Burma: Ongoing Human Rights Violations Warrant the Renewal of the UN Special Rapporteur’s Mandate

Paris, Bangkok, 17 March, 2014: The UN Human Rights Council must renew the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma with full monitoring and reporting powers, FIDH and its member organization, the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma), said today […]

67yr-old Refugee From Burma Does 2 Mile High Fundraising Parachute Jump

Aunty Pamela, a 67 year old refugee from Burma now living in the UK, today jumped out of a 2 mile high plane to raise funds for Burma Campaign UK. The sponsored jump has so far raised more than £2,600 […]

Burma’s Government must Suspend All Dam Plans on the Salween River

The Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN) urges the Burmese government and companies from neighbouring countries to immediately suspend their plans to build hydropower dams on the Salween and other rivers in Burma. KCSN has learned that there are at least two large dams planned on the Salween in Karenni State […]

Press Statement on Interational Day of Action for Rivers and Against Dams

(33538) ethnic signatories and (131) civil society and political parties in Burma call for immediate halt to dams on the Salween River

(33538) people from Shan, Karenni, Karen and Mon State and (131) civil society and political parties in Burma have signed a petitionurging an immediate halt to the six dams planned by the Burmese government on the Salween River, including the Kun Long/UpperThanlwin, Nong Pa, Man Taung and Tasang dams in Shan State,Ywathit dam in Karenni State and Hatgyi dam in Karen State […]

Karen Worldwide Call for Burma’s Census to be Postponed

28 Karen community organisations from 11 countries are writing to the United Nations Population Fund and their respective governments, expressing deep concern over Burma’s upcoming census, and calling for it to be postponed […]

Myanmar: Need for Permission Dropped from Assembly Law

The notorious provision in the Law on the Right to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession required permission to protest and is infamous in Myanmar as “Section 18”. ARTICLE 19 has tracked 132 cases where the government has arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned people for failing to get prior permission to protest. Many of those people were protesting against Section 18 itself […]

UN Human Rights Council Burma Resolution must not Drop Demands for Action

The content of the next United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on Burma is currently being discussed by the European Union. Members of the European Burma Network call upon European Union members to ensure the Resolution continues to highlight ongoing human rights abuses in Burma, and continues to call for action by the government of Burma to end these abuses […]

MSF Concerned about the Fate of Thousands of Patients in Myanmar after Being Ordered to Cease Activities

AMSTERDAM – Médecins Sans Frontières Holland (MSF) has been ordered by the Union Government of Myanmar to cease all activities in the country. MSF is deeply shocked by this unilateral decision and extremely concerned about the fate of tens of thousands of patients currently under our care across the country […]

UNPFA IS LAUCHING 2014 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS ON 1ST MARCH 2014 DESPITE THE WORNG ETHNICITY CODING, WITHOUT INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION AND APPROVAL

We, the Kachin National Organisation, are extremely concerned that Ms. Janet Jackson, UNFPA Representative is planning to launch controversial ‘2014 Population and Housing Census on 1st March 2014’ despite the incorrect ethnicity coding and without proper inclusive community consultation with ethnic nationalities […]

EU Crowd Management Training Supports Reform of Myanmar Police Force

Programme emphasises respect for democratic rights of citizens

Yangon. “With the Crowd Management Training the European Union wants to contribute to improve the human rights performance of the Myanmar Police Force and initiate the development of a police service that respects and protects democratic rights of citizens”, explained EU Ambassador Roland Kobia at a press briefing in Yangon on Thursday. “Recent incidents in Letpadaung Taung, Meiktila and other places underline the need for the police to change the way they operate”, Ambassador Kobia pointed out […]