Myanmar Travel News Archives

A copy obtained by The AP of Myanmar's draft constitution confirms that pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be barred from holding office.

The document also would guarantee the military government a strong presence in parliament.

The draft constitution was completed in February but has not been made public.

A copy obtained by The Associated Press on Monday shows that the charter would allot 25 percent of seats in both houses of parliament to the military.

It also would effectively bar Suu Kyi from national office because she was married to a foreigner, maintaining a controversial clause from guidelines used to draft the charter. Read more

“The zoo could be a recreational place not only for locals but also for foreign tourists”

Myanmar's military junta opened a new zoo Wednesday in the country's remote administrative capital, saying it hopes the facility will become a tourist attraction. via WHDH

Readers know that I am no fan of the Congress, but let me give credit where credit is due -- New Delhi handled the recent crisis in Myanmar perfectly. via Rediff.com

Myanmar, a member of the six- country Greater Mekong Subregion -Economic Cooperation, has worked for closer economic ties together with other members of the grouping by taking part in the implementation of the ... via Burmanet

“That is a line we cannot cross but we (Thailand) will, as the new chairman of ASEAN, engage more actively with Myanmar. I am a pragmatist and optimist and hope that one day there would be change in Myanmar.”

Thailand pledged Thursday to help transform Myanmar into a democracy through quiet diplomacy, but said that change has to come from within and Western sanctions against its military-ruled neighbor would fail. via Raw Story

“Marching a fearful population through a stage-managed referendum will not advance democracy or reconciliation in Burma”

The crackdown on demonstrators by Myanmar's military government in September has provoked intense international pressure, including moves by the European Union and the United States to tighten economic ... via National Catholic Reporter

“Thaung Nyunt replied that holding the referendum for the constitution is within the state sovereignty”

Tajikistan News.Net Sunday 9th March, 2008 Myanmar's junta has rejected a UN proposal that international observers be allowed to observe the upcoming referendum on the country's new constitution scheduled in ... via Tajikistan News.Net

Chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council Senior-General Than Shwe met with visiting Thai new Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in Nay Pyi Taw Friday, according to diplomatic sources. via Xinhuanet

“What the Burmese military has done is what the Chinese and Asean and even the Indians wanted to see in Burma - the continuation of the roadmap, and for the first time in 20 years there is a timeframe”

Suu Kyi with Gambari and member of his team in Yangon BANGKOK: UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari's seeming failure to press the Myanmar junta toward reform has underlined the loss in diplomatic momentum since last ... via Gulf Times

“We have enough experience, but we take note of your offer”

The proposal was made by visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari during his talks with election officials on Friday, when he offered to help provide independent observers and UN technical assistance with the polls. via The Peninsula

“Arrangements have been made for the eligible voters to cast their votes freely”

R E G I O N: Myanmar rejects UN offer of election monitors * Vote official says military has 'enough experience' with polls * UN envoy meets a group of govt ministers g Extends mission YANGON: Myanmar's ... via Daily Times

“Rambo is a secret agent, a warrior. He survives like a savage.”

U Toke Kyee and the barber are sitting on the bench reading The New Light of Myanmar when Ko Paing walks in and takes a seat in the barber's chair. via The Irrawaddy Newsmagazine

“It is impossible to draft the constitution again. It has already been drafted. Most people do not want us to do so”

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari during a 2007 meeting in Yangon. via TurkishPress.com

“Prices have gone up 400 or 500 kyat per gallon in the past week. To run my factory, I need about 200 gallon of diesel a day. So I'm not sure how much longer I can stay in business.”

Fuel prices in Burma are rising again, as authorities in the military-ruled country try to reign in a black market that many rely on to meet their basic energy needs. via The Irrawaddy Newsmagazine

“Sitagu Sayadaw tries to restore patients' eyesight and at the same time, give them a vision of the dhamma.”

A leading Burmese monk instructs his disciples to treat the ill and to study the Buddha's teachings When Burmese monks protested in September 2007, the disciples and monks at Sayadaw Nyanissara's monastery in ... via The Irrawaddy Newsmagazine

For those visitors who are coming to Myanmar and want to book their hotels online, here are some of the travel agents that handle online reservation. via Myat Thura