Tag: myanmar

Myanmar’s “Giraffe Women,” Embodying A Vanishing Custom

Post author By lmacret
Post date January 7, 2016

Woman from the Padaung tribe in Ywama village, Myanmar Mel Longhurst/VW Pics/ZUMA

LOIKAW — Myanmar“s so-called “giraffe women,” famous for the traditional neck coils they wear, appear destined to disappear. Young Burmese have rejected this tradition of wearing the heavy brass rings, saying they are painful and uncomfortable. And for those who do, carrying on the custom has become less about tradition and more about earning a living from tourists. San Bon village is one place where Burma’s long-necked women call home. It’s about 30 minutes by car from Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state. Residents say that at one time all the women here wore the neck coils as a symbol […]

Tags folklore, jewelry, kayan, myanmar, tradition, village, women

blog

Jihadi John Killed?, Beirut Bloodied, Algorithm Culture

Post author By
Post date November 13, 2015

“JIHADI JOHN” BELIEVED DEAD AFTER U.S. AIR STRIKE, ISIS STRIKES BEIRUT ISIS terrorist Mohammed Emwazi, better known by the nickname “Jihadi John,” was the target of a U.S. airstrike in the Syrian city of Raqqa and U.S. officials believe with a “high degree of certainty” that he was killed, the BBC reports. “Jihadi John,” a […]

Tags aung san suu kyi, emwazi, erdogan, James Foley, myanmar, wolfgang schauble

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Ebola-Free Sierra Leone, Record Greenhouse Gases, Rolling Stone’s B-day

Post author By
Post date November 9, 2015

OPPOSITION LOOKS TO WIN BIG IN MYANMAR Photo: Jack Kurtz/ZUMA The National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi is on the verge of a sweeping victory in Myanmar, where party officials say they expect to win at least 70% of parliamentary seats, The Myanmar Times reports. Yesterday’s historic election […]

Tags elections, myanmar, netanyahu, nld, obama, Sierra Leone, sinai

Geopolitics Migrant Lives

After The Rohingya Boat People Get Sent Back To Myanmar

Post author By lmacret
Post date August 31, 2015

In a refugee camp in Sittwe, Myanmar Jack Kurtz/ZUMA

Portrait of Yar Yar Kan, one of the many Rohingya Muslim minority rejected by the Burmese — and shunned by other Asian countries in an attempt to emigrate.

Tags boat people, burma, migrants, myanmar, refugees, rohingya

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Tsipras in Strasbourg, US Army Cuts, Selfie Safety

Post author By
Post date July 8, 2015

Photo: Thierry Roge/Zuma LAST CHANCE FOR GREECE? Greeted by a mix of cheers and boos, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday as the fate of his country’s membership in the Eurozone — and perhaps the ultimate destiny of the single currency itself — hangs in the balance. TALIBAN […]

Tags afghanistan peace talks, burma, debt crisis, elections, european union, france, greece talks, myanmar, selfie incidents, us army

Geopolitics Migrant Lives

An Indonesian Hero Who Saved Drowning Rohingya Refugees

Post author By lmacret
Post date June 25, 2015

Rohingya migrants rescued by Indonesian fishermen last May. Ari Muzakki/Pacific Press/ZUMA

LANGSA — It was 8 p.m. and the sea was calm in the Strait of Malacca, at the northern tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Ibrahim, a local fisherman, was pulling in his first catch of the night when he received news that a nearby boat was overcrowded and in trouble. “We met another small fishing boat and they asked us to help,” Ibrahim recalls. “The fisherman said there were more than 1,000 people that needed help, but his boat could only take around 20 to 30 people.” He immediately released his catch and headed towards Malaysia. Half an hour later, […]

Tags bangladesh, boat people, indonesia, migrant, myanmar, refugee, rohingya

Geopolitics Society

More Burmese Persecution Of Rohingya: Blocking Marriages

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 27, 2015

A Rohingya teen in a Myanmar camp for displaced persons. Jack Kurtz/ZUMA

A not-so-veiled effort to limit the population of this Muslim ethnic minority is the systematic denial of marriage licenses. Children born out of wedlock are rendered stateless, without citizenship or education.

