Blue Shirt Day: Minn Tent Bo writes for Mizzima
Blue Shirt Day is an annual occasion that takes place on 21 April, writes Minn Tent Bo, Advocacy and Communications Officer at Burma Campaign UK.
It is not simply about people wearing a blue shirt; it is about standing against the ongoing practice of imprisoning, torturing, and disappearing political prisoners and the systematic effort to forget them. It is about refusing to give the Burmese military a propaganda boost to present its political prisons and torture facilities as places of reform and to portray sham elections as a new step for democracy. The purpose is to draw more international attention to political prisoners in the prison system and to demand the unconditional release of all political prisoners.
The Burmese military’s amnesties are nothing more than window dressing and its efforts to mask its continued rule as a civilian presidency are nothing more than a PR campaign using the laws on arbitrary detention and repression to do so. People are still being detained as pawns for such political manipulation. Blue Shirt Day is a modest reminder that these people cannot be forgotten and used as pawns and that, unless they are released, the blue shirts have yet to achieve their purpose.
Former President Win Myint freed in broad Myanmar prisoner amnesty – PBS News
Myanmar’s former President Win Myint has been freed as part of a broad prisoner amnesty by Min Aung Hlaing, reports the USA’s PBS News.
Burma Campaign UK said that the slow, staged release of political prisoners is designed to gain positive publicity while making no real reforms.
“If the Burmese military regime were genuine about reform, they could release all 14,000 political prisoners today,” said advocacy and communications officer Minn Tent Bo. “These people should not have been arrested in the first place. The Burmese military could stop arresting activists and could repeal all repressive laws. They haven’t done that.”
Former President Win Myint freed in broad Myanmar prisoner amnesty – News4JAX
Former President Win Myint was freed as part of a broad prisoner amnesty by Min Aung Hlaing to mark the traditional New Year, reports US-based News4JAX.
Burma Campaign UK said that the slow, staged release of political prisoners is designed to gain positive publicity while making no real reforms. “These people should not have been arrested in the first place. The Burmese military could stop arresting activists and could repeal all repressive laws. They haven’t done that.”
Burmese military again using political prisoners for public relations agenda – Progressive Voice
The Burmese military have today continued with the slow staged release of political prisoners in a process designed to gain maximum positive publicity while at the same time making no fundamental changes or reforms whatsoever, reports Progressive Voice.
“The way in which the Burmese military are dragging out the staged releases of political prisoners to maximise public relations benefit tells us this is not a genuine process of change,” said Minn Tent Bo, Advocacy and Communications Officer at BCUK. “While today we celebrate the release of some political prisoners, it’s also a continuation of a nightmare we have been living for generations. The revolving door of political prisoners in and out of jail never stops spinning.”
Burma Campaign UK labels political prisoner amnesties as propaganda strategy – Mizzima
On 21 April, Myanmar’s New Year, Burma Campaign UK will participate in Blue Shirt Day to support over 14,000 political prisoners in Myanmar, reports Mizzima.
The Burmese military have begun releasing political prisoners as part of a propaganda strategy following sham elections held in 2025 and 2026. However, thousands remain in jail, new arrests are being made, all repressive laws remain in place, and the military have made no commitment to free all political prisoners.
“The Burmese military’s theatrical releases of political prisoners should fool nobody,” said Minn Tent Bo, Advocacy and Communications Officer at BCUK. “Amnesties are designed to manipulate public opinion and buy international credibility, while the military continues to jail dissidents at will. Blue Shirt Day is a clear demonstration that people all over the world refuse to forget those suffering behind bars, and demand genuine justice, human rights and democratic freedoms for all in Burma.”
Burmese military rebrands, but never reforms – Eurasia Review
General Min Aung Hlaing, who ran the military regime in Burma yesterday, is running the military regime in Burma today, say Burma Campaign UK in an op-ed for the Eurasia Review.
The piece, reproduced from BCUK’s new briefing paper, concludes: “The Burmese military, with all its different forms, titles and leaders over almost sixty years, and with all the backing from China, Russia, India and others, has never been able to defeat the people of Burma, and it never will.”
Burmese military rebrands, but never reforms – Burma Campaign UK
General Min Aung Hlaing, who ran the military regime in Burma yesterday, is running the military regime in Burma today, says BCUK’s new briefing paper analysing the outcome of December and January’s sham elections and the appointment of Min Aung Hlaing to the presidency.
It does not matter who happens to be head of the Burmese military at any given time, or what name they use for their proxy administration, it is the military as an institution which has ruled Burma for almost 60 years. They will always prioritise their own power and control and pursue their own racist Bamar Buddhist nationalist extremist vision of Burma.
The Burmese military will never reform. The only thing that changes are the forms of political system it uses to ensure its survival, and the tactics it uses to try to relieve pressure from the domestic population and international community.
Burma Campaign UK at NASUWT conference
Ban Yone and Amy Rosenberg from BCUK are at the NASUWT Teachers’ Union conference in Birmingham, raising awareness about the situation in Burma.
Since the 2021 coup teachers joined the Civil Disobedience Movement, peacefully striking against the brutal military takeover. Since then, hundreds have been imprisoned and thousands have had to flee to avoid arrest. The Burmese military has escalated attacks against civilians including attacking schools, with more than two hundred attacked in recent years.
Thank you for your support NASUWT International Solidarity.
Ban Yone and Amy Rosenberg at NASUWT conference in Birmingham.
The military cosplay democracy but people demand the real thing – the Guardian
“It appears likely that Min Aung Hlaing will swap his leadership of the army for the presidency. Whatever the details, the junta will still be running the show, and bombing civilians – just while cosplaying as democrats”, says the Guardian in its editorial about Burma’s sham elections.
Min Aung Hlaing has now been appointed president.
Minn Tent Bo speaks at Bristol fundraiser
Minn Tent Bo, Burma Campaign UK’s Advocacy and Communications Officer, spoke at this year’s Myanmar documentary film screening and Burmese food fundraiser in Bristol.
Minn spoke about how we can stand together in solidarity against the military, the impact of the UK visa ban on Burmese students, and what Burmese students in Bristol can do in collaboration with their student unions and peers from Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan, highlighting the importance of writing to your MP.
Thank you to the activists and Burmese families who have been organising this event since 2023.