Take Me to the River: In Southeast Asia, Art Turns an Eye to the Water

19 Dec 2012

They nurture the earth, shape wondrous landscapes, and give life to flora and fauna. 

In Southeast Asia, major rivers such as the Mekong are also essential lifelines 

in Burma and neighboring countries, serving as transport lanes, harvesting basins, 

commerce routes and unique ecosystems to secure food and energy supplies 

for communities. But this delicate balance is under threat, and local artists throughout 

the region are raising their voices in alarm.

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Rule of Law Key to Burma’s Reforms, Says Intl Bar Association

19 Dec 2012

If Burma wants to successfully transition to democracy, the country’s 

quasi-civilian government should take steps to improve rule of law, 

one of the world’s major legal organizations has said.

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Monks Face Mounting Medical Expenses

19 Dec 2012

Less than a week after being sent to Bangkok to receive treatment for severe 

burns sustained in a crackdown on anti-copper mine protests last month, 

64-year-old monk U Teikkha Nyana’s long road to recovery has hit a major hurdle: 

a lack of money to cover his medical expenses.

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Myanmar to grow 6.3% in 2013

19 Dec 2012

Myanmar would achieve 5.5% economic growth this year and 6.3% in 2013, 

the World Bank predicted Wednesday.

But the nation undergoing political and economic reforms was still one of the poorest 
in Asia with more than 26% of the population living below the poverty line 
of 1 dollar a day, the international development lender said.

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Exiled Shan women’s group defends “License to Rape”

19 Dec 2012

The Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) that shot to international acclaim 
in 2002 with its “License to Rape” report on the Burma Army’s widespread use 
of sexual violence as a weapon of war, today rejected claims that it was a product 
which came out of “hearing with one ear.”

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Myanmar plans first NY countdown

19 Dec 2012

A Thai company is organising the first Myanmar New Year Countdown party 

in Yangon at the end of this month.

Index Creative Village, Thailand's largest event organiser, hope to attract 
50,000 revellers.The company, through its subsidiary Myanmar Index Creative Village
(MICV), announced it will invest 35 million baht to stage the first official
New Year countdown in Myanmar on the 40-rai Myoma Ground in the heart of Yangon.

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Myanmar in grip of economic revolution