Farmers in the cyclone-hit township of Labutta in Irrawaddy division are still struggling to resume their work due to lack of resources, …
The List, UK -
Which means that in the guise of a un-PC character, Dexter feels able to make a joke like ‘a lot of people died in Burma recently, but on the good side …
Ex-Thai PM Thaksin’s wife guilty of tax evasion
PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria -
© AP BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) – A Thai court has found the wife of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra guilty of tax evasion and has sentenced her …
Ex-Thai PM’s wife guilty of fraud
BBC News, UK -
The wife of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been convicted of tax fraud by a court in Bangkok. Pojaman Shinawatra was sentenced to three …
Ancient sculptures found in Tripura
Zee News, India -
… Palas and Guptas of Bengal, influence of the Arakan in Mynamar (formerly Burma) and local style, Jawahar Achariya, a historian and numismatist, said. …
Thaksin’s wife awaits ruling on tax evasion case
International Herald Tribune, France -
AP BANGKOK, Thailand: The wife of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra awaited a court’s verdict Thursday on whether she evaded millions of dollars …
Verdict expected in Thaksin tax evasion case
PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria -
© AP BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) – The wife of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is awaiting a court verdict on whether she evaded millions of …
… rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma (Myanmar). …
UNICEF’s change for good achieves landmark of ￡25 million
eTravelBlackboard – Asia Edition, Australia -
Earlier this year, in response to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar (Burma), £300000 was donated to UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts, helping to provide .
JVC: US Ban on Rubies, Jadeite Starts Within 60 Days of Enactment
Diamonds.net, NY -
The bill requires that within 60 days of enactment, jadeite or rubies of Burma (Myanmar) origin cannot be imported into the US This importation ban would …
White House says US wants big change from China
The Associated Press -
… lady Laura Bush will visit Thailand’s Mae La camp, home to thousands of refugees who have fled repression in neighboring Myanmar, also known as Burma. …
US Lawmakers Urge Support for Darfur Peacekeepers
Voice of America -
“The Chinese government continues to support the genocidal regime in Sudan and the military junta in Burma. Their actions run counter to our interests in …
Press Briefing by Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the …
MarketWatch -
And then he will be interviewed by the press in Thailand that broadcast into Burma, so that he can give a message directly to the Burmese people. …
Leading article: The Burmese deserve better
Independent, UK -
An admission by the UN this week that it had “lost” some $10m in aid to cyclone-stricken Burma must come as a shock to the many donors who forked out …
Medical Teams International volunteers use their unique talents
The Regal Courier, OR -
By Barbara Sherman Toni Miles has become an expert at reading product expiration dates, a skill she never dreamed would be important until she started …
New graft case against Thai PM
Peninsula On-line, Qatar -
In the Myanmar case, an army-appointed graft panel accused Thaksin of ordering a state bank in 2004 to increase the size of a loan to the military-ruled …
China gets pre-Olympics rights rap
Peninsula On-line, Qatar -
… rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma (Myanmar). …
Trade of Burmese precious gems banned in US
WiredPRNews.com (press release), TX -
Nevertheless, despite the 2003 ban on trade, a loophole allowed the buying of gems, which originate in Burma and were polished or cut in third world …
Voice of America -
By Dan Robinson US lawmakers, organizations advocating for human rights and religious freedom, and China democracy activists have sharply criticized the …
Trade of Burmese precious gems banned in US
WiredPRNews.com (press release), TX -
The appalling record of the regime, beginning with a massacre in 1988 ending the pro-democracy disputes, has given it a reclusive status in the Western …
Summit gives disaster response leaders ‘Eagle Vision’
Edwards Air Force Base, CA -
… Midwest flooding and California fires, the imagery was used globally for responders to Cyclone Nargis in Burma, recent major earthquakes in China, …
Pelosi Statement on House Resolution Calling on China to Cease …
MarketWatch -
On the international front, the Chinese government continues to support the genocidal regime in Sudan and the military junta in Burma. …
Relief Still Spotty For Victims Of Myanmar Cyclone
OPB News, OR -
She was the only official from the Tigard relief agency allowed into Myanmar, or Burma. Dyment spent 2 months there. Dyment said the political situation …
So long bull market, it’s time to live with the bear
Stockhouse, Canada -
“And even North Korea and Myanmar (Burma) haven’t managed that little feat of autarky,” he quips. But on the whole, Canadian financial institutions have not …
Olympic Games show China through a glass, darkly
Times Online, UK -
… against Zimbabwe, not to mention its continued support for the Government of Sudan, its latest big gas deal with Iran or its heavy involvement in Burma.
