Situation Update: Conflict and Displacement in Burma’s Border Areas

Armed conflict in Burma’s Karen, Shan and Kachin States continues to fuel large‐scale displacement of civilians both internally and into neighbouring countries. Between 5,000 and 7,000 civilians remain in temporary […]

Situation Update: The UN Must Establish a Commission of Inquiry in Burma

Despite the expectations of the international community, there has been no genuine progress towards democracy and peace since the November 2010 elections.

This briefer outlines the regime’s manipulative program of window dressing and it’s failure to take concrete steps towards meaningful democratic reforms. It concludes with recommendations to the United Nations, including the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into serious human rights violations in Burma […]

Burma’s Navy Attacks on Civilians’ Livelihood

A Report on Land Confiscation and Human Rights Violations on Kywe Thone Nyi Ma Island, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division

Although Burma’s new supposedly civilian-led government has been in power since March 2011, human rights violations and abuses are still committed by the troops of Burmese Army, which receive backing from the current ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) […]

The Role of Students in the 8888 People’s Uprising in Burma

The decision of over hundreds of thousands of Burmese to take to the streets on 8 August 1988 did not happen overnight, but grew out of a growing sense of political discontent and frustration with the regime’s mismanagement of the country’s financial policies that led to deepening poverty […]

Human Rights Situation in Shan State of (the Union of) Burma From 1947 up to the present

The Shan State is country, 62,500 square miles, situated on the plateau, in the N.Eastern part of Burma. It is bordered by China in the north-east, Laos in the east and Thailand in the south […]

Occasional Paper 10B: Agrofuels – A boost of Energy for the Mekong Region?

This background paper seeks to brief readers on the extent of the development, production and consumption of agrofuels, particularly liquid fuels for transport, in the Mekong region. The area of focus comprises the countries of the Mekong River Basin, that is, flowing downstream north to south, the southernmost prefectures of China (Yunnan and Guangxi), Lao PDR, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam […]

Endangered Elephants in Megatha Forest, Karen State, Burma

Megatha Forest is a 156 sq km protected Wildlife Sanctuary in Karen State. The Karen Social and Environmental Action Network (KESAN) sent a study team to the forest. The team spent two years looking for elephants and talking to local people and forest officials about elephants and other biodiversity […]

Burma’s Environment: People, Problems, Policies

Burma is currently facing many threats to the natural environment and sustainable livelihoods, such as construction of large dams, oil and gas extraction, mining, deforestation, large-scale agricultural concessions, illegal wildlife trade and climate change […]

Burma Briefing No. 14: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Burma

For twenty years the United Nations has documented human rights abuses in Burma which may be in violation of international law. In March 2010 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma called on the UN to establish a Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. Later that year, with no serious moves being made to establish an inquiry, he repeated his call, stating: “Failing to act on accountability in Myanmar will embolden the perpetrators of international crimes and further postpone long-overdue justice.” Burma’s democracy movement is also calling for a UN Commission of Inquiry, and human rights groups worldwide are supporting that call […]

Save Mong Kok from Coal

The Italian-Thai Power Company has entered into agreements with the Burmese military regime to develop an open-pit coal mine and power plant at Mong Kok in eastern Shan State, to export both coal and power to Thailand […]