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) 76,000 flee in eastern Myanmar
BANGKOK: About 76,000 people fled their homes in eastern Myanmar over the last year because of armed conflict and human rights abuses by the ruling junta, an aid agency said yesterday.
Torture, military attacks and random arrests have increased since the last survey of the region two years ago, the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) said in a report.
The atrocities are taking place in remote regions of eastern Myanmar, where the government has battled ethnic rebels for nearly 60 years, leaving a total of about 500,000 people displaced, the group said.
Images of the junta�s deadly suppression of pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks were broadcast around the world last month, but TBBC said the violations in eastern Myanmar are happening far from the world�s view. More>> - (
) Southern Thai durg ring busted, leader detained in M'sia
BANGKOK - THAI police believe they have smashed the biggest drug syndicate in the restive southern Thailand with the arrest of its leader in Malaysia on Sunday.Mayakee Makoh was arrested at Sungai Golok pier with the cooperation of the Malaysian police, said Deputy National Police Chief Wongkot Maneerin.
He said 14 of the 16-member syndicate have been arrested so far.
When asked if the syndicate has any link with the southern unrest, he said there was no evidence so far to show the connection between the drug syndicate and the separatists seeking independence for the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.
Police managed to crack the syndicate following the recovery of more than Bt30.5 million (S$1.42 million) hidden inside PVC pipes under Mayakee's house in Tambon Munoh of Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district, which borders Malaysia, and notorious for smuggling activities. More>>
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) Burma bleeding
Ultimately, even the most determined travellers are forced to face facts. They will probably have to settle for another destination as long as a curfew and demonstrations continue to disrupt life in Burma.Determination is the stuff that fuels the annual trips of a Norwegian group of physically challenged travellers. Some of the group are blind or have very limited vision while the rest are deaf. They were supposed to travel to Burma this week, under the direction of a specialised bike tour company, Spiceroads.
Managing director, Struan Robertson, faced the difficult task of diverting the tour at the last minute from the fabled temples of Bagan to a more mundane setting in northern Thailand.
Every year the Norwegians choose an Asian destination for their cycle odyssey and the chosen venue for a 14-day ride was Burma with the journey taking the group along country lanes to the heritage towns of Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake. More>>