New Mandala

Burma’s premier propaganda vehicle, The New Light of Myanmar, is, of course, continuing its daily assault on the country’s Buddhist monks.  In a bizarre report on the raids that junta troops made on Rangoon’s monasteries, the paper has printed this list of “revelations”: 
It is regrettable that the operation revealed that in some monasteries, women sleep in the buildings where monks reside, [...]

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A number of New Mandala readers (including one journalist who is “frustrated to a degree that is hard to bear”) have drawn my attention to the proposed changes to Thailand’s lese majeste laws. Yahoo News carries one report:
Thailand, which strictly enforces laws protecting the monarchy, plans to extend protection to royal advisers and other members of [...]

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Back in late September, at the height of the uprising across Burma, I posted an “unconfirmed report” about certain Light Infantry Divisions in Rangoon and Mandalay that had defied orders to fire on protestors.  The Irrawaddy now has a long article on the command politics that led to the circulation of these rumours.  Readers who are unfamiliar with [...]

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Over the past year, Burma Gateway has grown into a tremendous resource for anybody (and particularly Australians) interested in Burma.  It carries a steady stream of important announcements, articles and information.
Recently, the owners of Burma Gateway have started to post commentaries on Burma’s National Convention written by federal Labor Party political aspirant and human rights activist Janelle Saffin.  At this [...]

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