The Burmese Government today announced that 651 prisoners will be freed under a new amnesty, although it is not known how many of these will be political prisoners. Min Ko Naing, a leader of the failed 1988 uprising, is the highest profile prisoner to be freed and was greeted by jubilant cheering crowds outside Yangon’s infamous Insein prison. Other prisoners also freed include those involved in the 1988 student protest movement, monks involved in the recent 2007 demonstrations and ethnic-minority activists from rebel groups. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Burma’
Over 200 new species discovered in the Mekong region
13 December 2011 by Lyria Eastley
According to an article from the Guardian website, the WWF has announced that 208 new species were discovered in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong area in 2010. Discoveries included a new kind of monkey in Burma’s remote Kachin state, a rainbow gecko in Vietnam, and new species of carnivorous plants too.
Impressions of Burma
2 December 2011 by Lyria Eastley
Cart taxi, Mandalay
Now that I’ve sat down here to write about Burma, I suddenly find that the mix of emotions and all the passion, wonder and intrigue I feel about the place have come pouring out onto the screen and I’ve actually found it hard to know when to stop writing!
The thing is, Burma is just such a complicated place: historically, culturally, politically, and there’s just too much to say about it. It’s impossible to talk about Burma in simple terms. With a history spanning more than 13,000 years and a population made up of a huge variety of different ethnic groups, it is an endlessly fascinating, complex and beautiful country. The country itself is stunning with an immensely varied topography. Mountains clad in thick jungle surround central lowlands and extensive rice plains and snow-capped mountains in the north reach heights of over 5,800 meters. The Mekong river that is the main artery for all of Southeast Asia also enters Burma from China’s Yunnan province, although the lifeblood of Burma is the Irrawaddy (Ayewaddy), a vast expanse of water that runs right through the centre of the country linking north to south. (more…)
A Night on Jungle Rafts
2 April 2011 by Lyria Eastley
For those looking to get really off the beaten track in Thailand, Kanchanaburi province in the west offers one of Thailand’s most unique resorts: a “floatel” moored in the River Kwae (pronounced Kw-air as in ‘pair’). I paid a visit to the Jungle Rafts and spent a night there, and can honestly say is offers one of the most unusual tourist experiences available in Thailand.
Through the hills of Northern Thailand to Mae Hong Son
8 April 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Temple in Chiang Mai
On a recent trip to Northern Thailand I finally got to visit Mae Hong Son Province and its principal towns – Pai and Mae Hong Son. The northern capital of Chiang Mai is the gateway to start exploring this region and provides an opportunity to combine the city based attractions with rural exploration and adventure.
I travelled overnight on the air-conditioned sleeper train from Bangkok although most people tend to prefer to fly. The train takes approximately 12 hours whilst the flight lasts only one hour and a number of airlines ply the route numerous times a day. I was lucky not to be in a rush on this occasion and spent a couple of nights in Chiang Mai re-visiting the city’s awe-inspiring temples. Despite visiting Chiang Mai fairly regularly, I hadn’t spent a great deal of time in the temples since my backpacking days and I was pleasantly surprised by how much more interesting and spectacular they were to me this time around. Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai exhibit a mixture of architectural styles that reflect the varied heritage of Northern Thailand. Elements from Lanna Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan and Mon temples have all been used in one form or another. (more…)
