Free Republic

Bangkok -- Search teams in Myanmar recovered more bodies from the ruins of buildings on Friday, a week after a massive earthquake killed more than 3,100 people, as the focus turns toward the urgent humanitarian needs in a country already devastated by a continuing civil war. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who is also the emergency relief coordinator, will visit the area on Friday in an effort to spur action following the March 28 quake. Ahead of the visit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community to immediately step up funding for quake victims “to match the...

Aung San Suu Kyi seems to be rapidly gaining military support against the regime...Released from 15 years of house arrest earlier this month, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi seems to be rapidly gaining support against the regime as she and her party attempt to be re-instated and challenge recent dubious elections... While worldwide leaders celebrated the brave -and attractive- 65-year-old's release, now infantrymen from two Burmese army divisions confirmed reports that several hundred soldiers travelled to Rangoon to witness Ms Suu Kyi regaining her freedom. This is the first time we've heard of such a split in the military......

WASHINGTON: President George W Bush has signed a bill and issued an executive order to pressure rulers in the Asian nation of Myanmar to release democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. Among other things, the law bans the import of products from Myanmar, also known as Burma. The executive order freezes assets of senior Burmese officials and prohibits virtually all remittances to Myanmar. "By denying these rulers the hard currency they use to fund their repression, we are providing strong incentives for democratic change and human rights in Burma," Bush said on Monday in a statement....

President George W. Bush signed a bill on Monday closing the U.S. market to imports from Myanmar, where pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been held by the country's ruling junta since May 30. ''By denying these rulers the hard currency they use to fund their repression, we are providing strong incentives for democratic change and human rights in Burma,'' Bush said in a written statement. He urged neighboring Asian nations to do their part and said the world must make clear through word and deed that the people of Burma deserve ''to live in dignity and freedom under...