Rangoon

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Aerobics Instructor Unknowingly Films Coup Unfolding

Convoy of black vehicles seen approaching Parliament

(Newser) - An aerobics instructor woke up Monday and dove into an exercise routine at her usual spot in front of a large, multilane road. In doing so, she accidentally recorded Myanmar's unfolding coup d'etat . In a video uploaded to Facebook, Khing Hnin Wai is seen performing a dance routine...

Burma Mosque Blaze Kills 13 Children

Residents fear Rangoon blaze linked to sectarian violence

(Newser) - Burma's biggest city is on edge after a fire engulfed a mosque compound, killing at least 13 schoolchildren. Authorities blamed the fire on electrical problems but angry Muslim residents of the Rangoon neighborhood believe the fire is related to the sectarian violence that has killed at least 40 people...

17 Killed in Burma Blast
 17 Killed in Burma Blast  
Dec 29, 2011 2:29 AM CST

17 Killed in Burma Blast

Explosion was caused by warehouse fire, not bomb, officials say

(Newser) - A fire and a massive explosion killed at least 17 people in Rangoon today. More than 100 others, including dozens of firefighters, were injured by the pre-dawn blast in the former Burmese capital, the BBC reports. The blast in a warehouse compound is not thought to have been caused by...

Burma's Suu Kyi Makes First Trip Outside Capital

Security tight as she calls for unity, thousands turn out

(Newser) - Testing the limits of her newfound freedom and perhaps the patience of Burma's military junta, Aung San Suu Kyi ventured today outside Rangoon in her first political trip since being released from house arrest last November. Thousands gathered to see the Nobel laureate, who used the trip to Bago,...

Suu Kyi Verdict Delayed, but Rumors Fly

(Newser) - The Burmese court trying Aung San Suu Kyi has postponed its verdict for two weeks, surprising her supporters and foreign observers who expected a finding of guilt today. Although the court said it needed more time to decide the case, one diplomat told the Times of London that the junta...

Burma Will Allow Diplomats to Visit Suu Kyi

Dictatorship also opens trial to media after global outcry

(Newser) - Burma's ruling junta will take the unusual step of allowing diplomats to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader currently on trial, reports CNN. Officials from Russia, Singapore, and Thailand are expected to meet Suu Kyi later today. On the third day of the trial, the government allowed...

Suu Kyi Moved to Prison for Trial

Pro-democracy leader faces charges over Yank's intrusion in home

(Newser) - Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from her home to a Rangoon prison, the BBC reports. The country's military junta plans to put Suu Kyi—who has suffered ill health in recent days—on trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest after an...

Yank 'Stalker' Busted Outside Suu Kyi's House

Authorities baffled by American who swam lake to hide in activist's home

(Newser) - Burmese police have arrested an American man they fished out of a lake near the home of detained democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi's Rangoon home, the Guardian reports. Authorities believe the man dodged security around the compound by swimming through the lake and then hid inside Suu Kyi's home...

Burma Votes Amid Cyclone Chaos

Junta ignores calls to delay vote and focus on helping cyclone victims

(Newser) - Burma plowed ahead with a referendum on its constitution today despite cyclone devastation that has left much of the country in ruins, AFP reports. The junta has postponed the vote for two weeks in the worst-hit areas, including the capital and the Irrawaddy delta, where hundreds of thousands have been...

Cyclone Savages Burma; at Least 351 Dead
 Cyclone Savages Burma;
 at Least 351 Dead 
Updated
May 4, 2008 7:28 AM CDT

Cyclone Savages Burma; at Least 351 Dead

Winds reach 120 mph, destroying thousands of buildings

(Newser) - A tropical cyclone has wreaked havoc in Burma, killing at least 351 and destroying tens of thousands of buildings, the BBC reports. Cyclone Nargis brought 120 mph winds to the country, knocking down 75% of buildings in one town and cutting off power, water, and phone lines in the largest...

Myanmar Activist Wins Congressional Gold Medal

Aung Suu Kyi tapped for top civilian award

(Newser) - The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, reports Reuters. Politicians praised her courage, and said the award was a gesture of solidarity with the oppressed Burmese people. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains under house arrest in Rangoon,...

Burma Nabs Top Dissidents
Burma Nabs Top Dissidents
Oct 13, 2007 10:02 AM CDT

Burma Nabs Top Dissidents

(Newser) - Myanmar’s rulers have arrested just about every major dissident at large, the BBC reports. The junta rounded up three more prominent figures, among them Htay Kywe, who had been in hiding. He was a leader not only of the recent protests but of the 1988 uprising as well. Amnesty...

Junta Cremates Protesters
Junta Cremates Protesters
Oct 7, 2007 5:05 PM CDT

Junta Cremates Protesters

Crackdown carries on, as soldiers arrest more activists and the wounded are refused treatment

(Newser) - Burma's army is burning the bodies of activists in secret cremations, hiding their true death count forever, the Sunday Times reports. Locals near Rangoon report trucks are driving by a crematorium at night as smoke rises constantly from its chimneys. Rumors of victims burnt alive have swept the city, but...

Burmese Junta Rounds Up 200 Monks in Midnight Raids

Protesters warned to go home or risk being shot

(Newser) - The Burmese military junta has once again opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Rangoon and rounded up hundreds of monks in midnight raids on monasteries, the Guardian reports. It was not immediately known if anyone was injured. As many as 200 police officers and soldiers later marched through the streets...

Junta Issues Curfew to Stem Protests

Monks vow to keep marching as government sends troops to rally sites

(Newser) - Burma issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew and warned it will crack down on any large meetings, but protesters still marched by the tens of thousands today. The junta also sent out armed troops and declared it time to "take action," raising fears that it will repeat its 1988 crackdown,...

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