When the then Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, was presented with two maps of the country’s primary forests by different government agencies at a cabinet meeting in December 2010 on ongoing REDD+ work, it became clear that the spatial data presented was conflicting.
Cross-legged in a windowless, almost pitch-black bamboo shack, the investigator pressed record on a video camera and asked the young Rohingya woman to describe the night the Myanmar soldiers came."They broke down our door. They took my husband outside and shot him," recalled the 20-year-old, one of around 700,000 Rohingyas driven from Myanmar into Bangladesh a year ago."Then they killed my son.
Myanmar said that a request at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe the mass deportation of Rohingya Muslims from the country was "meritless" and should be rejected.Some 700,000 Rohingya were violently expelled from their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine state in a military crackdown that started almost a year ago after insurgents attacked border guard posts.The stateless minority fled to Bangladesh where they recounted widespread rape, murder and the burning of villages a
On 29 July, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake took place on the Indonesian island of Lombok, killing 20 and injuring hundreds. The July earthquake triggered incidents of landslide on Mouth Rinjani, causing more than 1,200 hikers to be trapped and needing to be rescued.
30 years ago, nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar saw hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets of then capital, Rangoon. Led mostly by student leaders, it was the largest mass protest in the country since its independence in 1948.The 8888 Uprising, named after the date of the protest, 8 August 1988, remains a watershed moment in Myanmar’s history.
Last week, Myanmar seemingly made steps towards being accountable for the Rohingya crisis that has been ongoing for the past year. The country established a new Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in the Rakhine state. This move is a long time coming as criticism of the government’s inaction in the crisis has been growing. The Commission of Inquiry will comprise of four people – two Burmese and two international members.
Monsoon rains have pummelled the Mekong region in recent days with Myanmar bearing the brunt of flooding that has forced 150,000 to flee and threatens to destroy levees shielding thousands of homes.The swirling inundations have started to recede in some areas in the low-lying southeast but the country is only just entering peak monsoon season and more downpours are expected in the coming weeks.Thousands were either unable or have refused to leave their half-submerged homes, peering out from u
Faced with dwindling tourist numbers from the West, Myanmar is pulling out all stops to woo visitors closer to home. It relaxed visa rules to visitors from China, South Korea and Japan and aims to bring half a million of them over to Mandalay this year.Beginning 1 October, the country is waiving visa requirements for visitors from Japan and South Korea for one year, as a trial run. Visitor growth from these two countries had been stagnating.
When the National League of Defence won the general elections in 2015, paving the way for Myanmar’s first non-military president in over half a century, many farmers sensed a renewed hope for the nation. In fact, Aung San Suu Kyi’s pledge to tackle the issue of land grabbing and to protect farmers in the country was one of the reasons for her victory.
A new commission set up by Myanmar to look into human rights abuses in Rakhine state has been criticised by observers on Tuesday as a "political gimmick", as the country tries to stave off further censure over its treatment of its Rohingya Muslims.The government announced Monday evening that an "independent" commission of inquiry had been established but gave no details about its remit, powers or the timeframe given to complete its report.The military tore through Rohingya
The Mekong is Southeast Asia’s lifeblood, pumping life into some of the region’s biggest cities. It is the seventh longest river in Asia and the 12th longest in the world. The 4,350-kilometre river runs from the Tibetan Plateau through China’s Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Mekong is important to the region for a number of reasons. First, it acts as an important fishery resource for the countries it flows through.
Earlier this week, at least 15 people were killed in a landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant Northern Myanmar. State media and officials revealed that 15 bodies were retrieved from the site at Lonekhin village but rescue operations are still ongoing and there are fears that more people may be trapped under the debris.This isn’t the first time that a tragedy like this has hit the jade mines of Myanmar.
