An Australian couple was released from house arrest in Myanmar and allowed to leave the country, as protests against the military junta continued Monday.Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 1 February coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and derailed the country's experiment with democracy.Business consultants Matthew O'Kane and Christa Avery, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen, tried to leave the country on a relief flight in late March but were barred from departing and pla

A sleepy village in remote northern Thailand became a hub of activity this week when it received refugees fleeing Myanmar – a sight that brought back vivid memories for its ethnic Karen residents.Hkara, 70, said she had spent roughly 30 years crisscrossing the Salween river, which marks the frontier, to flee military attacks on ethnic rebel armies in Myanmar's eastern Karen state.She decided to settle in the Thai village of Mae Sam Laep village two decades ago – a safer bet than Myanmar,

Civilians wounded in Myanmar air strikes on rebel positions spoke of their terrifying ordeal Tuesday after trekking through jungle to seek medical treatment across the border in Thailand.Military jets hit targets in eastern Karen state on Saturday and Sunday, as Myanmar reeled from the deadliest day so far in the junta's crackdown on anti-coup protests.The strikes targeted territory held by the Karen National Union (KNU), one of the nation's largest ethnic armed groups, which had ea

Several thousand protesters marched in southeast Myanmar on Tuesday to demand the military's withdrawal from the area and an end to rights abuses after soldiers allegedly killed an unarmed woman from the Karen ethnic group.In a rare acknowledgement of wrongdoing, the military confirmed that two soldiers had been arrested for the shooting of Naw Mu Naw, 40, and robbery of her gold jewellery in Dwe Lo township in Karen state on 16 July.The court-martial of the arrested men was already unde

The lack of transparency surrounding plans to construct dams on the Tanintharyi River in southern Myanmar, and the impact it will have on the livelihoods of the Karen – the area’s indigenous people – is set to add more tension to an area already filled with strife.While there are 18 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) for dams on the Tanintharyi River – one of southern Myanmar’s largest free-flowing waterways – local communities have received no information on their location, size or status ac