Category: Myanmar

IN-DEPTH: Russia, Burma Further Ties With Nuclear Energy Deal

The Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Rosatom, has recently signed a few MOUs with the Myanmar Junta. This includes a deal in June to probe the feasibility of building 372 MW of wind farms and the inauguration in February of a nuclear power information center as a step toward developing atomic power. Both Russia and…


UN Reports ‘Massive’ Humanitarian Crisis in Burma, Military’s Restriction to Aid Access

The United Nations released a report on June 30 revealing a “massive” humanitarian crisis in Burma, also known as Myanmar, where more than 17.6 million people need humanitarian aid. The report, published by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), states that the military has been suppressing civil society with “all…


US Sanctions Burma Defense Ministry, Banks Over Russian Arms Imports

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday sanctioned Burma’s Defense Ministry and two regime-controlled banks for their alleged roles in the junta’s weapon purchases from sanctioned entities in Russia. The sanctions targeted the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank, which were used by the junta for foreign currency exchanges and buying arms…


Los Angeles Filmmaker Films at War-Torn Thailand-Burma Border to Tell an Untold Story

As Los Angeles filmmaker Dylan Chow and his film crew of 30 worked in the mine-riddled jungles of the Thailand-Burma border in 102-degree heat this past April, occasional gunfire could be heard in the distance as forces of Burma’s military dictatorship fought rebel groups. “I went there to make a film and be a witness…


‘No One Is Telling the Story’: Los Angeles Filmmaker Returns From War-Torn Thailand-Burma Border

As Los Angeles filmmaker Dylan Chow and his film crew of 30 worked in the mine-riddled jungles of the Thailand-Burma border in 102-degree heat this past April, occasional gunfire could be heard in the distance as forces of Burma’s military dictatorship fought rebel groups. “I went there to make a film and be a witness…


Earthquake Recorded Off Burma’s Coast, Shakes Buildings in Thailand

BANGKOK—An earthquake was recorded off the southern coast of Burma (also known as Myanmar) on Monday with tremors also felt in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of major damage. The 5.1 magnitude quake was recorded about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Yangon, Burma’s biggest city, at 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the…


Thailand Hosts Talks to Reengage With Burma Despite ASEAN Members’ Rejection

Thailand on Monday hosted an informal meeting among neighboring countries to discuss with Burmese officials the cessation of violence in the military-ruled country, despite opposition from key ASEAN members. The meeting will involve high-level representatives from Laos, Cambodia, India, China, Brunei, Vietnam, and Burma—also known as Myanmar—according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This would…


Myanmar Says Official Death Toll From Cyclone Mocha at Least 145, Says Aid Is Being Provided

BANGKOK—The official death toll from the powerful cyclone that struck Myanmar has burgeoned to at least 145, including 117 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority, state television reported Friday. It said the figure applied to the western state of Rakhine, where Cyclone Mocha did the most damage, but did not say how many storm-related deaths…


Category 5 Cyclone Makes Landfall in Burma, Deaths Reported

Thousands of people hunkered down Sunday in monasteries, pagodas and schools, seeking shelter from a powerful storm that slammed into the coast of Burma, also known as Myanmar, tearing roofs off buildings and killing at least three people. Cyclone Mocha made landfall Sunday afternoon in Burma’s Rakhine state near Sittwe township with winds of up…


Powerful Cyclone Mocha Floods Homes, Cuts Communications in Western Burma, at Least 700 Injured

DHAKA, Bangladesh—Rescuers early Monday evacuated about 1,000 people trapped by seawater 3.6 meters (12 feet ) deep along western Burma’s coast after a powerful cyclone injured hundreds and cut off communications. Damage and at least five deaths have been reported, but the true impact was not yet clear in one of Asia’s least developed countries….