by Yebaw Day
On 19 October 2011, Shan Herald published Stephen Perraud and Sai Hseng Khio Fah’s article, “Mysterious Gifts Presented in Previous NDAA-Government Meeting”.  The authors described how the NDAA, or the National Democratic Alliance Army, aka, the Mong La group, met Burmese government officials on 9 October in Keng Tung, Eastern Shan State, to discuss a ceasefire. 

By: Sai Wansai
Monday, 17 October 2011

If President Thein Sein government is angling or aiming at full fledged legitimacy and lifting of sanctions, imposed by the West, by releasing barely some 220 political prisoners from a total of 6,359 set free last week, it has failed its intended targets quite miserably.

By Yebaw Day

This article is a discussion of whether Sr. Gen. Than Shwe is a genius. This is a man who has sold off so much of Burma, caused misery to millions of his own countrymen, and impoverished his already downtrodden nation.  How can such a villain be a genius?  Well, genius depends on what perspective you are looking from.

By: Sai Wansai
Monday, 10 October 2011

Amid euphoria that Naypyidaw is on its way to irreversible democratisation process through implementation of recent reform initiative is heartening but still fails to touch the core problems, outlining the ethnic and political conflicts that plague Burma for almost half a century.

By: Sai Wansai
Monday, 3 October 2011

The latest move of President Thein Sein shelving the construction of the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project in Kachin state is the right decision and hopefully would expand to other problem areas, leading to reconciliation and conflict resolution.

By: Sai Wansai
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
It is never easy to write about someone, who just passed away and had been quite close to you.

Sai Hseng Zuen was a unique individual – freedom fighter, writer, journalist, publisher, song composer, singer - and was a comrade-in-arm of my brother Sao Khuensai. The love and respect for each other between them is strong, I even told my wife that this “love between men” is unshakeable and lasting.. And as such, I was able to spend quite a sizeable amount of time with him, spanning from his days in Shan United Revolutionary Army (SURA), Mong Tai Army (MTA) to Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN).

The third temple where we went to worship in Pagan was That-byin-nyu. The highest of the ancient religious monuments, it is also one of the most beautiful, with its harmonious proportions and tiered terraces. Until the 1990s, visitors were allowed to climb up to the terraces and look down on the serenity of Pagan as it spread out in inimitable stillness. It was a perfect spot for "I've been there" photographs, and I have several of my young self sitting on one of the terraces with a cousin and an uncle, all of us looking very pleased with ourselves and with life in general. Since climbing up to the terraces has been disallowed in the interests of conservation, the number of visitors who come to That-byin-nyu has dropped dramatically, and the temple now has the wistful air of neglected beauty waiting to be rediscovered. Behind the rough lime wash on the inner walls are murals which might still be saved by skilled art restorers. Maintenance is obviously kept to a minimum, a lamentable state of affairs for a building that is of so much cultural and historical significance.

By Henri-André Aye
It is widely reported the new government in Naypyitaw is split into two factions: Thein Sein, the new president, leads the group of doves, whereas his vice-president, Tin Aung Myint Oo, heads the hawks. Some people say that the doves will prevail as Thein Sein has upper hand as president, while the others think the hawks will win due to the support they have from the army. When the president’s advisor remarked that there are no political prisoners in the country it indicated that the same old game is going on in government, with nobody taking responsibility, although the election have put the game on a new footing.