The Irrawaddy
www.irrawaddy.org
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Today's Newsletter
Border Closure Halts Trade, Raises Prices
By LAWI WENG
Three days after the Burmese authorities closed the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border crossing, goods are stockpiling in Thailand while prices of imported goods are rising in Burma.
More Fall Out from USDA Property Transfer to USDP
By KO HTWE
The transformation of the USDA into the political party is clear evidence that Burma's military regime does not intend to hold a legitimate 2010 election, says a rights group.
Boy Arrested With Banned Books
By THAN HTIKE OO
A boy arrested in Rangoon with copies of banned books by Suu Kyi and Win Tin remains in an undisclosed location.
Inle Lake Conference Proposes Freeze on New Hotels
By LAWI WENG
A moratorium on the construction of new hotels on the banks of Burma's Inle Lake and a freeze on new tomato-growing floating gardens have been proposed at an environmental conference.
Asean Urges Burma to Hold Free, Fair Election
By JIM GOMEZ / AP WRITER
Asean ministers told their Burmese counterpart that Burma should hold "free, fair and inclusive" elections. The ministers also offered to send observers to the elections.
Regional
Singapore Releases UK Author in Defamation Case
By ALEX KENNEDY / AP WRITER
Singapore released on bail a British author arrested two days earlier as part of a criminal defamation investigation related to his book on the city-state's death penalty policy.
Informal Sex Trade Threatens to Undercut Gains in HIV
By IRWIN LOY / IPS WRITER
Women who work in karaoke bars or beer gardens may not identify as sex workers, but some sell sex to top up their meager earnings. Many who propositioned them would refuse to use a condom.
Burma's Nuke Ambitions to Come under Scrutiny
By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR / IPS WRITER
When Southeast Asian foreign ministers gather in Hanoi this week, the military- ruled Burma is due to come under scrutiny over reports of its nuclear ambitions.
Opinion
EDITORIAL
The Trouble with the EU and EC
Some European Union and European Commission bureaucrats are creating confusion over a united policy on Burma, just at a critical time when the country needs one.
CONTRIBUTOR
Building an Opposition to the Opposition
By AUNG MOE ZAW
It is popular today to say that Burmese civil society can be built without a struggle despite the present environment created and controlled by a military regime to ensure that people live according to their rules.