National News

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• Top 10 news stories of 2016
• NLD’s ‘reconciliation’ cabinet may be due for a 2017 reshuffle
• Civilians killed in fighting near Kyaukme
• Yangon government given a mixed review nine months on
• Three Muslims with ties to the government murdered
• A rigid timeframe and escalating conflicts
• In 2016, conflict and IDPs continue to blight Myanmar’s human rights record
• MPs bring defamation suits against Yangon dog lover
• Messages for the New Year from Myanmar religious leaders

Top 10 news stories of 2016 Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:40 PM PST The Myanmar Times news team walks down the top 10 stories of 2016, from the National League for Democracy convening the first democratically-elected government in 25 years to outbreaks of violence in Shan, Kachin and Kayin States.

NLD’s ‘reconciliation’ cabinet may be due for a 2017 reshuffle Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:39 PM PST Asked recently what she is most pleased with after nine months in government, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had a simple response: "The fact that the ministers are not corrupt."

Civilians killed in fighting near Kyaukme Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:38 PM PST Three civilians have been killed and another eight are being treated for injuries after heavy fighting erupted near Shan State's Kyaukme township, local MPs say.

Yangon government given a mixed review nine months on Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:36 PM PST Power has been a sobering experience for the National League for Democracy in Yangon. When the Yangon Region government assumed office in April, it announced a series of initiatives to be accomplished in its first 100 days to address the city's most flagrant problems: traffic congestion and unofficial tenants "squatting" on city land. It came across a couple more problems along the way, including the proliferation of high-rise buildings and the swelling power of hard-line Buddhist nationalists. Very little progress has been made, however.

Three Muslims with ties to the government murdered Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:35 PM PST Over the past week, three men who have cooperated with the government and security forces in northern Rakhine State have been found dead, according to Deputy Director General of the President's Office U Zaw Htay. He added that murders, including a decapitation, are believed to have been reprisal attacks.

A rigid timeframe and escalating conflicts Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:34 PM PST For the peace process, 2016 has been a year of symbolic events – two Union-level peace conferences took place but did not result in any effective decision-making. It's also been a year of increasing hostilities, with the Tatmadaw accused of pursuing a coercion campaign against ethnic armed groups that have refused to disarm and demobilise. Leaders of ethnic armed groups have questioned the National League for Democracy's silence as operations continue to cause civilian losses and fresh waves of displacement. The trust deficient has only deepened throughout the year, with the political incentives to dropping arms and signing a ceasefire only growing more tenuous.

In 2016, conflict and IDPs continue to blight Myanmar’s human rights record Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:34 PM PST With Myanmar entering 2016 under the assumption that in one capacity or another, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would be leading a National League for Democracy government, hopes were high that the country's poor human rights record would improve. Looking back on a year of continued conflict between ethnic armed groups and the Tatmadaw, new displacement of civilian populations and an aggressive counter-insurgency campaign against suspected militants in northern Rakhine State, however, human rights activists say 2016 was a disappointment.

MPs bring defamation suits against Yangon dog lover Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:32 PM PST A National League for Democracy supporter is facing a pair of defamation suits in a spat involving allegations of housemaid abuse, a Facebook post and two NLD lawmakers.

Messages for the New Year from Myanmar religious leaders Posted: 29 Dec 2016 07:32 PM PST Hopes for peace, tolerance, and unity in the New Year from four prominent religious leaders in Myanmar:

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