By Kim N. B. Ninh and Matthew Arnold

With a much-heralded democratic transition underway in Myanmar, the future holds the potential for impressive gains but also significant challenges. Among the latter, decentralization and state-local relations as mandated by the 2008 constitution are emerging as a critical issue for both the country’s stability and long-term development. A history of highly centralized governance, subnational conflicts, and ongoing disputes over the constitution, however, mean that the implementation of decentralization in Myanmar is likely to be a contested and convoluted process.

BY KHIN MAUNG WIN

Buddhist mobs have been attacking Muslims in the Asian nation

THANDWE, Myanmar (AP) — Terrified Muslim families hid in forests in western Myanmar on Wednesday, one day after fleeing a new round of deadly sectarian violence that erupted even as the president toured the divided region. The discovery of four bodies brought the death toll from the latest clashes up to at least five.

Tuesday’s unrest near the coastal town of Thandwe, which saw Buddhist mobs kill a 94-year-old woman and four other Muslims and burn dozens of homes, underscored the government’s persistent  by Instant Savings App” href=”http://www.salon.com/2013/10/02/myanmar_muslims_hide_amid_deadly_sectarian_clashes/”>failure to stop the sectarian violence from spreading.

Rights groups say President Thein Sein, visiting the region for the first time since clashes flared there last year, has done little to crack down on religious intolerance and failed to bridge a divide that has left hundreds of thousands of Muslims marginalized and segregated, many of them confined by security forces in inadequately equipped camps for those who fled their homes.

BERNAMA PADANG BESAR, Oct 3 — The General Operations Force and police detained 21 illegal immigrants during a border patrol at 8.30 am here today. The Perlis Immigration Department deputy director Hazmi Sulaiman said they were all men, between 15 and 42, and comprised...

By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY

After more than two decades relying mainly on donors to fund its reporting and broadcasting, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), a leading Burmese news outlet, has announced that it will turn to a commercial business model as donor funding dries up.

During an official announcement event at the Park Royal Hotel in Rangoon on Thursday, Khin Maung Win, deputy executive director of DVB, said “many challenges” would accompany the transformation.

“We might have many challenges ahead because we have been running our operations for 21 years with funding from donors, relying mainly on donors in the past. And we are not familiar with the process of how to run the organization commercially,” Khin Maung Win said.

By WILLIAM BOOT / THE IRRAWADDY

Desperate behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts by the government in Naypidaw to resolve the continuing migrant labour mess with Thailand “highlights the truly critical issue of the lack of employment opportunities in Burma,” a noted economist said.

Four-year work visas held by up to 100,000 Burmese migrant workers in Thailand have expired or are close to ending, and the Bangkok government has sent confused signals about the workers’ fate. Tens of thousands more visas will expire during 2014.

The visas were issued in administratively confused circumstances in 2009 and 2010, and Thai Ministry of Labour officials in Bangkok contacted by The Irrawaddy this week were unable to say exactly how many migrant workers were involved.

By KYAW HSU MON / THE IRRAWADDY

The Burmese-language newspaper, People Power, aims to hit the newsstands around 4 pm daily, as soon as it receives a license from the government’s press registration board, expected this week or next week.

“We have applied for a license, but we need to fulfill some requirements in the proposal,” managing editor Nyein Thu told The Irrawaddy on Thursday, saying the press registration board had given a green light to the newspaper but required some additional paperwork.

“That’s why the publishing date has been delayed—we originally planned to publish by the first week of October.”

By Zin Linn

Burma/Myanmar government armed forces have been maneuvering strategic warfare against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) this time seems to be a crucial military operation of seizing more tactical positions around the challenger.

There are fresh reports from Kachin battle-frontline across the Internet as well as social media and the on-line newspapers constantly. Besides, people throughout the country including non-governmental organizations feel shock that this battle will cause more humanitarian disaster following 100,000 people fled their homes for safety shelter in remote forest during 28-month old war. 

By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY

RANGOON — Rice rations for many of the more than 120,000 Burmese refugees living on the Thai-Burma border will be reduced, due to a reduction in funding for a humanitarian organization that has provided food for them for more than two decades.

The Border Consortium (TBC) says its funding for humanitarian work has dropped as donors redirect their funds to programs preparing for the return of refugees to Burma.

“However, donors are continuing substantial funding to humanitarian aid and making sure refugees continue to receive a standard ration while making sure the most vulnerable receive extra and children see no reduction,” TBC spokesman Mike Bruce told The Irrawaddy on Friday.