Burma Campaign UK
The European Union has slapped asset freezes and visa bans on 11 members of the Burmese junta linked to the military coup on February 1 and a brutal crackdown on protesters, reports the Telegraph. “After seven weeks of delay, the EU finally announces its action against the military in response to the coup. 11 members …
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, Burma Campaign UK’s Campaigns Officer, testified today to the United State Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. She thanked the US for being first to act after the coup and called for US leadership in taking diplomatic, economic and legal measures against the Burmese military. “On the streets in my country, young …
Australia has suspended its defence cooperation programme with Burma amid concern about the “escalating violence and rising death toll”. “Australia has finally ended a training programme it should never have started in the first place,” said Anna Roberts, the executive director of Burma Campaign UK. “Twelve more countries are still engaged in training and cooperation …
Australia is under international fire over its continued military assistance to Burma, after at least 38 people, including four children, were killed in the deadliest day of the junta’s crackdown against pro-democracy protests. Australia is one of only 13 countries — along with Russia, China, North Korea, Belarus and Pakistan — that still provide training …
The United Nations General Assembly today held an informal meeting to hear a briefing by the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener. Watch the UNGA meeting
Hundreds of thousands of anti-coup protesters flooded the streets of Burma’s cities following calls for a nationwide strike against the military takeover, and defying the junta’s warnings that confrontation could cost lives. Protesters noted the significance of the date 22.2.2021, and coined the peaceful civil action the “Five Twos revolution,” reports the Telegraph. Monday’s rallies …
Asian businesses are coming under intense pressure to cut ties with the Burma military after this month’s coup, with activists questioning whether such ventures benefit the wider population or fuel human rights abuses. The coup ended a decade-long democratic transition when businesses entered Burma after international sanctions were lifted. Many of these firms formed partnerships …
Since the military coup, the EU and UK have announced they are considering targeted sanctions on the military, writes Burma Campaign UK’s Director in Labour Hub. Rohingya activists, Burma Campaign UK, the Labour Party and even UN investigators have been calling for this for years. The people of Myanmar are crying out for international support. …
Burma’s internet has been cut overnight, hours after armoured vehicles rolled into several cities, prompting fears for the fate of protesters and warnings by diplomats that “the world is watching”. A statement put out by a group of ambassadors including the envoys from the EU, US, UK and Canada, said “We call on security forces …
Burma’s military government is detaining officials of the Union Election Commission (UEC) in night-time raids and asking them to provide evidence that November’s election was rigged, according to a senior member of the organisation. Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, told the Guardian he was aware of the detentions. “In the middle of the …
The EU has suspended its crowd control training to specialist Myanmar police units alleged to have been involved in a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, after the military staged a coup that has triggered the largest protest movement in the country in more than a decade. “This is a military-controlled police force involved in genocide, …
Singapore is the largest foreign investor in Burma, followed by Hongkong (China). Will more Singapore investors pull out, asks Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform the Online Citizen. Several Singapore-run businesses have been linked to the military by Burma Campaign UK. The Online Citizen lists 11 Singapore-run companies that are on BCUK’s Dirty List for …
Infosys is among the Indian companies being criticised for continuing business ties with companies controlled by Burma’s military after the military coup. The Deccan Herald reports that Burma Campaign UK placed Infosys, the Adani Group, HAL and other Indian companies on a “dirty list”, a list of businesses around the world that conduct business with …
A joint letter signed by 20 civilian groups including Burma Campaign UK, the World Uyghur Congress and Yezidi Emergency Support, which says the UK has played a key role in the past five years leading the fight to protect the Yazidis when Isis was trying to wipe them out, calls for a role for the …
Download and print this ‘Wanted’ poster of Min Aung Hlaing.
Al Jazeera reports on the seizure of power by the Burmese army, who have declared a state of emergency and detained civilian leaders. Al Jazeera interviewed Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK, on the arrest of her father Mya Aye, one of the leaders of the 88 Generation, the pro-democracy group …
Channel 4 News report on the near-total internet blackout in Burma, where the leaders of a military coup are facing a rising tide of protests. The streets of the city of Yangon were filled with angry demonstrators, demanding the release of the country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was detained following the army …
Carrying just a small bag, Mya Aye was escorted from his home in the dead of the night by soldiers just as an internet blackout shrouded the country and a dawn coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi. “He prepared a little backpack by the door with clothes and toothpaste,” said Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, Burma …
Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained in Monday’s coup, was charged after police said they found four illegally imported handheld radios at her home. The police said the reason for detention was “to question witnesses, request evidence and seek legal counsel after questioning the defendant”. Burma Campaign UK commented: “The reality is that they …
25 MPs from all sides of the House of Commons questioned the Minister of State for Asia, Nigel Adams, following his update on the coup in Burma. Watch the debate (starts at 14.53pm)
The Burmese military, led by Min Aung Hlaing, has arrested many political leaders and human rights activists, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, in night time raids. They have declared a state of emergency for one year. Governments, including the UK have issued statements of concern or condemning the coup, but none …
Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK, has told TIME that the military coup in Burma may have been engineered for personal reasons. “This could be being driven by the personal ambitions of Min Aung Hlaing, who was due to retire in six months,” he told TIME. “He has also used his position to …
Burma Campaign UK’s evidence to the British Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee on Xinjiang’s detention camps, and how it relates to the failure of UK policy regarding Burma, has now been published. BCUK calls for a national strategy for atrocity prevention, a comprehensive law on Universal Jurisdiction, more effective economic sanctions for human rights abusers, and …
Indonesia’s Republika reports that Burma Campaign UK has asked Facebook to prevent the Burmese army from using this platform to recruit members, promote their companies’ products and improve their business. Read Republika report (in Bahasa Indonesia)