Stories from and

Burmese Blogger Calls for Religious Tolerance

  17 June 2013

dawn_1o9, a young Burmese blogger, expresses her disappointment over the reported cases of violence between Buddhists and Muslims in some parts of Myanmar: I'm a Buddhist. I'm a Burmese living in Myanmar. But I just don't have anything against the Muslims living in Myanmar….what makes me a true Buddhist is...

Artists Dodge Censorship in Myanmar

  3 June 2013

Artist and former political detainee Htein Lin talks to Art Radar Asia and discusses Myanmar's current art scene and politics: For visual art exhibitions, there are still some censors. Some artists [have stopped] inviting the censors from the Information Ministry, so now there are some art exhibitions without censorship but...

‘Illegal” Libraries in Myanmar

  27 May 2013

The Irrawaddy interviews Ye Htet Oo who has launched four mobile libraries in Myanmar. To avoid censorship and acquire license during the military regime, library owners pretended to operate bookstores. Aside from sharing his experience, Ye Htet Oo also discussed the reading culture in Myanmar.

Myanmar Now Sells Cheap SIM Cards

  4 April 2013

Great news for mobile phone users in Myanmar. Authorities from different divisions and states will start selling[my] mobile SIM cards for CDMA and WCDMA network at only 1500 kyats or about 2 US Dollars. Just five years ago, a SIM card in Myanmar could cost more than $2000.

History of Myanmar's Movie Industry

  30 March 2013

Ei Ei Su writes about the history of Myanmar's movie industry beginning with the country's first silent film in 1920, up to the 1940s when the industry was producing about 400 films, until the army takeover in 1962.

Google Myanmar is Now Online

  21 March 2013

Google Myanmar is now available in local domain at www.google.com.mm a few days before the arrival of Google CEO Eric Schmidt in Myanmar. Google play store which is inaccessible in Myanmar also seems to have been unblocked for now.

Myanmar's Exiled Broadcaster to Return Home

  12 March 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma or DVB, which has been broadcasting news about the democracy movement in Myanmar from its head office in Oslo for more than 21 years, has announced its plan to return to Myanmar soon. The group said recent reforms in the country has allowed its “former underground...

First Crowdsourced News Site in Myanmar

  27 February 2013

A group of young programmers in Myanmar launched the country's first ever crowdsourced news site called “Buzz in Myanmar“. With the slogan “News for people, by people”, netizens are allowed and encouraged to submit neighborhood and other local news.

Request Google to Look into Myanmar

  23 February 2013

Many Burmese netizens requested[my] the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information who met with Google's Southeast Asia Country lead for Public Policy and Government Affairs to convince the company not to block Google Play in Myanmar and to put Burmese (Myanmar) language in Google Translate.

Myanmar: Biggest Barcamp in the World

  30 January 2013

At over 6,400 participants on January 19 and 20 this year, BarcampYangon not only dwarfs every barcamp in the region but even exceeds last year’s number by over one thousand attendees. Myanmar is now the envy of every barcamper in Asia. Anh-Minh Do reviews Barcamp Yangon 2013 in Myanmar.

A Memorable 2012 for Myanmar

  31 December 2012

Burma has experienced a lot of political and social turbulence throughout the past year. Like a dilapidated taxi driving in torrential rain, the country is still moving forward but things looks risky. We can only hope that 2013 sees better weather ahead. Writing for The Irrawaddy, Kyaw Zwa Moe reviews...

Myanmar's Foreign Investment Law

  5 December 2012

altsean uploads the English translation of the full text of Myanmar's Foreign Investment Law which was approved by the government last month. The law which provides tax breaks, land leasing agreements, and opportunities for joint business ventures, was welcomed by many investors.

Protest Against Chinese-owned copper mine in Myanmar

  30 November 2012

China Digital Times has put together news story of the crackdown of a protest against Chinese-owned copper mine in Monywa, Myanmar. Chinese state-controlled media outlet depicts the protest as the adverse effect of Myanmar’s democratic reforms.

Four Hundred Prisoners to be Released by Myanmar

  15 November 2012

Myanmar is set to release 452 prisoners today, November 15, 2012. The amnesty was announced by the government which could be an act of political goodwill in light of the anticipated state visit by United States President Barack Obama to Myanmar. The government also released prisoners when President Thein Sein...

Myanmar Hit by 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake

  11 November 2012

An earthquake with a magnitude 6.8 hit the towns of Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin, Shwe Bo and Sagaing in Myanmar at 7:40 a.m (GMT+6:30). According to reports, 4 workers died and 25 were injured at the construction of a bridge[my] in Shwe Bo. The earthquake was the strongest to hit...