National News

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• Muse residents flee to China as fighting escalates
• Section 66(d), the newest threat to freedom of expression in Myanmar?
• Keep it brief and to the point: Speaker sets time limit on questions
• Second batch of refugees due back from Thai camps next year
• Tatmadaw pleads ignorance as China claims cross-border fire
• MPs question reliance on foreign loans
• Govt agrees to crack down on wildlife trade in borderlands
• Migrant workers at risk of robbery in Malaysia
• Migrant rights group claims exploitation by Thai visa brokers

Muse residents flee to China as fighting escalates Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:36 PM PST Nearly 3000 Myanmar civilians have poured over the border into China, fleeing a resurgence of fighting in northern Shan State after four ethnic armed groups mounted a joint offensive on November 20.

Section 66(d), the newest threat to freedom of expression in Myanmar? Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:35 PM PST The government is under mounting pressure from the public and from rights groups to amend its criminal defamation laws after a spate of cases against journalists and bloggers has raised questions about the administration's commitment to protecting free speech.

Keep it brief and to the point: Speaker sets time limit on questions Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:33 PM PST Lengthy and inspecific questions have become a headache in the upper house, with the Speaker issuing a three-minute time limit for MPs when they take the floor.

Second batch of refugees due back from Thai camps next year Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:29 PM PST Nearly 100 refugees from the Nu Po camp in Thailand's Tak province are expected return to Myanmar next year, forming the second batch under the two governments' repatriation scheme.

Tatmadaw pleads ignorance as China claims cross-border fire Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:23 PM PST China's foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang confirmed at a press conference on November 21 that "some stray bullets" from a recent offensive by four of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups crossed the Ruili River into Chinese territory.

MPs question reliance on foreign loans Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:21 PM PST Lawmakers have raised concerns over a proposed US$283 million loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the construction of a bridge over the Bago River.

Govt agrees to crack down on wildlife trade in borderlands Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:07 PM PST Myanmar was among more than 40 countries that signed on to a declaration last week in Vietnam agreeing to ramp up efforts to stem the illegal wildlife trade.

Migrant workers at risk of robbery in Malaysia Posted: 22 Nov 2016 10:52 PM PST Myanmar nationals are being targeted by gangs of thieves on arrival to Kuala Lumpur's main long-distance bus terminal, say embassy officials in the Malaysian capital.

Migrant rights group claims exploitation by Thai visa brokers Posted: 22 Nov 2016 10:48 PM PST A migrant workers rights group is lobbying the Myanmar embassy in Thailand to allow workers to directly apply for their visas. The rights group claims the current visa system depends on brokers who exploit the workers.

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