By ZARNI MANN & SAMANTHA MICHAELS / THE IRRAWADDY

RANGOON — Burma’s government has removed more than 1,000 Burmese doctors from a blacklist that stripped them of their medical licenses and prevented many who lived abroad from returning home.

As Burma attempts to overhaul its long-neglected health care system and address a major shortage of doctors, the government on Thursday removed 1,010 doctors from its blacklist at the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, according to Myo Win Aung, a ministry director at the President’s Office.

He said in a statement that many more doctors remained on the blacklist but would be removed in the future.

By BBC

Police have found two more bodies in the western Burmese state of Rakhine, bringing the death toll to seven after recent deadly religious clashes. The bodies are those of two local Buddhist men. Police said last week that four men and a 94-year-old woman – all Muslims – had been killed by Buddhist mobs during the violence at the start of October. The violence comes as Burma took over leadership of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). The two men were among a group of six people – a Christian pastor and five Buddhists – who were in the Thabyuchai area on 1 October, police say. They were passing the village in a taxi, unaware of the violence that was going on, when they were attacked by villagers with knives and sticks. Four of them managed to escape. But two disappeared. Their bodies were found by police and locals in the Linthi village cemetery. Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have risen in recent years in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. Violence which broke out in Rakhine in June 2012 left nearly 200 people dead and thousands displaced. The unrest has since spread to other parts of the country.

By DVB

The Karen National Union (KNU) is ready to sign a nationwide ceasefire agreement, according to one of its most prominent central executive committee members, Mahn Nyein Maung, who spoke to DVB in an interview on Monday.

“The KNU is looking to find solutions to all political issues through a nationwide ceasefire,” he said, adding that he envisages a “Panglong-like conference where representatives of the government, parliament, the Burmese armed forces, ethnic armed groups, political parties, civil society groups and women’s groups sit face to face to discuss political issues and amend the constitution.”

The KNU leader said that in a post-ceasefire world, all ethnic groups should be able to look for solutions to political issues based on federal principles.

By NYEIN NYEIN / THE IRRAWADDY

Following last week’s outbreak of deadly inter-communal violence in Thandwe Township, southern Arakan State, police arrested 48 people for their role in the unrest. An Arakan politician said on Wednesday that 35 of the detained are Arakanese Buddhists.

“Until yesterday, there are 35 ethnic Arakanese among the arrested. The government announced they arrested a total of 48 people,” said Khine Pyi Soe, spokesperson of the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP), a nationalist Arakan party. “We would like to ask the authorities about their arrests,” he added.

By SHWE AUNG

Burma’s Joint-house Committee for Reviewing the Constitution has announced through state media that it is seeking advice from political, legal, administrative and public stakeholders on how to proceed with moves to either amend or rewrite the 2008 constitution.

According to a statement on Friday in the government-run The New Light of Myanmar, the committee said it “would seek assessment and advice from the Legislative Pillar, Administrative Pillar and Judicial Pillar through Pyidaungsu Hluttaw [the Union Assembly], and would seek assessment and advice of political parties, organisations and individuals.”

The 109-member Committee set a deadline of 15 November for the submission of such advice and assessment.

By Shivali Nayak

Myanmar’s legal system is rapidly changing, but it still has a long way to go to reach international standards.

That’s according to Dr Melissa Crouch, a researcher from the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Asian Legal Studies.

A recent report by the International Bar Association identified a number of areas Myanmar didn’t reach international legal standards.

Dr Crouch is one of the co-editors of a handbook which aims to address the legal challenges the country is facing as it transitions towards democracy.

The 20-chapter publication, which will be out next year, is drawing on expertise from around the region to provide guidance.

“[It is] trying to capture some of the… legislative reforms that are currently taking place as well as putting those in their historical and social context,” Dr Crouch told Radio Australia’s Asia Pacific progam.

By William Tucker Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security 2011 marked the end of a 17 year cease-fire agreement between the Myanmar junta and the Kachin rebels of north Burma. In the two years since the cease fire broke down hundreds have been killed and tens of...

Myanmar Refugees

Myanmar Labour Minister said he has reached an agreement with Malaysian authorities for the undocumented Myanmar workers in Malaysia to be allowed to return home without being charged.

Mr. Aye Myint, Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, and other senior officials went to Malaysia between September 9 and 12 to discuss the issue of illegal Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia. They held a press conference on their arrival in Yangon on September 12.

“Our main concern is the undocumented Myanmar workers. For those who want to work there legally, we will issue official documents to them. Next, we have negotiated for the runaway workers who are no longer needed by their employers, and the kids at the [detention] centres not to be charged under the Malaysian laws,” said Aye Myint at the press conference.