Burma - an anniversary

Scottish Connection

The Scot who gave hope and help to thousands - Scotsman

Strong and ancient links with Burma - Scotsman

A pioneering Scot who has dedicated his life to Burma - Scotsman

Saffron Revolution - one year after

Burma: sources of political change
What is the prospect for an end to Burma's long dictatorship? Twenty years after the suppression of the democratic movement in 1988, Joakim Kreutz looks at the faultlines and pressure-points of a complex political order - Open Democracy

Burma: Building upon success - Three months after Cyclone Nargis, the world has an outdated image of the situation inside Burma. Although aid agencies delivered assistance within days after the storm and continue to do so, the story of a recalcitrant government that rejects aid from the generous nations of the world has not been updated , by Dawn Calabia and Megan Fowler - UPI Asia

Monks with guns? Burma's younger activists get bolder - Last year's crackdown on Burma's biggest protests in 19 years spurred them to try new tactics, from teaching human rights to stockpiling arms , by Anand Gopal - CSM

Activists put Burma's grim jails on display - A simple museum tucked away on the Thai-Burmese border re-creates the infamous prisons , by Anand Gopal - CSM

Penguins and golf in Burma's hidden capital - Welcome to Naypyidaw, a bizarre, white-elephant place populated only by government employees forced to relocate. Building began after the personal astrologer of Than Shwe, the head of the notorious Burmese junta, prophesied unrest in 2005 , by Helen Beaton - Independent

The Generals Go Cyber? - Burma's military junta has so successfully suppressed the media that Internet sites based outside the country are one of the few remaining sources of reliable news for Burmese people. Now it appears not even those sites are safe , by Aung Zaw - WSJ

Dissident websites crippled by Burma on anniversary of revolt - A year after e-mailed images of its brutal crackdown against democracy demonstrations were transmitted across the world, Burma has launched a ferocious “cyber-war” against dissidents who use the internet , by Kenneth Denby - Times

Burma's secret schools of dissent - Monks teach children critical thinking and human rights, to groom the next generation of activists , by Anand Gopal - CSM

Myanmar junta rules roost 1 year after crackdown - As the crowd marching through the streets of Myanmar's biggest city swelled to 100,000, the question wasn't what did they want, but when would the government crack down - AP

The U.N. Has Failed Burma - The 20-year nonviolent struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma has learned much since 1988. The military regime that rules our country is destroying virtually the entire country, with the exception of the expansive military itself , by Aung Din - FEER

Burma: The revolution that didn't happen - It was dubbed the Saffron Revolution. Last September thousands of monks marched down the streets of Rangoon to call for democratic change , by Kate McGeown - BBC

Tradition and technology - The Saffron Revolution was the first peaceful uprising to be powered by the digital camera. While democracy activists and Buddhist monks marched in their hundreds of thousands against Burma’s military regime, it was the country’s internet enthusiasts who brought images of the movement to the outside world , by Kenneth Denby - Times

In tiny acts of defiance, a revolution still fickers - A bomb exploded in Rangoon yesterday morning, but like most acts of defiance in Burma it was more of a symbol than a serious act of rebellion. It happened in the mid-morning by a bus stop close to the golden spire of the Sule pagoda — a loud bang, a rattling of windows and an immediate influx of police carrying rifles , by Kenneth Denby - Times

Aid and water dry up in Burma's cyclone zone - A gale blew through the village of Ahgnu — and the effect it had was devastating. Not the physical damage, for the winds were no stronger than 40mph and even the feeblest of the palm and bamboo shelters remained intact. The chaos was in the minds of the villagers , by Kenneth Denby - Times

Slow recovery for Burma's cyclone victims - Aid trickles in, but locals struggle to find food before winter's harvest , by Anand Gopal - CSM

China’s Grip on Burma ‘Cause for Concern’ - Having a compliant neighbor rich in gas, oil, minerals and timber is a big plus for China, but Burma’s position on the edge of the Indian Ocean also makes it a “particularly desirable partner in China’s pursuit of energy security” , by William Boot - Irrawaddy

Dissidents reflect on Burma uprising - This week two Burmese dissidents spoke to the BBC about their country and how things have developed since events one year ago, when monks took to the streets to protest against their government - BBC

The Strange World of Burma’s Home Affairs Minister - Is Burma’s Home Affairs Minister Maj Gen Maung Oo paranoid, does he really believe the tall stories he tells to his staff—or is he just making them up to scare nervous officials? , by Aung Zaw - Irrawaddy

Where Would Burma Be without Suu Kyi? - Let's imagine a situation: Burma without Aung San Suu Kyi. Undoubtedly, the ruling generals would see this as a dream come true. But for the majority of Burmese, it would come as a great disappointment to lose the leader of the country’s pro-democracy movement , by Kyaw Zwa Moe - Irrawaddy

In Myanmar crisis, an old dissident sees hope - 'I trust the power of the people,' says Ludu Sein Win, who spent 13 years in jail, but is heartened by the outpouring of help to cyclone victims by young people in defiance of the military regime - LAT

Don't Forget About Burma's Democrats - A year after the Saffron Revolution, world focus has faded , by U Pyinar Zawta - WSJ