National League for Democracy: R.I.P…?
Four luminaries of the pro-democracy movement – Zoya Phan, U Win Tin, Harn Yawnghwe and Aung Naing Oo – chart the past and future of Burma’s principal opposition party
Journalists, activists protest Reuters verdict in downtown rally
Protesters took to downtown Rangoon on Sunday calling for the public’s right to information and the freedom of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.
88 Generation activist Ma Mee Mee dies in car accident
88 Generation political activist Ma Mee Mee was killed in a car crash in Irrawaddy Division, after returning from a funeral in Pathein.
Activists reflect on 30th anniversary of 8888 Uprising
Commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the 8888 Uprising, which kicked off at the University of Yangon on Monday, are underway in cities and town throughout the country today.
Human rights watchdog criticises slow progress in resolving land grabs
Advocacy group Human Rights Watch has criticised slow progress in addressing historical land grabs, which continue to leave large numbers of people destitute, and inadequate legal reform in protecting land tenure.
2017 by-elections Lead Story News Politics
Nearly 70 candidates register for November by-election
A total of 69 people have filed for candidature to contest Burma’s upcoming by-election, a Union Election Commission (UEC) official has told DVB.
‘Four Eights’ drops the numbers; will seek recognition as ‘People’s Party’
Apparently bowing to popular pressure, organisers of an aspirant political party have dropped a contentious effort to affix their brand to numerology that has been a symbol of Burma’s pro-democracy movement for years.
Military-bred cabinet member ‘reassigned,’ replaced
Burma’s deputy minister for home affairs, Aung Soe, has been “reassigned to perform his original military duties” and is replaced in the cabinet by Major-General Aung Thu from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, according to the President’s Office.
Analysis Contributor Lead Story
Justice in Burma: Wounds on the wall
Veronica Collins argues that a museum run by former political prisoners showcases the lasting impact of state brutality on Burmese society.
UEC sets Nov. 3 date for by-election; 13 seats to be contested
Burma’s Union Election Commission has set a Nov. 3 date for this year’s by-election, which will involve races for 13 seats across the Union Parliament and state and regional legislatures.
At odds with military in Kachin, minister supports new IDP camps ‘if necessary’
Although the Burmese military doesn’t want camps established for those recently displaced by clashes between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army, a cabinet official for the government has insisted that camps should be set up if necessary.
‘Four Eights’ political party bid gets name tweak in face of criticism
A group of former members of the well-known 88 Generation Peace and Open Society activist group is looking to quell criticism of their attempt to enter electoral politics, planning to refile an application to register as an official political party with a name change.
Marking two years in power, Suu Kyi urges nation to stay united amid ‘challenges’
Burma’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on Sunday for her people to remain united, saying the Southeast Asian country faces “challenges” at home and abroad, as she marked two years since her party swept to power in a historic vote.
President Win Myint sworn in, pledging to ‘strive for the change citizens want to see’
“Burma is being subjected to pressures, criticisms, and misunderstandings in the international arena. The challenges that this nation and its citizens have been facing are not of minor significance,” said the new president.
Democratising the public space in Burma
Aye Thein argues that the NLD government is taking a sledgehammer approach to the issue of freedom of assembly in Burma.
Burma’s army chief congratulates president-elect
Min Aung Hlaing wished Win Myint “great success in discharging his duties in bringing about national tranquility and development.”
Win Myint elected president of Burma as uncertainty reigns
Parliament on Wednesday voted for Win Myint as president, a National League for Democracy stalwart who will now serve, ostensibly, as Burma’s most powerful civilian leader.
Presidential election set for 28 March
Lawmakers in the Union Parliament will choose on Wednesday from among three men in a secret ballot to determine Burma’s next president.
Lower House votes Win Myint for VP; election to presidency seen as likely
Elected MPs in the Lower House on Friday selected Win Myint, the chamber’s former speaker, as its pick for vice president and concurrently its presidential nominee, in a landslide vote that has locked in his status as Burma’s presumptive next president.
Meditation and law: The Suu Kyi loyalist tipped for Burma’s presidency
Win Myint, the long-serving member of Burma’s ruling party who is expected to become the country’s next president within days, is described by colleagues as a skilled political operator with a crucial quality — loyalty to de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Lead Story News Parliament Politics
Lower House to take nominations for presidential candidate on Friday
The Lower House will begin the process of nominating its candidate for Burma’s next president during a parliamentary session on Friday, with that individual likely to be elected to the country’s top civilian post in the coming days.
Lead Story News Parliament Politics
Deputy no more, T Khun Myat elected Lower House speaker
Lawmakers in the Lower House elected T Khun Myat as their speaker on Thursday, and the chairman of the chamber’s Bill Committee Tun Tun Hein to serve as his deputy, just one day after it was announced that T Khun Myat’s predecessor was stepping down.
Lead Story News Parliament Politics
Lower House to vote on new speaker tomorrow, legislative agenda indicates
According to an agenda for the Lower House’s 22 March parliamentary session, lawmakers in the chamber are due tomorrow to select a speaker to replace Win Myint, who abruptly stepped down from the post on Wednesday.
Lead Story News Parliament Politics
Win Myint steps down as Lower House speaker
The speaker of Parliament’s Lower House, Win Myint, has resigned his post, with word of his stepping down coming shortly after the President’s Office announced that President Htin Kyaw would be resigning effective immediately.
CSOs downplay shared opposition to protest law changes with military MPs
Although a coalition of civil society organisations agrees with military-aligned parliamentarians in opposing proposed changes to Burma’s Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law, the CSOs say they have no plans to cooperate with those MPs in ongoing resistance to the amendments.
In court testimony, MP says wrong man on trial as gunman in Ko Ni assassination
In an unexpected development in the ongoing trial of the alleged assassin of prominent legal scholar Ko Ni, a sitting lawmaker took the stand on Thursday to claim that another man was in fact the shooter.
CSOs to contest Peaceful Assembly amendments
“The bill is not in line with either legal or democratic standards, nor with the stance of the NLD,” said Nyo Nyo Thin.
Thingyan Festival: Yangon to allow commercial pavilions
The move marks the first time since the National League for Democracy took power in 2016 that commercial venues are to be allowed.
US Holocaust museum rescinds award to Suu Kyi
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum has rescinded its top award to Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi because of her failure to condemn and stop military attacks on her country’s minority Rohingya Muslims, the museum said on Wednesday.
Opponents rally as Upper House considers changes to assembly law
Hundreds of demonstrators gather in Yangon to protest proposed amendments to already contentious legislation that critics say would further curb the ability of citizens to publically assemble, as Parliament’s Upper House begins debate on the changes.
