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One Cannot Step into the Same River Twice: Making the Kaladan Project People-Centred
A new report from the Kaladan Movement titled One cannot step into the same river twice: making the Kaladan Project people-centred provides an update on the progress of the Kaladan Project, and assesses the potential Project-related benefits and negative impacts for people living in the project area […]
Pushed to the Brink: Conflict and Human Trafficking on the Kachin-China Border
On the surface, Burma seems to be strengthening its fight against human trafficking. Burma’s long-held position in the lowest ranking of international trafficking efforts finally inched upwards a rank as a result of several policy reforms and new programs. An anti-trafficking hotline opened, as did several anti-trafficking task force offices. Anti-trafficking stickers and posters are plastered in areas across the country, and American singer Jason Mraz recently teamed with MTV to hold a massive free concert in Rangoon to raise awareness about human trafficking
The Kachin Women’s Association – Thailand’s earlier reports Driven Away (2005) and Eastward Bound (2008) had documented the growing incidence of trafficking along the China-Burma border. This new report looks at the impacts of the renewed conflict on this problem […]
Agreement Between the Union Working Committee and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)
The full text of the tentative agreement reached between the government’s Union Working Committee and the Kachin Independence Organization.
• • •Burma’s Forgotten Political Prisoners
This briefing paper contains case studies of 6 political prisoners who were arbitrarily arrested by the military-backed government in Burma. It also looks at how the review committee for political prisoners set up by the Burmese government is flawed, highlights the continued existence of almost all repressive laws, and how the release of political prisoners has been tactically used by the Burmese government to persuade […]
• • •Massacre in Central Burma Muslim Students Terrorized and Killed in Meiktila
This report details the results of a PHR investigation into the March 20 and 21, 2013, attacks on Muslim students, teachers, and residents in the Mingalar Zayyone quarter of Meiktila, a small town in central Burma. A two-person team from PHR conducted 33 interviews about the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 children and four teachers […]
• • •Update of Human Right Violations by the Burma Army During Offensives in Palaung Areas (March and April 2013)
Since January 2013, Burmese government troops have been carrying out military offensives in Palaung areas against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The Burmese troops have committed widespread human rights violations during these operations […]
• • •Gains Need Consolidation in Landmark Year for Change in Burma
This report summarizes the current state of press freedom and freedom of expression in Burma, as a part of SEAPA’s report “Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013.” It examines the expanding space for media in the country, increasing journalist solidarity and the turbulent transition that still lays ahead, especially when it comes to divisive issues such as violence against Muslims. In summary, the reforms have not yet been institutionalized and the government still seems bent to retain control of the press and right to freedom of opinion and expression […]
• • •Where Are the Women? Negotiations for Peace in Burma
Women in Burma are effectively excluded from participating in the negotiations for peace. Less than a handful of women have been part of the official talks held between the State and the armed groups, and none of the 12 preliminary ceasefire agreements reviewed for this report includes any references to gender or women. The expertise of local women’s groups in peacemaking and trust building efforts has gone unnoticed, and concerns raised by women are being sidelined. The interest by the dominant funders of the Burmese peace building initiatives, the international community, in advocating for the increased participation of women or for the mainstreaming of gender responsiveness has been, at best, inadequate. This is a worrisome development which requires action from both international and local actors as the continued exclusion of women risks undermining the legitimacy of the entire process […]
Conducting Meaningful Stakeholder Consultation in Myanmar
Shift’s April 2013 report is designed to assist companies with the challenge of conducting meaningful consultations with stakeholders, as they consider or commence operations in Myanmar. The report (1) provides a survey of stakeholder views regarding the entry of companies into Myanmar; and (2) sets out key elements for companies to consider in their stakeholder engagement strategies […]
Executive Summary and Recommendations of the Final Report
The Inquiry Commission on the Sectarian Violence in Rakhine State submitted it’s final report to President Thein Sein on 22 April. Read the executive summary and recommendations from the report here.
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