Myanmar Muslim hospital offers hope in troubled times

By Kelly Macnamara (AFP) YANGON — From political activists freed after years in Myanmar’s jails to stricken and impoverished families, all are welcome at Yangon’s Muslim Free Hospital — a symbol of unity in a country riven by religious unrest. There...

In Myanmar’s Schools, History’s in the Making

By SAMANTHA MICHAELS / THE IRRAWADDY Growing up in southeast Myanmar’s Mon State, Min Yarzar Mon listened to his parents tell stories of ethnic Mon kingdoms that ruled centuries ago, and of decades-long conflicts more recently between Mon armed groups and the national...

Myanmar to grant U.N. nuclear watchdog wider access

Reuters VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog will gain wider inspection powers in Myanmar under an agreement to be signed this week, in a further sign of the formerly army-ruled Asian state opening up to the outside world. Myanmar will sign the so-called...

Shans fear repatriation to Burma

By KO HTWE The weather is often misty and cold in the mountainous jungle surrounding Koung Jor, the Shan refugee camp located a stone’s throw from the Burmese border in Thailand’s Wiang Haeng district. Koung Jor means “happy hill”, and dozens of Shan families were...