Boris Johnson should criticise Min Aung Hlaing, Mark Farmaner tells BBC
Burma Campaign UK’s director, Mark Farmaner, believes the foreign secretary could have gone further in his remarks urging Aung San Suu Kyi to do what she can to end the violence in Rakhine State.
He said Mr Johnson should have also criticised the armed forces’ commander-in-chief: “Min Aung Hlaing’s soldiers are the ones killing hundreds of Rohingya and he is the only person in Burma with the power to order soldiers to stop attacking Rohingya villagers, shooting children and burning families alive in their homes.”
Government should go further, Mark Farmaner tells Telegraph
Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, welcomed the UN Security Council discussion on Burma requested by the UK, but called on the British Government to go further in its objections to the current situation in Rakhine.
“Supporting Aung San Suu Kyi and reforms in Myanmar doesn’t mean the British government has to stand by and do nothing as hundreds of Rohingya are slaughtered by the military,” he said.
Former loyalists lose faith in Aung San Suu Kyi – Washington Post
Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK, one of several former Aung San Suu Kyi supporters interviewed by the Washington Post, said that while Suu Kyi may be constrained by the political situation, there are many areas where she has the freedom to act and has not done so.
“There are problems which will take years to resolve, but freeing political prisoners, repealing repressive laws and ending aid restrictions to displaced Rohingya can be done now,” he said.
Burma Campaign UK urge pressure on Myanmar army chief – Anadolu Agency
“There is only one person in Burma who can order the soldiers to stop killing Rohingya civilians and stop burning down villages,” Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, told the Turkish news agency. “The international community needs to personally name Min Aung Hlaing when making calls for restraint or an end to abuses … He needs to feel personal pressure and be named and shamed for his actions.”
Pope in Myanmar won’t be judged by crowds or speeches, but results – Crux
In an interview with the independent Catholic news site Crux, Burma Campaign UK’s Director Mark Farmaner said of Pope Francis’ plans for visiting Burma in November: “We need to see practical results that will deliver long-term change on the ground. If Pope Francis could persuade the government to work with him on implementing programs to promote religious tolerance … then his visit truly will be a success and leave a lasting legacy.”
Festival supporter of Burma Campaign UK nominated for award
The Vale Earth Fair in Guernsey has been nominated for the Moonpig-sponsored Arts Contribution of the Year Award. The music festival is a charitable event run by volunteers and donates its profits to humanitarian causes such as the Burma Campaign UK.
Calls for answers grow as detained reporters’ fates remain unknown – DVB
Diplomats and international human rights groups have expressed concern for the three journalists arrested on Monday in Shan State. Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, told the Democratic Voice of Burma: “Min Aung Hlaing must immediately release the seven people, including the three journalists, who he has detained. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers at his command, why is he so afraid of three journalists and what they will report?”
They kill children, massacre civilians, and are trained by Britain
A shocking new report by Amnesty International into ongoing human rights violations in Kachin State and northern Shan State describes many of them as war crimes, the vast majority committed by the Burmese Army. Writing for the Huffington Post, Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, calls on the British government to end its free training to the Burmese military.
Message Min Aung Hlaing – free journalists arrested in Shan State
Aye Naing and Pyae Bone Naing from the Democratic Voice of Burma and Lawi Weng from the Irrawaddy were arrested by the Burmese army on 26 June. Download the poster below and send it to Min Aung Hlaing on Facebook:
Burma Campaign UK at UNISON trade union conference
At the UNISON trade union conference this week, Burma Campaign UK is asking trade union members to support the campaign to repeal repressive laws in Burma.
Doug Janke, Head of Development, on BCUK’s stall