Tags burma, human rights, marriage, myanmar, persecution, rohingya

Geopolitics Migrant Lives

Immigration International: Rohingya Stranded, Mediterranean Tomb, U.S. Border

Post author By
Post date May 21, 2015

PARIS — Up to 8,000 Rohingya, a long-persecuted Burmese minority, are still reportedly stranded on rickety boats in deplorable and perilous conditions, weeks after being abandoned by human traffickers in the Andaman Sea. Denied safe passage on the shores of countries in the region, the plight of this Muslim ethnic group is however just one […]

Tags crisis, myanmar, refugee, rohingya, world

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Merkel And Tsipras Meet, U.S. Leaves Yemen, Tortoise Romance

Post author By
Post date March 23, 2015

MERKEL MEETS TSIPRAS IN BERLINGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Berlin today, starting a week that Bloomberg characterizes as “decisive for Greece’s future in the euro area.” According to the Financial Times, Tsipras told Merkel in a letter last week that without the European Union’s continued support, it would […]

Tags ebola, Lee Kuan Yew, myanmar, rouhani, singapore, tsipras

Economy Society

In Burma, Time To Cash In On Political Reforms

Post author By lmacret
Post date January 7, 2015

In Yangon Jose Javier Martin Espartosa

YANGON — Burma is ready to boom. The Asia Development Bank estimates that per capita income in the southeast Asian country could increase sixfold by 2030. And another report predicts that the Burmese are poised for a level of economic growth far ahead of the global pace. The evidence of this newfound prosperity in Burma, officially known as Myanmar, is on full display at this Yangon shopping mall, where it’s easy to find products from Thailand or Hong Kong. Just two years ago, none of this would have been possible because foreign products were banned under the military junta. University […]

Tags asia, economy, goods, jobs, junta, mall, myanmar, world bank

Society

Banned By Junta, Ethnic Dialects Return To Burma Schools

Post author By lmacret
Post date September 27, 2014

Learning the Mon language in Mon State Lamin Chan

MYITKYINA — For the first time in 40 years, ethnic languages are going to be taught in schools in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Starting next June, students from different ethnic communities will be able learn their mother tongue not only at home, but also in the classroom. When the military junta led by General Ne Win came to power in 1962, Burmese became the official national language, and teaching ethnic languages in schools was banned under the “national language policy.” In the outskirts of Myitkyina, in the northern state of Kachin, there is a summer school where children are […]

Tags burma, dialects, education, languages, myanmar, teaching

Geopolitics Society

A Controversial Chinese Dam Threatens The Cradle Of Burmese Civilization

Post author By
Post date August 18, 2014

A view of Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State in Burma, near the dam project. Rebecca W.

MYITKYINA — This is a sacred place for all Burmese people. The confluence of the Mali and N’Mai rivers, known as Myitsone in Burmese, forms here in Burma’s northernmost state of Kachin. The converging rivers form the Irrawaddy river, which flows north to south over more than 2,000 kilometers. It’s a vital artery that the […]

Tags biodiversity, ecology, economy, endangered species, myanmar, Myitsone Dam, villagers, xi jinping

Society

The One Burmese Synagogue That Survived The Regime

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 14, 2014

A tourist inside Yangon's Musmeah Yeshua, the last surviving synagogue in Myanmar Esme Vos/Worldcrunch

YANGON — Musmeah Yeshua is the last surviving synagogue in Myanmar. The synagogue has stood in the centre of downtown Yangon for more than 100 years. At its height, it served a community of some 2,500 Jews. But a recent rise in tourism has put the synagogue back on the map. “People from Germany and Europe are amazed to know that there was a synagogue in a country like Myanmar. We are proud of it,” boasts Sammy Samuels, a spokesperson for Musmeah Yeshua. The 120-year-old synagogue is nestled between Indian paint shops and Muslim trader stalls at the corner of […]

Tags jewish community, myanmar, religion, synagogue, tourism

Economy

Look Who Pays The Price Of Burma’s Investment Fever

Post author By lmacret
Post date February 4, 2014

Jack Kurtz/ZUMA

The new freedom of the Asian nation, also known as Myanmar, has drawn global investors in a race to profit from new development. But Burmese workers and farmers suffer the side-effects.