while countries in the neighbouring regions - particularly India and Thailand, but also Australia and Japan - may have important roles to play, China wields far more leverage. For those who wish to influence Burma in a positive direction, it is therefore essential to consider ways that change could be stimulated with the active participation of China, whether through sanctions, constructive engagement and/or any form of dialogue."

Yesterday, 21 September 2017, at the United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, stated, “We are horrified to see that the Myanmar authorities are laying landmines along their stretch of the border to prevent the Rohingya from returning to Myanmar. These people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity.”

...Some of the current wave of refugees have stepped on landmines during their attempts to leave Myanmar. International news agencies and human rights organizations have stated that they have witness testimony of new use of landmines by Myanmar’s Armed Forces along the NRS-Bangladesh border, and this has reportedly led to the issue being raised with Myanmar by Bangladesh authorities.,,

UPDATE 19 SEPTEMBER 2017

"The ICBL/Landmine Monitor has verified that recent mine victims were from newly laid mines.

Submission of evidence by Lawyers Network and Justice Trust to the Letpadaung Investigation Commission...(Submitted 28 January, 2013, re-submitted with exhibits 5 February, 2013)...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Mawchi is a township in Northwest Karenni that was once a successful mining town. It was often referred to as 'little England' because of the life style on display there and its accompanying standards of living. Private British business interests developed the mines in Mawchi between the world wars, but the local economy began to decline, with the rest of Burma, with Ne Win’s Burmese Way to Socialism. The economy of Mawchi, and the standard of living for people in the Township, has continued to decline across successive military governments.

This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during March 2011 in Bu Tho Township, Papun District, by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Saw H---, a 34-year-old hillfield farmer and the head of N--- village. Saw H--- described an incident in which a 23-year-old villager stepped on and was killed by a landmine at the beginning of 2011, at the time when he, Saw H--- and three other villagers were returning to N--- after serving as unpaid porters for Border Guard soldiers based at Meh Bpa.

Burma/Myanmar has suffered
from two decades of mine
warfare by both the State Peace
and Development Council and
ethnic-based insurgents. There
are no humanitarian demining
programmes within the country.
It is no surprise that those states
in Burma/Myanmar with the most
mine pollution are the highest
IDP- and refugee-producing
states. Antipersonnel mines
planted by both government
forces and ethnic armed groups
injure and kill not only enemy
combatants but also their own

Dhaka, Dec 14: "The demarcation of border areas, under the joint-border forces of Burma and Bangladesh, have been suspended since 1998, due to the presence of landmines in those areas.

The absence of joint-border forces of the two countries has increased the occurrences of cross border arms smuggling, drug and human trafficking, and cross border robberies, said a report in a weekend journal of Bangladesh.

The demarcation of the border area under the joint forces of the two countries began in 1984, but ended after only 14 years...

Mexico may be hitting the perfect storm when it opens its energy resources to foreign investors...

Against the backdrop of Mexico's ever-widening gap between rich and poor, growing violence, and stalled economy, President Enrique Pena Nieto has passed a series of economic reforms.

Under these reforms, Mexico's oil, which was expropriated from foreign interests 75 years ago, is now for sale to private, international companies.

NAFTA has had a very bright side but also has had a very dark side…the dark side of globalisation has been organised crime.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "While the existing data available on landmine victims
indicate that Burma/Myanmar1 faces one of the most
severe landmine problems in the world today, little is
known about the actual extent of the problem, the
impact on affected populations, communities’ mine
action needs and how different actors can become
more involved in mine action.
The Government of Burma/Myanmar has prohibited
almost all forms of mine action with the exception of
a limited amount of prosthetic assistance to people

Executive
Summary:
"Burma is rich in natural resources, particularly natural gas and oil.
Yet instead of using these resources for the country’s development
through industry and job growth, military leaders have been exporting
them for over a decade. This has generated huge revenue flows, but
a lack of transparency and mismanagement of these revenues has left
Burma with some of the worse development indicators in the world,
creating a resource curse.
Sales revenues of natural gas exports alone amounted to US$ 2.5 billion

Burma is rich in natural resources. Exports of natural gas
alone amount to approximately US$2.5 billion in annual
revenues, and these are expected to increase by 60% as
three additional production blocks come on line as early as
next year. Yet despite this enormous wealth, Burma is one
of the poorest countries in the world.
A lack of transparency around revenues from the sale of oil,
gas and other natural resources, a lack of an accountable
system to manage revenues, and a lack of equitable benefit