In its annual human rights report, the US State Department identified political prisoners, humanitarian access, and combatting corruption as areas where improvements had been made under the Thein Sein government.

The Burmese government has said that Médecins Sans Frontières will not be allowed to extend its contract for operations in the country as a punitive measure for misinforming the international community over incidents in Duchira Dan last month.

Burma’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin met South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Seoul on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties.

Burma’s Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann urged relevant ministries to draft laws governing the protection of national race and religion during Thursday’s assembly. Four laws have been proposed to oversee religious conversion, marriage and population.

In an exclusive interview with DVB, Special Rapporteur Quintana calls on the Burmese government to engage with the international community in investigating the alleged massacre in Maungdaw, including the introduction of forensics experts.

The UN envoy concludes his six-year tenure as Special Rapporteur with a press conference at which he praised Burma's reforms but questioned the impartiality of a domestic inquiry into the alleged massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Duchira Dan on 13-14 January.