Category Archives: News
Some thoughts on Arakan State’s bloodshed
This past week, my Facebook newsfeed has been bombarded by photos, pictures, slogans and status updates all centered around the Buddhist-Muslim killings in Burma’s Arakan State. To be sure, I’ve … Continue reading
101 East program on Burma’s recent changes
25 minutes long, titled “Myanmar’s reforms.” More info on Al Jazeera’s website. The program basically reiterates what’s been said in the news these days. But it features a rare short … Continue reading
Burma’s by-elections are overhyped
First off, it’s really breathtaking to see so many enthused Burmese, so many people anticipating a future of opportunity. It fills me with emotion, too. This sense of yearning, reconstruction … Continue reading
News Roundup – Week 11, 2012
“Pass the Books. Hold the Oil.” (New York Times) An interesting observation on the negative correlation between a country’s natural resources and the educational achievement of its students. The countries … Continue reading
Word choice in Thein Sein’s 2012 State of the Union
Thein Sein made his annual address to the Union Parliament on Peasants’ Day, March 1 (official English translation here), a speech that has been praised by many. The Irrawaddy points … Continue reading
Plans for a Yangon subway system?
The online community has been abuzz about potential plans for a Yangon subway system, when a map showing different lines connecting Yangon emerged late last last year. On February 15 … Continue reading
News Roundup
Just a compilation of some interesting articles I’ve come across this past weekend. “Whistle campaign a hit on city buses” (Myanmar Times) Interesting campaign going on in Yangon’s streets to … Continue reading
Fanciful predictions
I stumbled across a few predictions that U Kyaw Thet, who wrote in the February 1958 issue of The Atlantic (“Continuity in Burma: The survival of historic forces”) made about … Continue reading
Rohingyas “As ugly as ogres”
In recent news (give or take a week), a Burmese diplomat by the name of Ye Myint Aung at the Burmese Consulate in Hong Kong used very politically incorrect language … Continue reading
Letting one slip through
In a rare moment of candid and unfiltered news, The Myanmar Times published a AFP wire story on the deadliest natural disasters in 2008. It includes the following: In both … Continue reading
Double standards
The Economist had an interesting point to make on how governments react differently to different countries. In Thailand, an Australian journalist was charged and detained with lese majeste, that is, … Continue reading
Reviving Burma’s Stilwell Road
The LA Times has an interesting article “Burma’s Stilwell Road: A backbreaking WWII project is revived” out, about the 1,000 mile Stilwell Road, built during World War II by African American … Continue reading
