ETHNIC NATIONALITIES COUNCIL

(Commentary) – Life is full of contrasts, contradictions and surprises, and nowhere is that more true than in Burma today. In the past fortnight, I travelled to meet internally displaced people in Kachin State along the China-Burma border, where I heard some of the worst stories of human rights violations that I have ever heard in almost 15 years of involvement in Burma.

If Burmese president Thein Sein is to be believed, allegations of a nuclear relationship with North Korea are “unfounded”. He made the statement in Singapore on 30 January — and it is noteworthy that he actually found it necessary to make such assurances. That issue was high on the agenda when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Burma last December and, as the dust settles on the seemingly confusing political

NAYPYIDAW, Burma -- This "city of magnificent distances" sprawls on a pancake-flat plain four hours north of Burma's largest city and former capital, Rangoon. On November 6, 2005, at a time apparently chosen by astrologers, Naypyidaw became the country's new capital, and the first convoy of government workers was dispatched up the highway to the dusty city-in-progress.

One after another, Western dignitaries are travelling to Myanmar. A standard interpretation of the change in attitude is that Myanmar is finally demonstrating the courage and means to break away from China. But was Myanmar in the Chinese "geopolitical grip" in the first place? When international observers look for manifestations of a Chinese grand scheme relating to Myanmar, they have plenty of examples,

With the recent release of high profile political prisoners, and the agreement in principle of a ceasefire with the Karen National Union (KNU), there is no doubt that major developments are happening in Burma. The question is how genuine are these steps, and how far is the military-backed government willing to go forward for peace?

WASHINGTON — Partisan squabbling has hobbled the business of government in Washington, but on one foreign policy issue at least, Democrats and Republicans appear willing to set aside their differences and get things done. It is Myanmar. The Obama administration has support from key Republicans to restore full diplomatic relations and contemplate easing sanctions against the country also known as Burma, reversing two decades of U.S. isolation of a reviled military regime.