Burma Campaign UK
Press release from Kachin Women’s Association Thailand Kachin women demand immediate end to Burmese regime’s use of rape as a weapon of war in northern Burma offensive The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) is demanding an immediate end to the Burmese military regime’s widespread use of sexual violence in their offensive against the Kachin Independence …
Jeremy Browne MP, Minister of State at the Foreign Office with responsibility for Burma, has written to Burma Campaign UK stating that the government of Burma should ‘reinstate ceasefire agreements with a view to a lasting political settlement.’ The letter, dated 10th June 2011, comes as the Burmese dictatorship has broken the third ceasefire agreement …
Press release from Burma Rivers Network Recent fighting near the Dapein and Shweli hydropower dams in northern Burma shows how the buildup of Burma Army troops to secure deeply unpopular Chinese dam projects is fuelling conflict. Fighting broke out between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) last week at the Dapein No. …
Burma Campaign UK is deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Miriam Karlin, who died aged 85 on 3 June 2011. Miriam Karlin was long-time supporter of the campaign for freedom and democracy in Burma and a patron of Burma Campaign UK since 1999. Miriam Karlin will be remembered as a friend of the …
The British government has stated in the British Parliament that it is ‘deeply concerned’ about the Burmese Army breaking its ceasefire with the Shan State Army North. It also stated that ‘only a genuine process of national reconciliation leading to a just political settlement can bring peace and stability to the country and its neighbours.’ …
AAPP is deeply concerned over the safety of 7 political prisoners placed in solitary confinement for undertaking a hunger strike. Press release from Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) AAPP has learnt that 7 of the 22 political prisoners who have been on a hunger strike in Insein Prison have been placed in solitary confinement. …
The European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma is extremely concerned by the current situation in Shan State, Eastern Burma, and in other ethnic states, where conflict is increasing. Reports from the Shan Human Rights Foundation and Shan Women’s Action Network have exposed an increase in serious human rights abuses since the dictatorship ruling Burma broke a …
A press release from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) learnt today that 22 Political Prisoners are striking for prisoners’ fundamental rights. Although prisoners are usually allowed 15 minutes per day outside of their cells, the striking prisoners will remain inside their cells as the first step …
Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the release of 34 resistance fighters from Burma, who have been held in India for more than 13 years, despite never having committed a crime. The thirty-four were arrested 13 years ago, on 11th February 1998, on Landfall Island, by the Indian Military. They appear to have been tricked by …
On 13th March 2011 the dictatorship in Burma broke a 22 year long ceasefire agreement with the Shan State Army – North. 3,500 Burmese Army soldiers took part in a military offensive in north-central Shan State, an area with a population of 100,000. Sixty-five clashes were reported in the first three weeks of the dictatorship …
Following an announcement of a limited prisoner amnesty in Burma, but no mass release of political prisoners, the new dictator, Thein Sein, is increasingly showing himself to be as or more hard-line than former dictator Than Shwe. In the first few months of becoming dictator, Than Shwe first acknowledged that there were political prisoners, and …
Burma Campaign UK today urged Vijay Nambiar, the UN Special Advisor on Burma, not to ignore the current crisis in Shan State during his visit to Burma. Nambiar is visiting Burma to assess the willingness of Burma’s new dictator, Thein Sein, to enter into dialogue and implement democratic reforms. There has been a major increase …
Burma Campaign UK today called on the British government to publicly condemn the dictatorship in Burma for breaking ceasefire agreements with ethnic organisations in Burma, including breaking the ceasefire with the Shan State Army – North. The dictatorship in Burma is threatening to plunge the country into conflict, which will lead to a major human …
Press Release from Democratic Voice of Burma The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) news organisation is marking World Press Freedom Day on 3 May with the launch of a campaign to free its 17 jailed video journalists (VJs), all of whom are serving lengthy sentences in prisons across the country. The launch of the Free …
Press release from The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has grave concerns for political prisoner, Ko Min Aung, after learning he has been denied urgent medical care for the past 11 months despite suffering from heart disease. Ko Min Aung, Taungup NLD treasurer aged 37, is just …
Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the decision by EU Foreign Ministers to renew European Union (EU) economic sanctions on Burma for a further year. EU Foreign Ministers met today to make the Council Decision on EU Burma policy, which has to be renewed once a year. There were no major changes. “We are pleased that …
Press release by Shan community based organisations Shan community groups strongly denounce the current Burma Army offensive against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) and atrocities against civilians, including shelling of Buddhist temples, gang-rape and using women as cannon fodder. On March 13, 2011, ignoring repeated calls for peaceful dialogue, Burma’s military regime broke its 22-year-long …
EU Should Support Commission of Inquiry on Burma Brussels The ITUC and the ETUC are calling on the European Union to support the holding of a UN Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma, when the EU renews its Burma policy on 12 April. “The Burmese military junta is responsible …
Burma Campaign UK today publishes a new Briefing Paper – Burma’s New Constitution – Denying Ethnic Rights – analysing Burma’s new Constitution and the impact it has on ethnic rights. View the briefing here. Burma’s new Constitution, approved in a rigged referendum in 2008, is likely to have wide-ranging negative impacts on ethnic people in Burma. These …
Burma’s Dictator, Than Shwe, has today officially disbanded the State Peace and Development Council, the body through which Burma’s dictators have ruled the country since 1997. However, Burma Campaign UK today warned that dictatorship remains alive and well in Burma, guaranteed by a new Constitution and a new political infrastructure. The transfer of power from …
Two more European countries have expressed support for international investigations into human rights abuses in Burma, following protests in London targeting six European countries. Latvia stated it supports a UN Commission of Inquiry; ‘in principle’, while Denmark stated it; ‘supports in principle the establishment of an international investigation into human rights abuses in Burma… a …
Burma Campaign UK today publishes a new briefing, ‘Political Prisoners in Burma – A Crime Against Humanity’. The briefing finds, based on international law, that the detention and treatment of political prisoners in Burma should be investigated as a crime against humanity. It calls on governments to support the establishment of a UN Commission of …
Burma’s dictatorship has not met key EU demands for reform, and so sanctions must remain in place, according to the findings of a new policy briefing paper published by Burma Campaign UK. The new briefing paper is published as EU member states debate their joint policy on Burma, which has to be renewed at the …
European Burma Network Statement on the current situation in Burma and recommendations to European governments Members of the European Burma Network (EBN) met in Prague, Czech Republic, on 12th and 13th February, 2011. The European Burma Network brings together organisations promoting human rights and democracy in Burma, and works in solidarity with Burma’s democracy movement. …