Electoral Dilemmas: Mon 04 Aug 2008,by Ashley South With the referendum process now completed, the Burmese military government
is preparing for elections in 2010. The obviously manipulated nature of the
referendum in May (according to which, over 92% of the population endorsed
the military-drafted...
Caught between the devil and the deep sea Mon 04 Aug 2008,By Shyamal Sarkar Residents in southern Mon state are in a Catch-22 situation. They are caught between the Burmese Army and Mon rebels of the Monland Restoration Party (MRP). While the rebels collect food and tax from the villagers, the troops of the Burmese Army hit...
Making money from death Fri 11 Jul 2008,By Shyamal Sarkar
Nothing can be more despicable than making money from the dead. But that is precisely what Burmese junta administrators and a section of police personnel in Mon state did in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, when scores of...
Despicable pallor of the junta's skin Thu 19 Jun 2008,By Shyamal Sarkar The ugly shades of the brutal face of the Burmese military junta were once more in evidence – stark and frightening in its insensitivity before and in the aftermath of the killer Cyclone Nargis. Here was a clutch of generals ruling an impoverished...
"Referendum"; a gigantic duplicity of the Burmese junta Wed 04 Jun 2008,By Shyamal Sarkar In a world where many countries are striving for democracy, like Nepal for instance, Myanmar's military dictators have pulled off one of the biggest deceits, all in the garb of democracy. It coerced and intimidated voters to support its drafted...
Its time for Burma to select an iconic leader Mon 02 Jun 2008,Lawi Weng
Burma is looking for a national hero in the long run. Somebody, who could be their leader. There is an icon, who could provide leadership to the Burmese people----- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The new leader should have the approval as well as the...
UN and international community need to prioritize issues in Burma Thu 29 May 2008,Lawi Weng
The extension of the detention period for pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for a further 12 months marks yet another sad day for the people of Burma.
The junta's aspirations are clear. Releasing Suu Kyi may help promote...
The dilemma of 'No' and 'Yes' votes for Burmese people Mon 05 May 2008,Shyamal Sarkar
The Burmese military junta's desperation in having the draft constitution drawn up after 14 tenuous years of the National Convention is increasing by the day. It is using myriad ploys to win votes supporting the constitution. The regime is using a...
Will the NMSP's stance on referendum prove dear? Tue 01 Apr 2008,Shyamal Sarkar The New Mon State Party (NMSP) which has a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military junta and has had to weather a lot of criticism and debate on whether it should continue with the truce has at last taken a stand on the regime's announcement of...
Gambari's listless Burma visit makes no headway Mon 24 Mar 2008,By Shyamal Sarkar The United Nations special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari seemingly ran into a stone wall in Burma in his mission to convince the Tatmadaw to make the process of transition to democracy an inclusive process by involving the opposition. The Burmese...
Prospects for Burma's New Constitution Tue 18 Mar 2008,By Ashley South February the SPDC military government announced that a referendum will be held this May, to endorse a new constitution. Following the referendum (presumably, if the regime is successful in engineering a 'yes' vote) elections are scheduled for 20...