Myanmar and Lao PDR look to be the biggest winners of an ASEAN plan to boost connectivity with a series of infrastructure projects.The regional bloc unveiled a list of 19 projects in the Initial Rolling Priority Pipeline of Potential ASEAN Infrastructure Projects (Initial Pipeline) on Monday, one of the initiatives under the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.The 19 projects in seven countries cover transport, energy, and information and communication technology, sectors which will contri

A deadly race to find hidden treasure, car chases and slick fight scenes drive the breakneck narrative of one of Myanmar's latest blockbusters, as a new generation of directors aim to revive the country's golden era of film.The Southeast Asian nation used to be a regional cinematic hub before the 1962-installed military junta suppressed creativity, imposed censorship and cut the country off from outside influences.Myanmar's opening up since 2011 has so far done little to propel

Last month, media freedom advocates praised the surprise release of two Reuters reporters in Myanmar but stressed the pair should never have been jailed in the first place.

An ultra-nationalist monk dubbed the "Buddhist Bin Laden" for his anti-Muslim vitriol said Wednesday he was not afraid of arrest as police pursued him on charges of stirring up unrest.Wirathu has long been the face of the country's hard-line Buddhist movement, notorious for espousing hate against Islam and particularly the long-persecuted Rohingya minority.A court issued an arrest warrant for the abbot late Tuesday under article 124(a), which targets anyone who "excites or

Burrowing deep underground, thousands of informal miners risk their lives to find gleaming red gems as a law change spurs opportunity in Myanmar's "land of rubies".Emperors, kings and warlords have long fought over the valley of Mogok in Mandalay region, where the unique "pigeon-blood" stones lie hidden.The Mogok rubies are the most expensive in the world, with the highest-quality jewels fetching multi-million-dollar prices in an industry notoriously bereft of regulat

Myanmar’s jade mining industry was dealt another blow last month when a landslide left more than 50 people feared dead.In a poorly regulated industry plagued by corruption, dozens die each year in Myanmar’s jade mining landslides – with last month’s deaths the latest in a long string of accidents to befall the Hpakant area of Kachin state.

The United Nations (UN) said Friday it has registered more than 250,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, providing many with their first ever identification cards and proof of their right to return to Myanmar in the future.The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) also said the registration could serve as a tool for law enforcement to help counter human trafficking."Over a quarter of a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have now been jointly registered and provided with identity cards by Banglad

At the forefront of technology in ASEAN, it is no surprise that Singapore’s fixed broadband speed of 199.62 megabits per second (Mbps) was the fastest in the world in March.The city-state’s broadband speed beat the likes of Hong Kong (168.69 Mbps) and Monaco (137.86 Mbps), according to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index – a widely used indicator to measure internet speeds across the globe.Within the ASEAN region, Thailand (76.72 Mbps, 27 in the world) and Malaysia (67.15 Mbps, 34 in the

Myanmar's military commanders should be financially "isolated" and brought to trial to face charges of war crimes and genocide against the Rohingya minority, United Nations (UN) investigators said Tuesday.The UN fact-finding mission on the situation in Myanmar called on the international community to cut off all financial and other support to the country's military.Marzuki Darusman, who heads the fact-finding mission which just concluded a 10-day visit to surrounding count