Burma Campaign UK
Burma’s ethnic Rohingya Muslims are fleeing for their lives, says Human Rights Watch. A UN flash report found it’s very likely that crimes against humanity were committed in October and November. Only an independent international investigation will be able to uncover the truth. Human Rights Watch video
On International Women’s Day, join us and stand with the women of Burma to end rape and sexual violence. Take action here
Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, has been refused a visa to enter Myanmar by its embassy in Bangkok. “No reason was given but embassy staff told the agency I went through that I would not be given a visa anywhere,” he told Mizzima. Read Mizzima article
Myanmar immigration officials in Bangkok have refused a visa to Burma Campaign UK’s Director, Mark Farmaner. He told Frontier Myanmar “There needs to be clear and transparent criteria for people being on the blacklist and that shouldn’t include banning people because they speak out on human rights or criticise the government or military.” Read Frontier …
Burma Link, Karen Student Network Group and Karen Youth Organisation today launched a documentary, “Unrecognised Leaders, Tomorrow’s Hope: Raising the Voices of Forgotten Youth.” The documentary calls for inclusion of displaced ethnic youth on the Thailand-Burma border in political processes and recognition of refugee education certificates. Read press release
FCO Under Secretary of State Alok Sharma MP confirmed to Parliament today that the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, raised the plight of the Rohingya with Aung San Suu Kyi and the generals on his recent trip to Burma. Mr Sharma was answering questions from Yasmin Qureishi MP and Catherine West MP, Shadow Foreign Office Minister. …
The Foreign Office minister Baroness Anelay confirmed to Parliament today that the UK government will advocate the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma at the Human Rights Council in February and March. Read answer to written question
Writing for the Democratic Voice of Burma, Burma Campaign UK’s Campaigns Officer Wai Hnin Pwint Thon asks why Lahpai Gam and other political prisoners remain in jail. Wai Hnin calls for a reformed, credible and independent Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee to achieve the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Burma. Read DVB …
Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, interviewed for a Middle East Eye analysis of the plight of the Rohingya, said “Burma’s so-called transition to democracy has been a transition to a new form of military control with a civilian face.” Read Middle East Eye article
Zoya Phan, Burma Campaign UK’s campaigns manager, has been refused a visa to attend the unveiling of a statue of her father Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan on the ninth anniversary of the Karen leader’s murder. Read VOA Burmese article Read Frontier Myanmar article
Now the British government is considering whether or not to back a UN inquiry into the Rohingya crisis. Such an investigation could help reduce human rights violations and set out a roadmap for ensuring human rights for the Rohingya. Email Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson now!
Ask your MP to sign a new motion in Parliament calling on the British government to back a UN Inquiry into the Rohingya crisis. We need the British government to back a UN Inquiry and propose it at the Human Rights Council. Write to your MP now.
Mass gang-rape, killings – including of babies and young children, brutal beatings, disappearances and other serious human rights violations by Myanmar’s security forces in a sealed-off area north of Maungdaw in northern Rakhine State have been detailed in a new UN report. Read more and see full report
In answer to a question by Tom Brake MP, the Defence Minister Mike Penning said “There is currently no specific programme module within this training which focuses on the issue of human rights”. See question and answer
The Daily Mail reports that millions of pounds of Britain’s aid has been spent on training foreign soldiers – including the Burmese army that is accused of killing and raping its own people. Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tom Brake MP told the Daily Mail: ‘The Burmese army are amongst the worst human rights abusers …
Vatican Radio reports that human rights groups have accused Burma’s government of trying to cover up abuses against Rohingya civilians in Rakhine State. In an interview with Vatican Radio, the Executive Director of the Burma Campaign UK, Anna Roberts said, “the fact that this [the Burmese government’s own] commission has no independence or credibility just …
Burma News International reports on Burma Campaign UK’s petition to the British government to do more to help stop the rape of ethnic women in conflict divided Burma. BNI quotes Zoya Phan, campaigns manager at Burma Campaign UK: “The British government should … stop training the Burmese Army until they take concrete action to end …
Karen News reports that Burma Campaign UK delivered a petition to the British government to do more to help stop the rape of ethnic women in conflict divided Burma, and quotes Zoya Phan, the campaigns manager for Burma Campaign UK: “It has been two years now since the two Kachin teachers were brutally raped and …
Two years after the murders, and one year after the National League for Democracy promised to bring the perpetrators to justice, the bereaved families of two Kachin teachers are no closer to knowing who raped and killed their daughters. At memorial services in Yangon, Muse and Myitkyina yesterday, civil society organisations and community leaders expressed …
Two years on, an investigation into the brutal rape and murder of two Kachin schoolteachers in Kutkai Township has stalled due to continued war, says the Irrawaddy in its report on a memorial service held today. Calls for justice for the two victims continue. The Burma Campaign UK delivered a petition signed by more than …
Paul Scully MP, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy in Burma, tabled an urgent question in the House of Commons today on human rights in Burma. Paul Scully called for an independent international investigation into state-sponsored attacks on Rohingya Muslim civilians in Rakhine state, and urged the Foreign Secretary to raise the the …
Mizzima News from Myanmar reports on Burma Campaign UK’s new briefing paper on Burma’s military. “With human rights violations by the Burmese military increasing to a level we haven’t seen for around a decade, it’s clear new strategies are needed,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “It’s time for a debate on ways …
In today’s House of Lords debate on the treatment of the Rohingya in Burma, Baroness Kinnock quoted Anna Roberts of the Burma Campaign UK, who called the report of the presidential commission of inquiry a “farce” and said “it is time for the UK to support the establishment of a genuinely independent UN Commission of …
Rushanara Ali MP, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Burma, writes on the the violent campaign against Rohingya Muslims and the urgent need for full humanitarian aid and access to Rakhine state. Read Guardian article