Myanmar's leader on Wednesday said the role of the powerful military should be reduced slowly in the transition to democracy amid opposition campaigns to ease the army's grip on political power.

President Thein Sein, a general-turned-reformer, reaffirmed his support for a "strong" military in the former junta-run country, as authorities are yet to strike a national ceasefire with several ethnic armed groups.

The current Turkish block on Twitter is the latest in a series of actions against social networks, which often happen when a government's grip on power is under threat. Here are some other examples.

EGYPT (January 2011): Setting a historic precedent, Egyptian authorities blocked Internet access on January 28, 2011, to undermine opponents to the regime of president Hosni Mubarak who had used Facebook and Twitter to organize rallies.

In the desolate camps of western Myanmar many homeless Muslims are determined to assert their identity as Rohingya after years of persecution, in a census some fear will spark further turmoil.

Myanmar's first census in 30 years -- which starts at the end of March with United Nations help -- will provide new data on the country, until now relying on figures from a flawed population tally in 1983.

Myanmar's president has asked parliament to consider an intermarriage law, spearheaded by an extremist monk, that is aimed at "protecting" Buddhists in the former junta-ruled nation.

The move follows several waves of anti-Muslim violence that have coincided with a groundswell of Buddhist nationalism.

Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Friday said the Myanmar government had ordered it to suspend all its activities in the country, halting vital healthcare to thousands of people.

MSF, which provides primary healthcare in strife-torn western Rakhine state as well as HIV and tuberculosis treatments across the country, said the move would have a "devastating effect" on its patients.

Myanmar police raise riot shields to fend off a hail of plastic bottles from angry demonstrators -- but the clash is just an exercise -- as the force seeks to shed its junta-era image with the help of European trainers.

The European Union on Thursday showcased the results of its first round of training with the Myanmar Police Force, which aims to prioritize human rights in operations and modernize techniques.

The U.N.'s rights envoy to Myanmar on Wednesday raised "serious concerns" over the impartiality of a government investigation into allegations of deadly attacks on Rohingya Muslims in unrest-torn Rakhine state.

Tomas Ojea Quintana warned that tensions in Rakhine, following two major waves of unrest that left around 140,000 people displaced and sparked anti-Muslim violence in other parts of the country, could "jeopardize the whole (Myanmar political) transition process".

Thailand has sent around 1,300 Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, a top official said Thursday, dismaying rights campaigners who warned the minority Muslims face persecution in the former junta-ruled country.

Thousands of Rohingya, described by the United Nations as among the world's most persecuted minorities, have fled sectarian violence in western Myanmar in rickety boats since 2012, mostly heading for Malaysia.

Two Myanmar politicians from a western state riven by deadly communal violence narrowly escaped a suspected assassination bid during a visit to Malaysia this week, a report said Friday.

Malaysia's state-run Bernama news agency quoted police as saying the pair, Aye Maung and Aye Thar Aung, were fired upon by a shooter aboard a motorcycle in a busy shopping area of the capital Kuala Lumpur late Wednesday night.

President Barack Obama Thursday said global religious freedom was vital to U.S. national security, and named China, and Myanmar among nations that should show more tolerance.

"History shows that nations that uphold the rights of their people, including the freedom of religion are ultimately more just and more peaceful and more successful," Obama said at an annual National Prayer Breakfast.