Bangkok, Thailand — Has Burma’s Senior General Than Shwe gone mad? This question has arisen after the junta headed by Than Shwe announced the laws that will govern the upcoming national elections. One thing is clear: Than Shwe is very much afraid of losing his power.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s junta last week sentenced four women activists to two years’ imprisonment on the same day U.N. special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived to evaluate progress on human rights in the country. Quintana was not allowed to see democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and was given no information on upcoming elections.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s junta sentenced four women activists to two years imprisonment on Monday, the day U.N. special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived for a five-day visit to evaluate human rights progress in the country. The women were arrested on Oct. 3, last year, after being accused of offering Buddhist monks alms that included religious literature.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s Senior General Than Shwe on Jan. 4 urged people to make “correct choices” in the elections planned for later this year. In an example of what happens to those who make incorrect choices, the regime sentenced a young reporter to 20 years in prison for taping an interview at a Buddhist monastery.

Bangkok, Thailand — Feelings are running high in Burma due to the sad news that Tin Tin Htwe, a 38-year-old woman arrested during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, reportedly died of heart disease in Insein Prison hospital on Dec. 23. She is the third political prisoner known to have died this year from lack of proper medical care.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma today is at an intersection. The incumbent military regime wants to maintain the status quo while the mainstream population desires a new chapter of change. People are demanding freedom of expression and association while the junta is stubbornly disallowing citizens their basic rights.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s military elite are suffering due to the targeted sanctions they face from the international community. The junta has no option but to turn to the West. Now the United States has sent a mission to Burma to engage the military junta after decades of unfriendliness, but the mission faces a tough task.

Bangkok, Thailand — Leaders at the ASEAN Summit in Thailand last weekend urged that general elections in Burma next year be fair, free and inclusive. Unless the group takes a moral stand and its new human rights watchdog puts pressure on Burma, the elections are likely to be nothing but a sham to “legitimize” military rule.

Bangkok, Thailand — Last week Burmese leader Than Shwe allowed detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to meet Western diplomats, at her request, to talk about the sanctions imposed on the military regime. This was no surprise; the sanctions are hurting the regime and the junta would like to use Suu Kyi to get them lifted.

Bangkok, Thailand — The United States says it will hold talks with Burma’s junta, hoping they will succeed where years of sanctions have failed to achieve democratic reforms. In a friendly gesture Burma released over 7,000 prisoners, but most are non-political. And on Friday it upheld the sentence of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma is on the brink of a fresh civil war. Most citizens see the junta's seven-step roadmap – which sanctions the 2008 Constitution and 2010 elections – as a declaration of war against the people of Burma. The regime is attempting to legalize the military dictatorship with a sham Constitution.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is back under house arrest while U.S. Senator Jim Webb has freed the uninvited American who brought this upon her. Webb’s mission may have also been aimed at shaping a new U.S. policy toward Burma. But pro-democracy groups fear he could become a tool of the ruling junta.

Bangkok, Thailand — The guilty verdict issued by Burma’s military junta against Aung San Suu Kyi has made the country’s political weather gloomier and murkier. Most citizens, including military officials, are upset at the unjust and arbitrary decision of the court. It is likely to engender more social unrest in the near future.

Bangkok, Thailand — The people of Burma were not surprised to learn of the failure of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit. It was a good lesson for the top diplomat that the military dictatorship knows no international norms or diplomatic tradition. Words without teeth will not budge the Burmese generals.

Bangkok, Thailand — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is set to visit Burma on Friday – the same day the trial of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to resume. The regime wants to keep her in custody through next year’s elections. The United Nations should not allow the regime to perpetrate such injustice.

Bangkok, Thailand — The people of Burma on Friday mark the 64th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s icon of democracy. Though the day will be marked in silence in repressive Burma, the people do not forget The Lady, who remains central to the development of democracy.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s military junta defended its prosecution of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday and warned other countries not to put their oars in its water. The regime should listen to international calls for her release, however, and realize that only the Lady can bring reconciliation to the country.

Bangkok, Thailand — The political climate in Burma is gloomier than ever, as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in grave danger after being taken to Insein Prison and put on trial. The Lady is the hope of the Burmese people; her bad fortune will be the fate of her poor people and country.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma's military rulers have repeatedly described U.S. and EU sanctions as an "unjust and inhumane act'' that will cause chaos and anarchy in the country. However, Burma's rogue military regime freely imposes inhumane sanctions on its own population.

Bangkok, Thailand — The European Union's policy on Burma has not worked to bring about a breakthrough in national reconciliation or political reform, and its sanctions have made no headway either because they lack the support of neighboring countries, especially China.

Bangkok, Thailand — An award commemorating slain Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai was announced at the Sixth Burma Media Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand, granted to a female journalist who reported about an area of the country that was devastated by Cyclone Nargis last year.

Bangkok, Thailand — This month marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Communities, organizations and governments around the world will celebrate U.N. Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. Yet in Burma, even possessing a copy of the UDHR could send one to jail.

Bangkok, Thailand — Monday is World AIDS Day, when people around the world remember the 33.2 million people living with HIV. This problem has not gone away and there is still much to be done. However, in Burma, HIV/AIDS activists and volunteers are being threatened and suppressed daily by the military authorities.

Bangkok, Thailand — Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a prisoner of conscience in the Burmese military junta's infamous Insein prison? Under harsh conditions, Zaw Myint Maung, an experienced physician who never committed even a small crime, has been languishing in prison for nearly two decades.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma is on the brink of fresh civil strife as many of the young generation have voiced dissatisfaction with nonviolence. Some have called for a U.S. military invasion or an armed struggle to overthrow the deep-rooted stratocracy.

Bangkok, Thailand — One year after Burma's horrific crackdown on the September “Saffron Revolution” led by Buddhist monks, the world remains at odds on how to pressure the military regime, leaving Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi without help in opposing the generals.

Bangkok, Thailand — U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari left Burma on Aug. 23 after failing to secure meetings with senior military leaders or detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Optimism has waned for talks between the lady and the generals after the junta forced through a new Constitution by referendum in May.

Bangkok, Thailand — Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) says: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” But, 79-year-old-man has been suffering a variety of inhumane tortures and languishing unjust punishments for 19 years, now entering into two decades. The United Nations must take responsibility to flex its muscles on issue of breaking the principle of UDHR by such unmanageable regime in Burma.

Bangkok, Thailand — U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari is in Burma again, but the Burmese people have lost confidence in him. His mandate from the world body is not strong enough to handle the situation in the country. The junta shows no signs of responding to international concerns over the people's civil rights.

Bangkok, Thailand — The latest attack on Burma's media took place Feb. 15, when the military junta raided offices of the Myanmar Nation weekly journal in Rangoon and arrested editor Thet Zin and manager Sein Win Maung. Burma is trapped in a murky era where freedom of expression has been completely lost.