New Mandala

I have recently learned that the Study Abroad in Laos (SAIL) program organised by the Center for Laos Studies has a blog to complement their exciting activities on the ground in mainland Southeast Asia.  More details on the program and its participants are available here.  They even have a short video presentation that gives some [...]

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There’s been another — albeit less tragic — mishap at a major Buddhist shrine in Myanmar, less than one week after the collapse of Danok Pagoda on May 30.
Exile news website Mizzima reports that eight monks were injured on June 4 when a lift malfunctioned at Myanmar’s largest standing Buddha, which is located near the [...]

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Regular readers will recall that in recent weeks I have pointed out some of the interesting parts of Burma and Thailand that are visible on satellite images.  Today I have been scouting around for other places of interest and decided that a short tour of the towns of Ruili and Muse would be appropriate.
From high [...]

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Readers looking for consistent coverage of “Thailand’s Underworld” will appreciate the new Bangkok Crimes blog.  Run by Khlong Cowboy, it “aims to document the many different crimes occurring in Thailand and to try and understand them within the context of Thailand’s unique socio-cultural and political framework.”
It is off to a promising start, and will offer [...]

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The Irrawaddy published an article yesterday on a new website, entitled 64 for Aung San Suu Kyi, which was created this Wednesday. The aim of the website is to gather messages of support for Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose 64th birthday is coming up on 19 June.
According to The Irrawaddy, “[t]he organizers of [...]

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“We will find those who disappear if we look for them, and as the time passes by, we will forget those who passed away…”
- DuckyEgg posted in Toilet SWAT Police Forum, author’s translation (from Burmese).
And so begins a dialogue in Burmese cyberspace on the popular social networking site, Toilet Wall. The carnivalesque dialogue continues with [...]

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Last week I used some of WikiMapia’s marked-up satellite imagery to point to Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence on University Avenue in Yangon.
Since then I have been playing around with the possibilities of this technology and thought I would highlight a few other interesting areas of Burma for the benefit of New Mandala readers.  For [...]

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These photos were taken during a peaceful gathering of concerned Burmese citizens near Insein Prison. More details on this vigil are available here. The gathering was in support of detained Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose trial on a new set of charges began yesterday.
The photos were taken by activists from Generation Wave.  [...]

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Over at the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter Sam Roggeveen has a post that provides a recent glimpse of the front of 54 University Avenue, Yangon.  It is well worth a look for those who have never strolled that leafy neighbourhood.  WikiMapia zooms right in on Aung San Suu Kyi’s house to give some helpful context.  As [...]

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Readers who pay close attention to New Mandala’s appearance will have noticed a few changes in recent days.  These are part of what is an ongoing effort to improve the blog, and make it as useful (and user-friendly) as possible for all of you.  We have, for instance, added a much more comprehensive summary of how [...]

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