The BBC reports that United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Burma on Wednesday, on the first visit by such a senior American diplomat in 50 years.
'China has made rapid advances into Myanmar.... Radars have been reported to have been erected on Myanmar's west coast to monitor Indian missile tests.'
Marking a historic trip to Myanmar, a senior United States lawmaker on Saturday met pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi as well as the country's military ruler Than Shew and secured the release of an American, who had been jailed for secretly visiting the residence of the detained leader. Democrat Senator Jim Webb became the first senior US official to meet the reclusive Myanmar general in the capital Naypyidaw.
Accusing the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon of "failing" to release the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners in Myanmar, a rights group has dubbed his recent trip a "complete failure."
"Had a wonderful meeting with President U Htin Kyaw," Modi tweeted along with some pictures of the meeting.
Although Mahatma Gandhi was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but the coveted honour has gone to several individuals who believed in and propagated the Gandhian philosophy of peace and non-violence globally.
Only China and India can put pressure on the Myanmar junta which recently awarded punishment to pro-democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an American John Yettaw, say experts.
'The real significance of the visit lies in the extent of the receptivity in Myanmar of the account of Chinese perfidy given by India's military and civilian top brass and how they assess the danger to themselves of dancing with the dragon,' notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited ASEAN leaders to be the chief guests.
The moral of the story is that it is a world upside down, where not everything that appears evident and true is necessarily noble
Myanmar's history of the last 47 years or more makes it extremely unlikely that change will come through a popular uprising. The military is so well entrenched and the people are so patient that change has to come through a process of reconciliation
The announcement of Modi's visit comes a day after India and China ended their 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing their troops from the area.
08.08.08 may be a red-letter day for China, but for Myanmar 8-8-88 is a day they would like to forget. The day China begins its Olympics journey with a bang, Myanmar quietly remembers its perished victims 20 years ago on the same day.
'We have been bold and innovative on recognition in the past and we do not need to rush,' advises Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'If the Kukis and Meiteis are the warring groups, then we need to find space for a third group which can mediate between the two.'
The immigrants were under detention in Cachar Central Jail in Assam's Silchar district since 2012.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
The Rohingyas were illegal immigrants and not refugees who had applied for asylum in India, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.
'No one knows whether exposure to the Nobel process would be to her liking, or would benefit her symbolic position above the fray,' says Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
After receiving the award, Chanda Kochhar said, "As I see the list of past recipients of this honour, I feel inspired to be counted as one among them.
Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year, on Wednesday received the EU's Sakharov human rights prize at a ceremony in Strasbourg.
Images that capture what it was like living through 2021.
India shifted gears in rejuvenating strategic ties with its major partners like the US and Russia and focused on drumming up global support for its distinct strategy in the Indo-Pacific to check Beijing's increasing muscle-flexing in the region.
The five-nation grouping BRICS on Tuesday resolved to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and vowed to step up joint efforts in building support for an India-backed global framework to effectively deal with the menace.
Over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's violence hit Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh since August when the military intensified crackdown against alleged militant outfits of Rohingya Muslims.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
In its explanation of vote, India said 'we find that our views have not been reflected in the draft being considered for adoption today. We would like to reiterate that a consultative and constructive approach involving the neighbouring countries and the region, remains important as the international community strives for the peaceful resolution of the issue'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tennis star Sania Mirza and actor Priyanka Chopra are among the probable contenders named by the Time magazine for its annual list of the most influential people in the world.
An Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, dissociated itself from the 'Bali Declaration'.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the GulfKingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October, and three other journalists were named TIME's Person of the Year, an honour that recognises them for "taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths" and "for speaking up and for speaking out". "For taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts, for speaking up and for speaking out, the Guardians -- Jamal Khashoggi, the Capital Gazette, Maria Ressa, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo -- are TIME's Person of the Year," the magazine said on Tuesday. Here's all you need to know about TIME's Guardians.
India and China have not ruled out a Modi-Xi meeting during the summit.
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen activist shot in the head last year by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, has received the highest honour conferred by rights group Amnesty International.
The reduction of tension on the Chinese border may have reduced the urgency of a Biden-Modi meeting, but the sooner Modi starts a bromance with Biden the better as he had done with Obama and Trump, suggests Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Imagine being a part of a country, but being discriminated against by the majority community and atrocities being committed against you by the state. This is the deplorable conditions that the Rohingyas of Myanmar live in where they are cut off from their livelihoods and sources of income, unable to access markets, hospitals and schools, and have little or no access to relief aid. In order to understand the situation and the genesis of the tragedy unfolding, Rediff.com's Archana Masih speaks to Ambassador Vijay Nambiar, the United Nations' Chef de Cabinet (Chief of Staff), who had served a long stint with the UN in New York on the issue.
They bent rules. Shut down haters. And inspired many with their successes. Let them inspire you too!
More than 600,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar's Rakhine state have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, creating one of the world's most dire refugee crisis.
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