More than 5,000 civilians in Myanmar – over 3,000 ethnic Shan and more than 2,000 Ta’Ang – have been displaced last month by heavy fighting between two ethnic armies, one of which signed a recent national ceasefire accord while the other was excluded.
Continue reading Myanmar’s Long Road of Peace and Reconciliation
The first freely elected parliament of Myanmar in 50 years has held its opening session. Hundreds of new members of parliament (MPs) had taken their seats from November’s historic election. 80% of them are from the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and the rest are occupied by smaller parties. But a quarter of all seats are reserved for the military which also retains control of key ministries.
The 8 November elections were a major waypoint in Myanmar’s transition from authoritarian rule. The victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) needs to identify key appointees wisely to prepare for taking power in March 2016. There are high expectations that NLD will deliver the needed political and economic changes. Success will depend on the cooperation between a new capable president and the armed forces. NLD’s limited experience of government, a shallow pool of skilled technocrats and the difficulty of reforming key institutions all constrain how much can be delivered quickly. Other hurdles include serious armed clashes in Shan and Kachin states, macro-economic turbulence, and grievances of the disenfranchised Muslim Rohingya.
[ ‘SHARE’ Sep-Oct 2015 ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS
Nor Too Hei, a Myanmar local, still remembers the incident happening in her home town 19 years ago, when militants burned down her village and her family had to flee to the forest. Life in the jungle was not easy and they had to guard themselves at all times from the attack of the militants .
[Press Release]
Integral’s Disaster Response process was initiated on 6 August 2015 for severe flooding affecting large parts of Asia …
At least 493 people are reported dead in six countries after monsoon rains and tropical Cyclone Komen caused severe flooding in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Vietnam. An estimated 55,000 homes have been destroyed, with the media reporting one million people displaced (The Guardian; CNN).
The coming of the monsoons signals a relief from the deadly scorching heat wave that was seen in the region of South Asia earlier on in May and June. However, the monsoon together with the cyclone “Komen” this year has brought widespread devastation in India, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam leaving more than 300 people dead in the region.
Continue reading Monsoon Rain in South Asia – both a blessing and a curse
