Burma Campaign UK
Statement By Members Of The European Burma Network Members of the European Burma Network welcome the decision of the European Union to continue with the annual United Nations General Assembly resolution on Burma. We are concerned that despite the fact that the government of Burma has not met a single one of the twenty …
Today Burma’s President, former General Thein Sein, is making his first visit to London. He will be meeting Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague. To coincide with the visit, Burma Campaign UK is releasing a new briefing paper on Thein Sein. The briefing highlights his decades-long involvement in human rights abuses in …
Media Release from the All-Party Parliamentary Group For Democracy In Burma British Parliamentarians from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma are calling on Foreign Secretary William Hague to prioritise human rights when he meets Burmese President Thein Sein in London. The All-Party Parliamentary Group For Democracy in Burma has recently heard evidence on …
One Year after the Violence Began: Civil Society Organisations Deeply Concerned by the Human Rights and Humanitarian Situation of Stateless Rohingya The Rohingya, a stateless minority of Myanmar, have endured decades of abuse, persecution and discrimination. One year ago, on 3 June 2012, the massacre of ten Muslims travelling in Rakhine State, following the killing …
Statement from Three Human Rights Defenders on Their Arrest Warrants for Speaking Out about Letpadaung Emergency Law By Moe Thway, Wai Lu and Wai Hmuu Thwin We would like to explain what is happening to us, Moe Thway (Generation Wave), Wai Lu and Wai Hmuu Thwin (Yangon People Service Network), in these days. On 13 …
Press Release by Rushanara Ali MP Rushanara Ali MP calls on the UK Government to exert pressure on Burma to end discrimination against the Rohingya and find an urgent resolution to their citizenship status Following her recent visit to Rakhine State with Refugees International, Rushanara Ali MP, Shadow Minister for International Development, spoke in a …
Burma Campaign UK today welcomed a statement by Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi, that ‘independent investigative work’ is required ‘for an informed assessment as to whether ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity have been committed.’ However, words need to be turned into action or they will simply amount to yet more platitudes from the British …
Press Statement by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) BANGKOK – The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) today backed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its bid to raise the issue of anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar at the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for a prompt, full and impartial investigation into allegations of …
Press Release by Rushanara Ali MP Following the violence that erupted between Muslim and Buddhist communities in Rakhine State in June and October 2012, Shadow Minister for International Development, Rushanara Ali MP, reported back from a trip to Burma where she visited Rohingya, Kaman and Rakhine camps in Rakhine State and met with NGOs, UN …
Following reports that 23 prisoners, 19 of whom are political prisoners, are being released today, just hours before Thein Sein leaves for a trip to the USA where he is due to meet president Obama in the White House, Burma Campaign UK accused President Thein Sein of blatantly using political prisoner releases as PR tools. …
As Cyclone Mahasen threatens millions of people in Bangladesh and Burma, including tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Rakhine State, Burma Campaign UK today called on the British government and international community to take action to force President Thein Sein to allow unrestricted humanitarian aid, and stop violating international humanitarian law. Burma …
EU Abandons Burma’s Political Prisoners – Downgrades Human Rights European Union members have abandoned hundreds of political prisoners and downgraded human rights as a priority in Burma, following their decision to lift all sanctions on Burma except arms. The EU suspended sanctions on April 26th 2012, in recognition of changes that had taken place in …
Burma Campaign UK is deeply concerned that G8 Foreign Ministers meeting today appear to be prioritising trade opportunities with Burma, rather than ending rape and sexual violence committed by Burmese government forces. The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) is top of the agenda for G8 Foreign Ministers. However, Burma is not one of the countries …
Burma’s treatment of the ethnic Rohingya of Burma violates at least eight international laws, treaty obligations and international human rights guidelines. The findings come in a new briefing paper published today by Burma Campaign UK: ‘Burma’s Treatment of the Rohingya and International Law.’ The briefing is available here. The briefing paper examines Burma’s treatment of …
Burma Campaign UK has published examples of some of the anti-Muslim propaganda which is being circulated in Burma. The purpose of publishing these examples is to increase international understanding of some of the underlying causes of anti-Muslim violence in Burma. “Leaflets inciting anti-Muslim hatred and violence have been circulated across Burma for many months, and …
Burma Campaign UK today publishes Burma briefing No.20: Friends Burma’s Rohingya Could Do Without. The Briefing is a commentary on some of the dubious ‘friends’ that Burma’s ethnic Rohingya are attracting. “In the absence of strong international support for the Rohingya, many dubious organisations and countries have pledged support for the Rohingya, but many are …
Burma Campaign UK is calling on the international community to mobilise to create an urgent task force to help tackle religious violence in Burma. Burma Briefing No.19: An international task force Is needed to help tackle growing religious violence in Burma, contains a detailed analysis of some of the underlying causes of anti-Muslim violence in …
Burma Campaign UK welcomes the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on Burma, passed by consensus on Thursday 21st March. The resolution highlighted serious human rights abuses which could violate international law, including ‘…arbitrary detention, forced displacement, land confiscations, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as well …
British government receiving; ‘disturbing reports of the use of sexual violence by the military in Burma.’ On International Women’s Day, Burma Campaign UK is calling on members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to ensure that the Council continues to investigate serious human rights abuses in Burma, including sexual violence. There have been moves …
Burma Campaign UK today welcomed Early Day Motion 838 on Burma, tabled by members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma (APPG Burma). So far 57 MPs across all parties have signed the motion, calling for international observers, full international access to deliver humanitarian aid, and the repeal of the racist 1982 …
As organisations that work to promote the rights of all people of Burma, including the Rohingya community, we express our deep concerns about the shortfall in funding for the humanitarian operation to assist people in Rakhine State who have been affected – directly or indirectly – by the June and post-June violence. Out of $32.5 …
Burma Campaign UK today called on the British government to work for UN mandated international observers to be stationed in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burma, following almost five months of violence, arrests, and restrictions on humanitarian assistance to Burma’s ethnic Rohingya minority. Burma Campaign UK has written to British Foreign Secretary William Hague asking him …
Burma Campaign UK today called on British Foreign Secretary William Hague to end his silence on the current crisis in Burma and step up British diplomatic efforts to end the crisis. The current crisis has evolved into Burmese government led repression against the Rohingya. Following communal violence in June, in which many Arakan and Rohingya …
Civil Society Organisations Deeply Concerned by On-going Violence against Stateless Rohingya in Myanmar and their Refoulement from Bangladesh The stateless Rohingya of Myanmar have suffered from extreme persecution and discrimination for decades. They are now facing another crisis. On 3 June inter-communal violence erupted, and this has evolved into large-scale state sponsored violence against the …