· January, 2009

Stories about Myanmar (Burma) from January, 2009

Rohingya Muslims facing cultural genocide

  30 January 2009

Prof. Marranci writes that Rohingya Muslims are “victims of their lack of strategic value, both for their native Southeast Asia and the wider international community.” The Rohingyas are also “facing a slow, silent cultural genocide.”

The plight of the Rohingya

  28 January 2009

The Rohingya have been called “trafficked victims”, “refugees”, “forced migrants” and “illegal migrants”. The Irrawaddy provides a comprehensive background to the situation of the Rohingya. This issue has involved Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and even the United States.

Myanmar: Kachin Conflict

  26 January 2009

Writing for The Pulitzer Center, Tim Patterson and Ryan Libre explain the backround of the Kachin Conflict in Myanmar. The struggle in Kachin is separate from the campaign of the political opposition of the ethnic Burmese majority.

Myanmar: Extreme cold weather

  21 January 2009

Myanmar’s mountainous eastern and western border areas are experiencing an unusual freezing weather. The Karen State was declared a disaster area because of the cold temperatures. The province is home to a large refugee population. In Rangoon, the winter is coldest in 30 years.

Thailand: Rohingya refugee story coverage

  18 January 2009

Bangkok Pundit provides a round up of the story about Rohingya refugees who were allegedly pushed out to sea by the Thai Navy. The story has been reported in detail by BBC News. According to Bangkok Pundit the news was originally broken by the website Phuket Wan.

Southeast Asia: Ship of dreams and friendship

  16 January 2009

Take a luxury cruise liner, fill it with some 300 vibrant youths from Southeast Asia and Japan, stir in cultural agenda and social interactions. The result: a strong bond and lifetime friendship. This is the story of the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme.

Myanmar: 2008 Blog Awards

  13 January 2009

The first ever Myanmar Blog Awards recognized 11 bloggers from Myanmar. More than 150 blogs were nominated for the year 2008. At least 7,000 votes were casted.