By Luke Hunt
Burmese authorities have taken a big political step, announcing they will allow foreign election monitors into the country to observe the all-important by-elections on April 1.
President Thein Sen made his decision known while in Cambodia, saying foreign observers would be allowed in from each of the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners that include Australia, China, the European Union, Russia and the United States.
Additionally, Naypyidaw has indicated it will allow some journalists into the country to cover the polls, but only those from select state-owned media, like Britain’s BBC. Independent journalists applying for visas in places like Bangkok, meanwhile, have struggled to obtain the correct paperwork.
Read the full story at The Diplomat