LFM News Service 3-8-19

Groups Say INGO Threatens to Inflame Religious Tensions in Meiktila
Residents of Mandalay Region’s Meiktila have signed a petition protesting against international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), saying their actions threaten to reignite sectarian conflict in the town.  Read More

Fire Guts Homes in Refugee Camp at Thailand-Myanmar Border
A fire at the Nu Po refugee camp sheltering Myanmar refugees in Umphang District of Tak Province in Thailand destroyed at least 50 houses on Monday, according to refugees at the camp.  Read More

Kachin rebels say poppy fields are in areas under military control
The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) challenges a UN investigation, done with the government. More than 6,000 acres are under poppy cultivation near military camps and government militias bases in Tanai. A “distorted picture of the link between conflict and opium is being conveyed”.  Read More

Chinese Developer's Grand Claims Spark Fresh Concern in Karen State
A Chinese company behind an urban development project near the Thai border in Karen State says it is planning to build on a swath of land under the control of a local armed group many times the size it was granted by the government.  Read More

Myanmar almost last in Asia-Pacific on rule of law index
Myanmar ranked 14th in the global rule of law index out of 15 countries in Asia-Pacific in 2019, a position it held last year as well.

The Washington-based World Justice Project (WJP) said in a statement that globally, Myanmar ranked 110 among the 126 countries it monitored this year.  Read More