Catherine Ashton Urged To Free Thant Zin Htet

Burma Campaign UK today highlights the case of Thant Zin Htet as political prisoner of the month in our No Political Prisoner Left Behind campaign, and urged EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, who oversees the drafting the UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma, to include demands for action in the resolution which will help solve the problem of political prisoners once and for all […]

Corporate Human Rights Abuses in ASEAN: Civil Society Calls for Corporate Accountability and Compliance with International Human Rights Law

Civil society groups called for greater corporate accountability in the region, which requires a regulatory framework based on international human rights norms and standards, to address the escalation of corporate human rights abuses in ASEAN, during the launch of a report, titled “Corporate Accountability in ASEAN: A Human Rights-Based Approach”, in Jakarta yesterday […]

Joint Press Release

The MWMWN and KCSN today strongly condemned the Burmese government’s practice of granting mining contracts in conflict zones in Karenni State as a new form of military offensive.

There has been a dramatic increase in mining projects in Karenni State following the ceasefire agreement between the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and Thein Sein’s government in March 2012 […]

ND-Burma Report Documents On-Going Human Rights Abuse in Burma

The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) has released a periodic report documenting the human rights situation in Burma during the period of January – June 2013. The report documents 147 cases of human rights violations committed by the government and military throughout Burma […]

Civil Society Organisations Demand Meaningful Engagement with ASEAN Human Rights Bodies

Civil Society from a number of ASEAN countries have just convened at the 6th Regional Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights in Jakarta from 1-2 October 2013. Over 80 participants from more than 59 organizations, both within and outside the ASEAN region gathered to discuss a range of issues, including strategies for bringing about meaningful engagement with ASEAN human rights mechanisms […]

Women and Children Killed and Urgent Action Needed to Stop Attacks against Muslims in Thandwe

A systematic new attack against Muslims of Thandwe in Arakan State began on Saturday. During last few hours the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) has received reports that many houses were burnt down in Dabru Shine village and Pauktaw village of Thandwe Township in Arakan State. According to our reliable source, some women and children were killed […]

More Human Rights Defenders Imprisoned Despite Pledge to Free All Political Prisoners

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights group representing 47 member organizations in 16 countries across Asia, including Burma, slammed the Burma government for the conviction of ten individuals to three months in prison on 26 September 2013, in relation to a demonstration against the Shwe Gas Project in Arakan State – the latest in a series of recent cases of criminalization of human rights defenders under the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law. The regional human rights group called for the repeal of all provisions in the law that are in contravention of international human rights norms and standards, and for the release of the ten […]

New Report: Shwe Gas Project Sets Dangerous Precedent

A new report released by Shwe Gas Movement calls for suspension of the Shwe Gas Project on the grounds that it sets a dangerous precedent for the extractive industries and leads to ongoing human rights abuses that include land confiscation, poor labor practices, environmental damage and exacerbation of tensions with ethnic nationalities […]

Burma: Release Ten Arakanese Activists, Amend Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law

Targeted Prosecutions of Peaceful Protesters Continue

The government of Burma should immediately release ten Arakanese activists convicted of violating Burma’s Law on Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession after protesting a Chinese-led natural gas project in western Burma, four nongovernmental organizations said today. On 26 September, the ten activists were sentenced to three months in prison for their participation in a peaceful protest against adverse impacts of the transnational gas project on 18 April on Maday Island in Burma’s western Arakan State. The Shwe Gas Movement, Burma Partnership, Human Rights Education Institute of Burma and Fortify Rights International called today for the immediate release of the activists and for the urgent amendment of the controversial law […]

The Elders Encourage All Parties in Myanmar to Advance National Reforms, Support Peace Accords

Concluding a three-day visit to Myanmar, the Elders offer their support to the people of Myanmar during this exciting period of transition. They also encourage decision-makers responsible for the implementation of the political reform process to make further progress. This was The Elders’ first visit to Myanmar as a group […]