Position on the Repatriation of Refugees from Burma

After the Karenni Refugee Committee (KnRC) organized three workshops on September 20-21st, November 9th and October 8-10th, attended by representatives of KnRC, Karenni community based organizations and religious leaders, the groups agreed on a common position paper on refugees’ repatriation as follow […]

Excluded: Burma’s Ethnic Nationalities on the Margins of Development and Democracy

This report presents documented evidence that ethnic nationalities directly affected by development projects in Burma are systematically denied their right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). While development related abuse has been well documented, no report has shed light on the staggering scale of the widespread denial of participation rights in Burma […]

The Situation of Refugees on the Thai-Burma Border

This briefing paper looks at the current situation in Burma’s ethnic areas, the areas that refugees would be returned to, and shows how the conditions are not yet in place for their return. Furthermore, it highlights the need for the refugees to be included in these processes and lays out refugees and community-based organization’s preconditions for their return […]

Lost Paradise: Damaging Impact of Mawchi Tin Mines in Burma’s Karenni State

The Molo Women Mining Watch Network was formed by women from the Karenni Women’s Organization, Karenni Social Welfare and Development Centre and Karenni Evergreen Organization, who wanted to research information about the Mawchi tin mines. The network was named after the Molo Stream which flows from the Mawchi mines to the Salween River. It aims to work for women throughout our state who are facing social and environmental impacts of mining, and to empower them to solve these problems […]

Agreement Between the Chin National Front and Union-Level Peace Working Committee at the 2nd Round of Peace Talks

An unofficial translation by the Chinland Guardian of the original document containing agreements between the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Peace Committee of Burma’s government after their three-day Union-level peace talks held in Rangoon on 7-9 December 2012 […]

ASEAN Human Rights Declaration

The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration was adopted by ASEAN member states on 9 November 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia […]

2012 ANNI Report on the Performance and Establishment of National Human Rights Institutions in Asia

The past couple of years have seen an increasing international recognition of the role of NHRIs in the promotion and protection of human rights. A growing number of Asian countries have either recently established or are considering the establishment of NHRIs, including in Burma, where the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) was set up in September 2011. Meanwhile the UN Human Rights Council on 16 June 2011 adopted a resolution on “National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights” – the first-ever Human Rights Council resolution to focus specifically on the work of NHRIs.

The resolution acknowledges the significant role of NHRIs in the promotion and protection of human rights at national level, as well as their important role in the Human Rights Council, and calls for further cooperation with regional coordinating bodies of NHRIs. These developments are set against the backdrop of a general deterioration in the situation of human rights in many countries in Asia. This can be seen, for example, in the adoption of various repressive laws such as national security laws […]

Pipeline Nightmare

Shwe Pipeline Brings Land Confiscation, Militarization and Human Rights Violations to the Ta’ang People

This report illustrates how the Shwe Gas and Oil Pipeline project, which will transport oil and gas across Burma to China, has resulted in the confiscation of people’s lands, forced labor, and increased military presence along the pipeline, affecting thousands of people […]

Ending 50 Years of Military Rule? Prospects for Peace, Democracy and Development in Burma

The thaw in the repressive climate of Burma was epitomised by by-elections held in April 2012 in which the opposition National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, scored a resounding victory. President Thein Sein’s government has also reached initial peace agreements with most armed groups. But the challenges faced by a reformed Burmese state remain vast, while serious doubts remain as to the real commitment of military and business leaders to a thoroughgoing process of democratisation and accountability […]

Steps Towards Peace: Local Participation in the Karen Ceasefire Process

During the ten months since a preliminary ceasefire agreement was reached between representatives of the Government of the Union of Myanmar and the Karen National Union (KNU),[1] negotiators from the two parties have met twice, most recently on September 3rd and 4th, aiming to build trust and progress towards a code of conduct that will set guidelines as to how the armed actors must operate towards each other.[2] As the details of this document have not yet been made public,[3] this moment presents an opportunity to consider what impact the ceasefire has had for villagers in eastern Burma in the last ten months and, based on their perspectives, to suggest further steps that are still needed to ensure sustainable peace.