New Delhi, Oct 14 : Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh is heading an official delegation for trade and investment talks with the Government of Myanmar in Mandalay at Myanmar today.

During the talks, Ramesh will take up the issue of expanding trade centres along the 1600-kms India-Myanmar border. At present, Moreh in Manipur is the only operational trade centre on the border. India will propose two additional such centres—Avangkhu in Nagaland and Zowkhathar in Mizoram which is also a long-standing demand of these two states.

Dhaka - Military-ruled Myanmar on Wednesday informed Bangladesh that it did not have enough reserve of natural gas to offer Bangladesh to run fertilizer plants at present.

In response to Dhaka's proposal for gas import from Yangon, visiting Myanmar Energy Minister, Lun Thi, told his counterpart M Tamim that Bangladesh will have to compete with other regional players like Thailand and China if it wants gas import in future.

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he would cancel a planned visit to Myanmar unless the government there shows progress in democratization and humanitarian programmes.

Ban last visited Myanmar in May in the wake of the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis in a bid to convince the military government to accept international relief aid and admit foreign workers. The government did soften its stance against international aid workers by loosening up visa restrictions.

Bangkok - Myanmar's army and their allies the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have launched an offensive against Karen refugees in the border region with Thailand, an aid organization said Tuesday.

Speaking from the border town Mae Sot in northern Thailand, Help Without Frontiers, an Italian-based organization aimed at helping refugees of the long-running Karen insurgency, said several villages have been overrun already.

"The villagers are chased, rice barns and food are sequestered or destroyed, large cornfields are burned as well as several houses in different villages," the NGO said in a statement.

Dhaka - The vice-chairman of Myanmar's military junta, General Maung Aye, arrived in Dhaka Tuesday for bilateral talks with Bangladeshi leaders, officials said.

The chief of Bangladesh's military-backed interim government, Fakhruddin Ahmed and cabinet colleagues including army chief Moen U Ahmed welcomed Maung Aye at the international airport.

The Myanmar general leads a 55-member delegation including seven government ministers on the three-day official visit.

Fakhruddin is expected to host talks on regarding disputes over a maritime boundary, construction of a cross-border road link, and leasing of Myanmar land to Bangladeshi farmers for cultivation, his press secretary said.

Dhaka- The vice-chairman of Myanmar's military junta is scheduled to make a three-day official visit to Bangladesh, a foreign ministry official said Monday.

General Maung Aye, who is also the head of the Myanmar army, will lead a 55-member delegation including seven government ministers to discuss a host of outstanding issues between the neighbour nations.

Maung Aye is scheduled to meet with the chief of Bangladesh's interim administration, Fakhruddin Ahmed, to discuss bilateral concerns, said the official.