House of Lords debates Bangladesh and aid for Rohingya
Thank you to Baroness Nye and Lord David Alton for raising the dire situation for Rohingya in the refugee camps in Bangladesh in Parliament, and pressing the new Labour government to reverse damaging aid cuts.
A new opportunity to revive the British government response to the crisis in Burma
With a new government, we now have a new opportunity to revive the British government response to the crisis in Burma.
The scale of the crisis in Burma is enormous. The scale of the British government response has reduced to small measures at a snail’s pace.
The British government must:
- Sanction Burmese and international companies involved in supplying jet fuel to the military.
- Stop the flow of money to the military that they receive from state-owned banks.
- Triple UK aid to Burma.
- Work with local civil society to get aid to people in areas outside of Burmese military control.
- Expel the Burmese military attaché from the UK. The Burmese military are not welcome in the UK.
Please email British Foreign Secretary David Lammy now.
Burma Campaign UK at Vale Earth Fair
Burma Campaign UK’s Campaigns Officer, Karin Valtersson, was at Vale Earth Fair in Guernsey this weekend with her daughter, doing hand and face paintings for the festival goers. Vale Earth donates any profits to organisations like Burma Campaign UK and we are so grateful for all the support.
Zoya Phan interviewed by VOA Burmese
Burma Campaign UK’s Programme Director, Zoya Phan, and the Myanmar analyst Tin Htar Swe, took part in a discussion about the Labour Party winning the UK election with VOA Burmese, the Voice of America radio network broadcasting in Burmese.
Zoya Phan interviewed by Civicus
“For the first time, it looks possible the military junta can be defeated by people power,” says Zoya Phan, Burma Campaign UK’s Programme Director, in an interview with Civicus, the global alliance of civil society organisations and activists.
“International donors and UN agencies are far too slow to wake up to the reality that the military is losing control and the only way to reach millions of vulnerable people is to work with local civil society and local administrations run by ethnic revolutionary organisations. It’s not acceptable to continue to operate out of military-controlled Rangoon and allow the Burmese military to dictate who can and cannot receive international aid.
“We will not give up. We will continue to fight until we have real peace, democracy and human rights in our country”, Zoya told Civicus. “The prospect of finally defeating the military gives us hope despite the suffering.”
Karen Rivers Watch quotes Zoya Phan
“Climate change has the potential to cause as much damage to Kawthoolei and Burma as the Burmese military have”, says Zoya Phan, Burma Campaign UK’s Programme Director, on a campaign poster by Karen Rivers Watch. “Authoritarian rule in Burma means we ae decades behind in preparing for the impacts of climate change in our country.”
The horrors of a war far from Gaza and Ukraine – iNews
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, many more jailed and tortured, 2.6 million displaced from their homes, and more than 18 million live in need, reports iNews.
A series of recent victories mean opposition forces now control more than half the country. Many say it’s only a matter of time before the regime falls.
Neighbouring China, traditionally the Myanmar military’s most powerful backer, can detect which way the wind is blowing.
“The Chinese have been reaching out to all the different ethnic groups in the country, not just the ones on their border any more,” says Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK. “They’re offering them scholarships, they’re talking about humanitarian assistance, they’re inviting them to so-called conferences and nice hotels to building relationships and getting to know the players.”
The UK has cut aid by 70 per cent since the coup, in a bid to undermine the regime. “The British Government’s decision is ridiculous. There’s a huge civil society network ready to deliver aid to those who need it,” says Farmaner.
“There is a lot more that the West could do,” he says. “Most importantly, tougher sanctions on jet fuel because the military can’t make their own. A million people at least have been displaced by airstrikes, who now can’t work, can’t farm. It’s an economic crisis, as well as a humanitarian crisis.”
Zoya Phan interviewed by Radio Karen
Zoya Phan, Burma Campaign UK’s Programme Director, was interviewed by Radio Karen about the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution calling on member states not to export, sell or transfer jet fuel to the Burmese military.
The resolution is another significant milestone in getting the issue up the international agenda and applying more pressure on countries still involved in the supply of jet fuel to Burma.
Watch interview with Zoya Phan (in Karen)
David Cameron- Sanction Jet Fuel Now!
Without aviation fuel the jets can’t fly. If they can’t fly, they can’t bomb.
UN debate and resolution on Myanmar
The UK has finally convened the discussion on Myanmar at the UN Security Council that Burma Campaign UK has been calling for. Speakers urged the Security Council to take decisive measures to end violence by the military and address the deteriorating humanitarian situation, also calling for the swift appointment of a UN Special Envoy.
At the meeting the USA and Malta called on the Council to take action to stop the supply of jet fuel to the Burmese military, but the UK failed to call for the Burmese military to abide by the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice to prevent the ongoing genocide of the Rohingya.
On the same day the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution including calls for action on the humanitarian crisis, establishing the conditions for the safe return of the Rohingya, and ensuring accountability for those responsible for mass atrocities and human rights violations and abuses.