President Bush Signs Myanmar Gemstone Ban
Luxist, CA -
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, produces some of the world’s most beautiful rubies. The rubies from the Mogok region have a deep translucent color often …
Burmese Writers Play Cat-and-Mouse Game with State Censors
NewsBlaze, CA -
After Cyclone Nargis in May, a survivor unveiled a billboard reading, “We want food, not gold.” In Burmese, shwe, means gold, a probable reference to …
Saarc economic agenda all but forgotten
Livemint, India -
Myanmar, or Burma, was after all part of British India till 1935, after which the last king was ordered to live in Ratnagiri (in Maharashtra) where he died.
Canadian aid worker says efforts to help cyclone Nargis victims …
News1130, Canada -
But he expects it will take six months to finish that task in Myanmar, also known as Burma, which was hit by the cyclone May 2-3. …
Burma and Zimbabwe witness the last gasps of the supreme global ...
New Zimbabwe.com, Zimbabwe -
The first was Burma (or Myanmar as it should be known). We can all agree that the regime is odious. The question facing the rest of the world in the …
The Evolution of the National Security Concept of China
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey -
Asian financial crisis in 1997 startled the Communist leadership since “the fall of Suharto in Indonesia clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of ..
Burma: Slow Start for Free-to-Air Digital TV
RedOrbit, TX -
Consumers have been slow to adopt Myanmar’s first free-to-air digital television channel launched in early February by [army-run] Myawaddy Television (MWD), …
World Focus on Burma (12 Mar 08)
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Burmese junta tells un envoy gambari where to go |
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Awesome ancient sites off the beaten path |
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Veteran Journalist Calls for People Power to Oust Regime |
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Train collision in Rangoon, no fatalities |
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Internet, telephone connections in Burma sporadic during UN … |
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Burmese Gems Losing Their Luster? |
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UN envoy’s visit falls short of expectations |
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US report cites human rights abuses in other nations |
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Inside Report for March 12, 2008 |
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Myanmar’s Solution to Energy Crisis: Nuts |
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Chinese influx stirs age-old hatred in Myanmar |
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Myanmar’s nutty scheme to solve energy crisis |
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RIGHTS: US State Department Found Little to Cheer in 2007 |
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State Department deplores rights records of North Korea, Iran, in … |
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US says Myanmar’s human rights record getting worse |
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US says human rights in Pakistan got worse last year |
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Myanmar ’07 crackdown worsened bad rights record-US |
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Myanmar: Study chronicles 2007 protests and crackdown |
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Junta remains defiant as Gambari’s visit ends |
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Junta to make propaganda film on draft constitution |
Chinese presence in Myanmar uneasy
Mar 12, 2008 4:57 PM | Few people can claim justifiably to understand the relationship between Myanmar‘s secretive military rulers and China, their key trading partner, arms supplier and diplomatic ally. | But …
UN visit shows momentum slipping on Myanmar
| By Charlie McDonald-Gibson | BANGKOK: UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari’s seeming failure to press the Myanmar junta toward reform has underlined the loss in diplomatic momentum since last year’s bloody crackdown on p…
Human rights abuses in Asia come under US fire -
| by Lachlan Carmichael 22 minutes ago | WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States ranked North Korea and Myanmar Tuesday among the world’s worst violators of human rights and took other Asian countries to task …
Bush Pays Tribute to Prominent Women
President Bush signs a proclamation for Women’s History Month in the East Room of the White House, 10 Mar 2008 President Bush presided at a White House ceremony Monday honoring women around the world who are fi…
World Focus on Burma (29 Jan 08)
- Myanmar junta charges leading protesters
Reuters UK, UK -The 10, most of whom were leaders of a 1988 student-led uprising suppressed bloodily by the army, are accused of violating the former Burma’s Printing and …
- European Union’s special envoy for Myanmar seeks Asian cooperation
Earthtimes, UK -
Bangkok – The European Union’s special envoy for Myanmar on Tuesday stressed the need for close cooperation with Asian governments in speeding up a solution … - ASEAN rights execs meet on framework of regional body
Inquirer.net, Philippines -
Rights groups have cautiously welcomed the move, but stressed that time was running out to reverse abuses in rogue state Myanmar, which continues to detain … - Federal probe of stolen art goes national
Los Angeles Times, CA -
“Passion for Form: Selections of Southeast Asian Art from the MacLean Collection” contains 53 of his best objects from Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, … - Stallone: Time right for another ‘Rambo’
Detroit Free Press, United States -
“Rambo,” the fourth in the series that began in 1982, takes place in present-day, war-torn Burma (called Myanmar by its current government), … - EU envoy calls for release of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi
