Suu Kyi launches ‘anti-betel chewing’ campaign
Some seven million people in Burma regularly chew betel quid and tobacco – a habit that causes more than 60,000 deaths in the country every year.
Category: Society
Uber to hire only govt-approved taxi drivers in Burma
This partnership with local taxi drivers and their unions is unique to Burma, Sam Bool, Uber’s expansion general manager for Southeast Asia, told Reuters.
14 dead, 150 injured during Thingyan
The data covered the four days of public holiday from 13–16 April, a period renowned for drunken revelry.
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Transgender beauty queen demands apology for wrongful arrest
“The fact that I was in jail cannot be washed away in a shower,” said Myo Ko Ko San at today’s press conference.
Crime Lead Story News Society Women's Issues
Lifting the lid on child rape
The story of a three-year-old in Sagaing Division sheds light on a long-hushed issue in Burma: child rape, reports of which have risen 40 percent this year.
Lead Story Mandalay Division News Society
Calls for crackdown on child beggars in Mandalay
City official acknowledges there has been a marked increase in the number of children begging at junctions and traffic lights around central Mandalay, and said it was down to “economic problems”.
Lead Story News Rangoon Society
The taxi driver and the bag of jewels
The forgotten bag contained numerous purchases of jade stones, pearls, silver and other gems said to be worth “hundreds of millions of kyat”.
Arakan Lead Story News Society
Protestors demand alcohol ban in Taunggup
Ei Mi San, a Taunggup woman who joined the protest, said: “Moral decay is setting in among our young people to the point we are now afraid to go out at night.”
Health Lead Story News Society
Betel vendors spitting mad at prospect of govt ban
Sales of betel quid are down almost by half in many parts of Burma amid rumours of a government ban on chewing betel.
Lead Story News Society Women's Issues
Social taboos, lack of education behind rise in abandoned babies
Women’s activists and lawmakers say a stigma on single mothers should be addressed and youth sex education expanded to stop a rise in abandoned newborns.
Citizen of Burma awarded for 2016
A philanthropic medical doctor has been awarded the Citizen of Burma 2016 in a ceremony in Rangoon over the weekend.
Accidents, pickpockets and ‘guerrillas’ keep police busy over Thingyan
Most problems were concentrated in Burma’s largest cities, but accidents involving pilgrims in other parts of the country have claimed nearly a dozen lives.
March a deadly month for Burma’s dangerous roads
The number of deaths on Burma’s roads reached nearly 500 in March alone — a significant increase over the monthly average for last year.
Lead Story News Society Women's Issues
Rape victims struggle to find justice
Drawn out court proceedings, weak law enforcement and conservative attitudes towards women undermine justice in rape cases
Road fatalities could double in Burma: ADB
Road fatalities are expected to double in Burma unless effective road safety measures are implemented.
Lead Story News Religion Society
Six Burmese dead, five still missing in wake of Hajj disaster
Six Burmese nationals were among those who died in the stampede at the Islamic holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia last week, according to the Myanmar Hajj Committee.
Lead Story News Religion Society
Burmese faith in omens, numbers, spirits eclipses political leanings
They regularly hold festivals to seek the blessings of the spirits, sometimes breaking the limits of their finances in their spiritual quest.
Lead Story News Rangoon Society
Rangoon’s squatters live in fear of eviction, violence
“He denied police made use of vigilantes, but added that evictions were often carried out following requests by companies seeking to develop the areas.”
Health Lead Story News Society
Burmese are emotionless – but do they care?
Anger? sadness? Unbridled joy? Burmese don’t get over-excited about anything, according to the results of a new Gallup poll.
Burmese public ‘no confidence’ in authorities: survey
Findings in a recent public survey show that a majority of the Burmese public has little to no confident in the police, courts and Election Commission.
Health Lead Story News Society
Underage Burmese girls driven to sex work
Aid workers say underage sex work is not only morally reprehensible but also physically harmful.
Human Interest Lead Story News Society
Kyaw Thu honoured for funeral work
Kyaw Thu, founder of the Rangoon Free Funeral Service Society (FFSS) and formerly a renowned actor, has been awarded the 2015 Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Census Lead Story News Society
Census a reminder of how far Burma has to go
A majority of houses in Burma are constructed from bamboo; only two percent have flush toilets, and 16 percent have electricity, according to a new census.
Irrawaddy Division Lead Story News Society
Meals on wheels in Henzada
“I always dreamt about a project to provide food to families at an affordable price, for no profit,” Dr Nanda Win told DVB.
Business Lead Story News Rangoon Society
New options for Rangoon commuters?
This week two new bus services were unveiled, bringing in fresh fleets of modern buses, and hopefully easing congestion.
Lead Story News Religion Society
Golden year
A surge of enthusiasm from the Buddhist faithful has raised 16,000 gold plates – at a cost of $600 each – to be used to freshly layer the Shwedagon stupa.
Lead Story Mandalay Division News Society
Monk’s funeral descends into village brawl
A stand-off between men from the rival village tracts in Pakokku escalated into a pitched battle with missiles thrown and property set alight.
Lead Story Mandalay Division News Society
All bets off – Mandalay looks to tackle illegal gambling
A proposal urging local authorities to stamp down on illegal gambling operations is tabled at the regional assembly in Mandalay.
Lead Story News Rangoon Society
Elite party at Secretariat draws scorn
A glitzy private party for the Burmese elite at a monument long closed to the public has unleashed a storm of resentment on social media.
Fearing the Midnight Knock
In Burma, it is a crime to fail to inform authorities of overnight guests. Authorities exercise sweeping powers to conduct spot inspections or raids to enforce this.
