Stories from Quick Reads and Myanmar (Burma)
Southeast Asia Migration Routes and Statistics
The International Organization for Migration has released a map showing the routes taken by boat refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar when they sought shelter in several Southeast Asian countries. As of May 19, 2015, the IOM estimated that 4,000 refugees are still stranded in the sea while 3,200 have already...
Why Obama is Wrong About Myanmar
Young Burmese activists displayed banners during a forum attended by United States President Barack Obama in Myanmar. The activists reminded Obama that the so-called democratic reforms implemented by the military-backed government are either fake or illusory. Obama’s Second #Burma Visit Falls Flat | Via @IrrawaddyNews http://t.co/mwY57URyGm #Myanmar pic.twitter.com/sGotp6XLnH — Sonny...
Video Animation Explains How Principle of “Free Prior and Informed Consent” Can Empower Indigenous Peoples
The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact has uploaded a video animation explaining the principle of “Free prior and informed consent” or how communities should have the right to decide for the development of their lands.
The Struggling Free Press in Myanmar
This image, posted in the online magazine Shan Herald, describes the state of the press in Myanmar. Despite the abolition of the censorship board a few years ago, journalists still face a lot of challenges. This year, reporters have been detained for reporting and asking about some government-initiated projects.
“Shrinking Democratic Space” in Myanmar
The new United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has concluded a visit in the country and issued an initial report about Myanmar's human rights situation: The opening up of democratic space for people to exercise their rights to freedom of opinion and expression and to freedom of assembly...
Hackers Mock Internet Speed in Myanmar by Replacing Logo of IT Ministry with Turtles
The website of Myanmar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology was hacked on Friday morning, July 4, 2014. The hackers replaced two government seals with turtles alluding to the country's slow internet connection. The hacking also coincided with the Facebook blocking which many people believe was done by the government...
What the Thai Junta Should Learn from the Burmese Junta
Aung Zaw of The Irrawaddy compares and contrasts the Thai junta and the military-backed govenrment of Myanmar: The Thai army has carried out more than a dozen coups in past decades, but always relinquished power to a civilian government after a number of years. The Burma Army staged two coups,...
Free Speech Remains Under Threat in Myanmar
Deji Olukotun observes how Myanmar's so-called transition to democracy has not yet made a lasting impact on the state of free expression in the country: …in many ways Myanmar’s relatively open society could close at a moment’s notice. Writers are able to write and to criticize the government not because...
Dictatorship is Over But Press Freedom Still Under Threat in Myanmar
The Irrawaddy underscored the continuing difficulties experienced by Myanmar journalists despite the reforms implemented by the government …despite the ostensible changes in the way the government treats the media, the underlying mindset is much the same as in the past: Journalists have been given greater “space” within which to work,...
Myanmar's First Digital Library for Higher Education
Myanmar's Ministry of Education and the Open Society Foundation have teamed up to establish the country's first digital library. Oleksandr Shtokvych, Senior Manager at the Open Society Foundations’ Higher Education Support Programme, explained the importance of the project: It will also mean including their students and scholars (of the University...
State of Literature in Post-Dictatorship Myanmar
Writing for The Dissident Blog, James Byrne reviews the status of Burmese literature in the post-dictatorship era in Myanmar: When I was in the country last year there were poems being read about the Arab Spring. There were others about the harsh treatment of Burmese farmers. There were satires about...
Myanmar's Last Remaining Synagogue
Built 120 years ago, the Musmeah Yeshua synagogue in Yangon is the last remaining Jewish synagogue in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar. Aside from being a tourist attraction, it is also listed as an archaeological heritage building in the city.
Assessing Myanmar's Democratic Transition
Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, concluded his mission by assessing the country's democratic transition: For the time being, the military retains a prevailing role in the life and institutions of Myanmar. State institutions in general remain unaccountable and the judiciary is not...
A Visual and Musical Journey Through Myanmar
Like a visual postcard, the short video A handful of Myanmar by Berta upe Tilmantaitė invites its viewers to marvel at the wonders of the Southeast Asian country. Reid Willis‘ music replaces the natural sounds of the place, as rhythm and tempo adapt to the flow of the rivers and...
PHOTOS: How Pebble Mining is Destroying Villages in Myanmar
Dozens of homes were destroyed in the Nga Pu Taw Township of Myanmar due to muddy waste produced by pebble mining companies.
Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia
The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development has published a policy briefer that tackled the extent of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. Many Southeast Asian countries are at the bottom of a lot of the world's supply chains, including for food, garments, and technology. Yet few countries in...
Dissecting Myanmar's Internet Connection Woes
Jefry Tupas analyzed some of the issues that affect Myanmar's Internet sector. He cited the high costs of acquiring telephone handsets, SIM cards, and Internet connection in the country. He also wrote about the social and economic impact of the slow Internet speed which is believed to be controlled by...
Remembering the 1988 Student Revolt in Myanmar
Aung Zaw, the founding editor in chief of the Irrawaddy magazine, recalls the historic 1988 student uprising in Myanmar: As a student at that time, I can clearly remember the exhilaration of knowing that the entire nation was behind us, that we could not possibly lose. He issues this challenge...
First Burmese-language Social Networking Site
SQUAR is Myanmar’s first Burmese-language social networking site. The Irrawaddy interviews Rita Nguyen who is overwhelmed by the support of Myanmar netizens: …even if Burmese were online, there was really no destination that belonged to them, built for and by them.
Myanmar's Internet Freedom Forum
Faine Greenwood writes about the first Internet freedom forum in Myanmar and the challenges facing the IT community: The event revealed optimism about opportunities for a newly connected society, even as bloggers and observers expressed uncertainty about growing tension between a desire for openness and a need for stability in...
