Burma Campaign UK
The Burma Campaign UK today called on the government of Thailand not to go ahead with forcing around 3,000 ethnic Karen refugees back to Burma. The refugees fled into Thailand in June 2009 following a military offensive by the Burmese Army and their allies, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), in Karen State, Eastern Burma. …
A new report released today by Palaung researchers reveal that opium cultivation in Burma’s northern Shan State has been increasing rapidly over the past three years in areas under the control of the ruling military government. Poisoned Hills by the Palaung Women’s Organization documents that areas under opium cultivation increased up to five-fold in Mantong …
Burma Campaign UK sources have confirmed that Burmese army soldiers brutally killed a farmer in his local church in Kachin State. However, there has been no proper investigation and no one has been arrested for the murder. Instead, the family members of the victim have been offered around £300 for the murder. According to local …
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the news that more than 140 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for an investigation into crimes committed by the regime in Burma, tabled by members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma (APPG Burma). The motion says that the members are concerned …
Press Release by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office An innovative campaign has been launched to highlight the plight of Burma’s 2100 prisoners of conscience. The FCO has come together with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) , Human Rights Watch and Burma Campaign UK to tell the hidden story of a prisoner every week between now and the elections planned …
Media Release from BurmaInfo (Japan), People’s Forum on Burma, and the U.S. Campaign for Burma Tokyo and Washington, DC Tokyo-based “BurmaInfo,” “People’s Forum on Burma,” and Washington, DC-based “U.S. Campaign for Burma” today welcome the call of 442 Members of Parliament (MPs) around the world to the United Nations Security Council to establish a Commission …
Calling for Genuine Political Reconciliation Before Elections in Burma We, the united voice of people, communities, and organizations from Burma and around the globe, strongly reaffirm the necessity for genuine political reconciliation before the 2010 elections and call on the international community to take immediate action to ensure viable democratic change occurs in Burma. The …
MPs from the main opposition parties today called on the UK government to support a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity being committed by the regime in Burma. The MPs were discussing the political situation in Burma during today’s Westminster Hall debate in parliament. The issue of crimes against humanity dominated the …
The Burma Campaign UK today called on the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to maintain direct personal responsibility for Burma, rather than delegating to a new UN Envoy. The former envoy, Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari, has left the position to take up a new post as head of the joint African Union/UN peacekeeping force …
Today, members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma (APPG Burma) will have a panel discussion in the British Parliament about Crimes Against Humanity in Burma. Members of the APPG Burma are very concerned about widespread and systematic human rights violations, including forced displacement, torture, sexual violence, extra-judicial killings and forced labour, …
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed a new Early Day Motion on Burma tabled by members of All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma (APPG Burma). High profile MPs across all parties, including Nigel Evans MP, Ann Clywd MP, Alistair Carmichael MP, Michael Moore MP, Ed Davey MP, Peter Bottomley MP and Julie Morgan …
The Burma Campaign UK today called on Baroness Ashton, the new EU high representative for Foreign Affairs, to support, not undermine EU policy on Burma, as European Commission officials have been doing for years. The European Union adopted a joint foreign policy on Burma, known as a Common Position, in 1996. The 27 EU Member …
Media release from Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) has learned that Ma Ni Mo Hlaing, who is currently being held in Thayet prison, is suffering from typhoid fever. She began demonstrating symptoms of fever on October 6, 2009, and her condition has steadily deteriorated since. Due to …
Media Release from ALTSEAN, Bangkok The Burmese junta’s proposed 2010 elections, the first step in activating the 2008 constitution, will have disastrous impacts on Burma and the region. In a briefer titled “2010 Elections: A Recipe for Continued Conflict,” regional human rights network Altsean-Burma states that the regime’s preparations for 2010 have already had serious …
115 civil society organizations and political parties from 20 countries today submitted an open letter to China’s President Hu Jintao calling for the suspension of oil and gas pipelines through Burma in order to prevent rights abuses and regional instability, avoiding financial and image risks to China. Petitions were submitted by the Shwe Gas Movement …
Burma Campaign UK today called on the United Nations and international community to renew efforts to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma. On 24th October Aung San Suu Kyi reaches a total of 14 years in detention, most of it under house arrest. On 11th August 2009, …
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed a statement from Dr Jose Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, calling on the United Nations to impose a global arms embargo on Burma. Timor-Leste becomes the 32nd country to back a global arms embargo against Burma. Supporters of the Burma Campaign UK have been targeting the …
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed a statement from the government of Switzerland that it supports the United Nations imposing a global arms embargo against Burma. Switzerland becomes the 31st country to officially support such an embargo. The statement from Switzerland came after supporters of the Burma Campaign UK launched an email campaign calling on …
The Burma Campaign UK today blamed the weak international response to Aung San Suu Kyi’s conviction for the dictatorship’s rejection of her appeal today. At the start of Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial in May 2009 the European Union and other countries threatened tough action if she was convicted, but when the conviction was announced …
U.S. C A M P A I G N F O R B U R M A (Washington, DC) A leading United States-based human rights organization today welcomed the Obama Administration’s decision to maintain existing sanctions on Burma, as well as pursue further sanctions as circumstances warrant. The State Department said that unilaterally …
The Burma Campaign UK is deeply concerned by reports it has received from Kachin and Karen State of a serious unknown disease which is particularly affecting children. Almost 2,000 people have contracted the illness so far, and symptoms in both states are similar. Local people describe the illness as similar to flu, but more severe …
[Mae Sot, Thailand] The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP) today confirmed that 127 political prisoners have been released from prisons in Burma. Last Thursday evening in Rangoon, state-run MRTV carried a news bulletin announcing that 7,114 prisoners were to be released “on humanitarian grounds.” 43 members of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung …
Burmese Monks and Students Call on the Regime to Stop Use of Violence against Ethnic Minorities and Forcibly Enacting of its 2008 Constitution through Showcase Elections in 2010 No: 5/2009 We Oppose the Military Regime’s Use of Violence against Ethnic Nationalities, and Demand That the Regime Stops Forcibly Enacting of the 2008 Constitution, Which Is …
(Mae Sot – Thailand) The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP) can confirm that so far 126 political prisoners have been released from 24 different prisons in Burma. The 126 released include 43 members of the National League for Democracy, including 3 MPs; 23 women; 12 former political prisoners; 4 monks; 4 journalists; 13 …