Mandalay city officials are facing public condemnation over a tobacco company’s sponsorship of an upcoming mini-marathon that will be held in honor of Burma’s 70th Independence Day on 4 January.

“Spirits are often poured into energy drink bottles, packed in cases, and then sneaked up the Mount Kyaiktiyo trail."

As Rohingya women struggle to access even the very basics such as food and water in Bangladesh's overcrowded camps, a flourishing sex trade offers cash in times of desperation.

Former political prisoners are still locked in a battle against depression and anxiety - the aftermath of decades of imprisonment and isolation.

The number of recorded suicides and attempted suicides has soared at Thailand’s largest camp for refugees from Burma, the International Organization for Migration said on Monday as it called for urgent action to treat high levels of distress.

The data covered the four days of public holiday from 13–16 April, a period renowned for drunken revelry.