[TinyRedLeaf]

It has been a momentous weekend for Myanmar:

Myanmar signs ceasefire deal with Karen rebels

Yangon (Jan 12, Thu): Myanmar's government signed a cease-fire agreement today with ethnic Karen rebels in a major step towards ending one of the world's longest-running insurgencies and meeting a key condition for better ties with the West.

The Karen group has been fighting for greater autonomy for more than 60 years in a guerrilla campaign in eastern jungles that dates back to before Myanmar's independence from Britain. It has been the only one of Myanmar's major ethnic groups never to have reached a peace agreement with the government.

Bringing a lasting halt to all of the country's long-running ethnic conflicts has been a crucial demand of Western governments as well as Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and opposition leader, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi.

AP

Myanmar frees over 600 detainees

Yangon (Jan 13, Fri): Myanmar today released 651 prisoners, including many high-profile political detainees, marking a further step in the military-led government's bid to engage with the outside world and pave the way for an end to economic sanctions.

Among those released are members of the 88 Generation, students who led or participated in the 1988 uprising that was followed by a massive crackdown.

Up to 302 of the 651 detainees it were political prisoners whose release had been sought by the National League for Democracy party of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

They were freed so they can play a part in the political process, the Home Minister, Lieutenant-General Ko Ko, later told reporters, suggesting that they might be allowed to run for Parliament despite their prison records, one of the demands of rights groups such as Human Rights Watch.

LA TIMES, REUTERS

US restores full ties with Myanmar

Washington (Jan 13, Fri): The United States moved to restore full diplomatic relations with Myanmar today, rewarding the sweeping political and economic changes that the country’s new civilian government has made, including a ceasefire with ethnic rebels and, only hours before, the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who visited the country for the first time only six weeks ago, said in Washington: "This is a momentous day for the diverse people of Burma. And we will continue to support them and their efforts and to encourage their government to take bold steps."

A renewed relationship between the two countries has the potential to remake American diplomacy in Asia, where the Obama administration says it hopes to refocus its foreign policy at a time when China's influence is expanding. The closer ties could enhance trade and help integrate Myanmar into regional alliances sympathetic to the West.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Meanwhile, a follow-up on the Taiwan presidential election:

Ma Ying-jeou wins second term on narrower margin

Taipei (Jan 14, Sat): Taiwan's Beijing-friendly leader Ma Ying-jeou secured a second four-year term as president today, promising better ties with China after an election watched intently by the United States.

The vote was seen as a signal of cautious support for 61-year-old's policies, which in his first term led to the most dramatic thaw in the island's ties with China since the two sides split more than six decades ago.

China's official Xinhua news agency said Mr Ma's victory could offer a "new opportunity" to improve relations and showed that the Taiwanese people had backed peaceful development of ties with the mainland. The official final tally from the Central Election Commission showed Mr Ma won 51.6 per cent of the vote, with his main challenger, Ms Tsai Ing-wen, on 45.6 per cent.

Polls published last week had the race almost too close to call, with Mr Ma leading Ms Tsai by as little as three percentage points.

While Mr Ma won by a larger margin than expected, it was well below his 17-point victory in the 2008 poll, which some observers said reflected disaffection with economic issues such as growing income disparities.

AFP