Campaign News

This documentary by Vice News on the Rohingya is essential viewing:

Mizzima covers our campaign to free Maung Saungkha, a poet and pro-democracy activist imprisoned for posting a poem on Facebook: Burma Campaign UK has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Maung Saungkha and urged the Myanmar government to reform the Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee and to ensure the release of Maung Saungkha …

Burma Campaign UK Patron Glenys Kinnock’s letter is published in the Observer: Gethin Chamberlain, in his excellent report on the post-election challenges faced by Aung San Suu Kyi and others (News), poses several questions, not least about the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority who are facing relentless persecution. In addition, the control and the …

Our campaign to free U Gambira is featured in Mizzima News: Burma Campaign UK yesterday called for the immediate and unconditional release of U Gambira, and all the remaining political prisoners in Myanmar. “The charges against U Gambira are politically motivated because of his political activities in the past,” said Wai Hnin, Campaigns Officer at …

U Gambira was a leader of the 2007 Saffron Revolution and a former political prisoner. He was arrested in 2007 and sentenced to 68 years in prison. He was brutally tortured and mistreated in prison, and has permanent health problems as a result. He was released in 2012. On 19th January 2016, he was arrested …

Around 180 political prisoners in Burma have been released in the last two weeks. Burma Campaign UK was established after the military regime refused to accept the election result in 1990. Now at last, after years of campaigning in Burma and internationally, there is an NLD-led government that the people of Burma have voted for. …

Article in the Irrawaddy today quoting Burma Campaign UK director Mark Farmaner: Under former President Thein Sein’s government, over US$100 million poured into Burma’s peace programs by foreign governments and institutions. As the military-backed administration has given way to a National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government, questions linger about the transparency and influence of international …

We are at the NASUWT’s conference in Birmingham to ask delegates and supporters to stand with the women of Burma to end rape and sexual violence. NASUWT is one of the biggest teachers unions in the UK and a great supporter of freedom and democracy in Burma.

Opinion piece in Democratic Voice of Burma by Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK Love them or hate them, you have to hand it to Burma’s military, they are very smart. Characterisations of them being crazy and superstitious are simply wrong. In various forms, the military has run Burma for more than 50 years, …

Southeast Asia Globe interview with Mark Farmaner, director at Burma Campaign UK: Myanmar’s majority National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by the celebrated Aung Sang Suu Kyi, has put forward two preferred candidates for the presidential position: Henry Van Thio, an ethnic Chin, and Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old NLD stalwart and trusted aide to …

Our campaign is reported in Karen News today: High profile women, including actress Dame Judi Dench and actress Gillian Anderson, have put their names to a document calling on action to stop the sexual assault and rape of women in Burma. Zoya Phan, a campaigner for human rights in Burma, said rape was being used …

Mizzima cover our campaign, supported by over 100 high-profile women, to end rape and sexual violence in Burma: On International Women’s Day, 110 high profile women, including Dame Judi Dench, Annie Lennox, Jo Brand, Gillian Anderson, Imelda Staunton, Julie Walters and Zoë Wanamaker, are standing with the women of Myanmar to end rape and sexual …

Our campaign to free activist Nilar Thein is reported in Mizzima today: Burma Campaign UK has urged the Minister of Home Affairs, Lt Gen Ko Ko, to immediately release Nilar Thein and to reform the Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee the group said in a statement on 25 February 2015. On 24th February 2016, Nilar …

Myanmar Times: The special rapporteur’s post will come up for review at the end of the month when the UN Human Rights Council convenes on February 29. Special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the council to investigate, monitor and report back on human rights problems. “A lot of governments, and obviously the Burmese military, …

At the UNISON Women’s Conference in Brighton today, where hundreds of delegates are taking action to help stop rape and sexual violence being committed by the Burmese army. Take action yourself here.  

Article in today’s Guardian. Niranjan Rasalingam is an accountant from Croydon who has now spent more than a year in Insein jail in Burma without being formally accused of a crime. Last year Burma Campaign UK wrote to British Foreign Minister Hugo Swire MP calling on him to act to secure the release of Narinjan, …

Good news that around 52 political prisoners were released this week, but many more remain in prison. Burma Campaign UK condemns the sentencing this week of Patrick Kum Jaa Lee for six months for a Facebook post he denies even making. Burma Campaign UK also condemns the arrest on immigration charges of U Gambira, one …

Article in the Myanmar Times by Zoya Phan, Campaigns Manager at Burma Campaign UK With the National League for Democracy likely to form the next government in Myanmar, is there finally an end in sight for conflict that has plagued the country since independence? Probably not. The NLD may have the will to bring peace, …

Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK, writing in Mizzima: As millions turned out to vote with hope in their hearts on Sunday, one of the groups of people unable to take part were Myanmar’s political prisoners. Some of the very activists whose struggle and sacrifice helped bring about the elections are …

Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK, writes in The Irrawady: Over the election period, there has been an obvious focus on Aung San Suu Kyi and her future political role in Burma. Many articles and comments have been very critical of both her style of leadership and her statements, or lack of, on …

Article by Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, in the International Business Times   People are rightly celebrating what looks like a huge victory for Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, in the elections held in Burma on Sunday (8 November). But is this really the end of military rule? …

Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, writes in the Huffington Post: For millions of people in Burma and for supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi around the world, Sunday’s election appears to be the fulfillment of their dreams. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) looks to have won a landslide victory, …

Burma Campaign UK Campaigns Manager Zoya Phan writes for The Independent:   As someone forced to flee Burma as a teenager when the Burmese army attacked my village, I haven’t been able to stop watching the news from my country about the elections. As the results started to come through showing a likely landslide for …