AFP -BANGKOK (AFP) — The EU’s special envoy for Myanmar on Tuesday urged the country’s military regime to free democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as he kicked off …
- Myanmar migrants fear worst from new Thai government
Swissinfo, Switzerland -
So, hopefully, the TRT-influenced PPP will take migration issues into account,” said Myint Wai of the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma. - Sylvester Stallone is set to make a fifth ‘Rambo’ movie
The Cheers, Estonia -
The film, which Stallone directs and stars in, sees Rambo taking a group of mercenaries into war torn Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in search of missing … - Irrawaddy Dam Construction Begins, Human Rights Abuses Begin
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
The Burmese state-run newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar, reported in May 2007 that seven hydropower projects on the Irrawaddy River had been designed to … - Myanmar Times CEO Supports Regime’s “Road Map”
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand -
By Wai Moe Burma’s English language weekly newspaper, The Myanmar Times, threw its support unequivocally behind the regime’s seven-point “road map” in a … - EU urges new govt to promote democracy in Burma
Nation Multimedia, Thailand -
“The EU wants to cooperate with Thailand’s government to promote a positive solution in Burma,” said Piero Fassino, EU Special Envoy to Burma. … - EU wants Thai help to pro¬mote democracy in Burma
Nation Multimedia, Thailand -
“The EU wants to cooperate with Thailand’s government to promote a positive solution in Burma,” said Piero Fassino, EU Special Envoy to Burma. … - Blogger detained amid increased surveillance of Internet; more …
Southeast Asian Press Alliance, Thailand -
On 21 January, Mizzima reported that Blogger.com, the most popular blog provider to users inside Burma, has been completely blocked after Myanmar Post and … - Myanmar frees four Indians
| IMPHAL: Myanmar authorities have released four Indian nationals who were arrested six months ago for entering the neighbouring country without valid documents, official sources said on Monday. | They were han… - Man of War
| Rambo is back – bigger and bloodier. | By Peter Suderman | You can learn everything you need to know about from the title. It’s short, simple, and blunt. There are no Roman numerals, no colons, no hokey subti..
World Focus on Burma (7 Jan 08)
- What is there to celebrate in Burma?
Bangkok Post, Thailand - 10 hours ago
Those are the words of Burma’s first president, Sao Shwe Thaike, in his independence message on Jan 4, 1948 when the country gained its independence after … (If the URL is not working, click here.) - Dhaka postpones BIMSTEC ministerial meet
Hindu, India -
After the inclusion of Myanmar in December 1997, the grouping was renamed as BIMST-EC or Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic … - Free to celebrate new year
Akron Beacon Journal, OH -
… freedom for the members of the Karen (pronounced Kahr-en) community, who have fled the military regime in Burma, now called Myanmar, in Southeast Asia. … - A digitally enhanced Myanmar opposition
Los Angeles Times, CA -
… photographs and blog reports posted on the Internet played a key role in breaking the wall of silence surrounding Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. … - Bird flu still a threat 10 years after leap to humans
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD -
“Just in 2007, we’ve seen the first reports of human cases in Laos, Nigeria and Burma (Myanmar),” he says. Cases tend to coincide with poultry outbreaks and … - Karen community grateful for escaping violence, dictatorship
The Chronicle Journal, Canada -
The second phase of the group crossed into Burma – called Myanmar by the country‘s current military rulers – and arrived in 739 BC, explained Saw Winning, …
- TOTAL petrol station demo in Chester
Indymedia UK, UK -
On Saturday 5 January, in solidarity with NLD, the Burmese monks and the oppressed people of Burma, members and supporters of Wrexham Women for Peace held a …
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Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway -
“The licence fee is 500000 kyat a year with an additional 50000 kyat monthly, which you have to give to the Myanmar Info-Tech Corporation,” the café owner … - Sense of loss as Burma marks independence without hero
Hong Kong Standard Pausing in front of the fence around Rangoon’s main park, a man points through the iron bars to show… - New ASEAN chief upbeat on charter’s full ratification
Reuters India, India -JAKARTA (Reuters) – The new Association of Southeast Asian Nations chief expressed confidence on Monday the grouping’s landmark charter aimed at paving the …
- Singapore ratifies Asean Charter
The Nation/ANN | Bangkok : Singapore is taking the lead and becoming the first member to ratify the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Charter, barely seven weeks after it was signed by the g..
Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma
OpenNet Initiative
To view this bulletin as a pdf, click here
Executive Summary
This bulletin examines the role of information technology, citizen journalists, and bloggers in Burma and presents a technical analysis of the abrupt shutdown of Internet connectivity by the Burmese government on September 29, 2007, following its violent crackdown on protesters there. Completely cutting international Internet links is rare. Nepal, which severed all international Internet connections when the King declared martial law in February 2005, is the only other state to take such drastic action. Although extreme, the measures taken by the Burmese government to limit citizens’ use of the Internet during this crisis are consistent with previous OpenNet Initiative (ONI) findings in Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Tajikistan, where authorities controlled access to communication technologies as a way to limit social mobilization around key political events. What makes the Burmese junta stand out, however, is its apparent goal of also preventing information from reaching a wider international audience.
