National News

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• ASEAN FMs pledge support on Rakhine
• Composition of negotiations still a sticking point for Northern Alliance
• Civilians in two Kutkai villages told to relocate
• Did Shan parliament exceed its constitutional boundaries?
• Tagaung nickel factory workers demonstrate for a payrise
• Court observation teams ‘unnecessary’: Mandalay chief justice
• Team to investigate contractors as Shwedagon to undergo repairs
• HIV stigmatisation needs to be curtailed: support group
• Officials seek UNESCO ‘geopark’ status for Mount Popa area
• Prison overcrowding addressed at human rights training

ASEAN FMs pledge support on Rakhine Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:51 PM PST Two agreements were made at an unprecedented gathering of the regional bloc yesterday: the ASEAN nations will jointly work to restore humanitarian access to northern Rakhine State, and Myanmar will regularly update its fellow member countries on the ground situation as it evolves.

Composition of negotiations still a sticking point for Northern Alliance Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:50 PM PST After a failed bid at the beginning of this month to initiate ceasefire talks between the Tatmadaw and the Northern Alliance-Burma, negotiators from the government peace commission have found their second attempt plagued by the same stalemate as the first go.

Civilians in two Kutkai villages told to relocate Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:48 PM PST Civilians in two villages of northern Shan State's Kutkai township have been given marching orders, with the Tatmadaw issuing a warning that they need to leave within two days, according to local civil society groups and residents.

Did Shan parliament exceed its constitutional boundaries? Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:43 PM PST In what some see as a blow to Myanmar's struggling peace process, the Shan State parliament decided on December 7 to designate the four ethnic armed groups fighting the Tatmadaw as "terrorist organisations". The move has garnered widespread criticism from civil society groups for countering national reconciliation efforts and casting aspersions on the same groups whose presence at the negotiating table many see as integral to the country's prospects for long-term peace.

Tagaung nickel factory workers demonstrate for a payrise Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:40 PM PST Hundreds of Myanmar workers from a nickel factory in Sagaing Region staged a demonstration this past weekend over a perceived pay discrepancy between foreign and local employees.

Court observation teams ‘unnecessary’: Mandalay chief justice Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:38 PM PST Mandalay's chief justice has dismissed suggestions that court observation teams should be formed with the intention of strengthening accountability and the rule of law in the region.

Team to investigate contractors as Shwedagon to undergo repairs Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:37 PM PST Refurbishment of Shwedagon Pagoda, normally done every four years, is to start in early 2017, at least a year before it was initially scheduled, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has announced.

HIV stigmatisation needs to be curtailed: support group Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:36 PM PST A national network of people living with HIV has called on the government to take bolder measures to destigmatise the virus and improve services provision in collaboration with the private sector.

Officials seek UNESCO ‘geopark’ status for Mount Popa area Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:32 PM PST Steps are underway to have more than 360 square miles around Mandalay Region's famed Mount Popa designated a Global Geopark by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Prison overcrowding addressed at human rights training Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:22 PM PST Speaking at a human rights training in Mandalay, a senior correctional officer acknowledged that the widespread problem of prison overcrowding is a violation of inmates' rights.

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