The shutdown of Internet connectivity was precipitated by its use by citizens to send photographs, updates and videos that documented the violent suppression of protests in Burma, information that contributed to widespread international condemnation of the Burmese military rulers’ gross violations of human rights.
We examine the impact of communication technology in shaping these key political events in Burma, the limitations of these tools, and the prospects ………………………
This is an excerpt. Read full bulletin on a webpage
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Figure 1. Timeline of Events, Aug. 19-Oct. 13, 2007
Figure 2. Blockpage found while surfing the Internet in Burma
Figure 3. Internet Shutdown Times in Burma
World Focus on Burma (27-11-2007)
- Former Annapolis High athlete aids Myanmar protesters
Annapolis Capital, MD -
On the air, the 22-year-old smoothly expounded as an authority on conditions inside Myanmar, also called Burma, where a military junta has held the country … - UN Envoy Discusses Burma Crisis With Vietnam
Scoop.co.nz, New Zealand -
The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Myanmar is meeting with officials in Viet Nam as part of his consultations with regional leaders on the situation … - Burmese Government Disconnect Fails
ThreatsWatch.Org -
The will to overcome such restrictions however, triumphed to a degree: Savvy young bloggers in Myanmar are breaking through the military junta’s tight … - Myanmar mid-year gems emporium ends in Yangon
Xinhua, China -
27 (Xinhua) — A total of 3618 lots of jade, gems and pearls were sold at the 13-day mid-year Myanmar gems emporium which ended here Monday evening, .. - Vietnam expects a stable Myanmar: PM
Nhan Dan, Vietnam -
As an ASEAN member and a neighbour of Myanmar, Vietnam expects the situation in the Southeast Asian country to become stable, contributing to the stability … - Search for 50 boat passengers called off
Brisbane Times, Australia - 8 hours ago
Jasimuddin said the passengers were Bangladeshi and also Burma refugees from camps at Cox’s Bazar, 300 km south of the national capital, Dhaka. … - New Images from Rambo!
IESB.NET, CA -
… aid workers recruit John Rambo to guide them up the Salween River to deliver medical supplies to the Karen tribe of neighboring Burma (aka Myanmar). … - Myanmar gem auction wrapped up regime says amid boycott calls
AFP -
YANGON (AFP) — Military-run Myanmar has wrapped up a gem auction, a major money-spinner for the junta, state media said Tuesday, despite sanctions and calls …
- Vietnam can help Myanmar: envoy
Gulf Times, Qatar -
… in the country formerly called Burma. Vietnam’s leaders “are listened to by Myanmar, because I think they are among the countries closest to Myanmar, … - Myanmar junta frees ethnic Chin leader
Reuters India, India -
Critics have accused the regime of seeking to exploit ethnic divisions in the former Burma, home to a dizzying array of rival tribes, religions, … - Myanmar concludes gems auction with foreign merchants
International Herald Tribune, France -
AP YANGON, Myanmar: More than 2000 foreign merchants attended Myanmar’s major gems auction, state-media reported Tuesday, despite international calls to … - CBS 5 Journalist Ventures Inside Burma
CBS 5, CA -
Many in the nation that was called Burma hope 45 years of military rule will end. Sandwiched between China and India, Myanmar is closed to journalists. … - Missed opportunity on Burma
ISN, Switzerland -
… in Burma. But no aversion to EU sanctions could deter ASEAN from talking trade with Brussels. Summit host Lee Hsien Loong said that “while Myanmar is … - ‘Our’ dictator gets away with it
Asia Times Online, Hong Kong -
“Even Burma [Myanmar] is ahead. On the other hand in 2006, Pakistan spent US$ 5.1 billion on arms.” Khan, now released, says he’s in favor of boycotting the … - Junta soldier shot Nagai from 1 meter away : MPD Kyodo News: The Japanese video journalist gunned down in September while covering an antigovernment rally in Myanmar was shot from a meter away by the nearest soldier, Tokyo police said Monday.
- Myanmar sells $150 mln of gems at auction: official
AFP -
YANGON (AFP) — Military-run Myanmar has sold precious stones worth 150 million dollars during this month’s gem auction, an official said Tuesday, … - Burmese Gem Auction Concludes
IDEX Online, Israel -
Myanmar’s (Burma) gem auction ended Monday, after more than 2000 foreign merchants from 16 countries had attended and more than 3500 lots of precious stones … - Panties with Power
RH Reality Check, DC -
Currently, activists exasperated at the failure of diplomacy to apply pressure on Burma’s military regime are resorting to a new means of protest against … - Burma’s weekly journals faced with declining readership
Mizzima.com, India -
With more publishing license issued by the Burmese junta’s Information Ministry, sources said, new journals such as the Myanmar Times and Mann Daw Yeik will …
