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People's Voices
The people of Burma continuously find ways to take action on issues that matter to them, despite restrictions and the threat of retaliation or imprisonment. These actions may include expressing opposition to a development project or protesting against human rights violations such as land confiscation.
Read on to hear about their courageous actions.
Thousands in Mandalay Rally for Faith Laws
MANDALAY — Thousands of Buddhist monks, nuns and laypeople marched through downtown Mandalay on Thursday afternoon to demand that the government take action on a set of highly controversial and currently stagnant interfaith bills.
Organized by the upper Burma chapter of the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, locally referred to as the Ma Ba Tha, the rally was joined by sympathizers from several nearby townships including Sagaing, Myingyun and Mandalay’s immediate surrounds […]
| |Sagaing Protestors Say Drug Addicts Need Help
Protestors took to the streets of Banmauk in Sagaing Division this weekend, calling for official measures to tackle rampant drug problems in the region.
“My husband died from drug addiction and it left me scared, angry and inconsolable,” said one protestor. “I get very upset seeing young people whose lives are dictated by their drug habit – it brings tears to my eyes […]
| |Locals Protest against Using Palace Ruins in Road Construction
The indigenous people of Arakan raise voices against the use of soil and stone splinters from the Mrouk Oo ancient palace on the construction of roads in the State. They also expressed their resentments that a huge volume of royal palace ruins including the historically important soil was used in repairing some city walls in different locations.
According to an eye witness, the authority has used various stones, brick tiles of ancient monuments in the road construction activities. “We saw many valuable ancient tools, which were dig-out from the palace ground, are now being used in the construction of roads,” said the local eye witness […]
| |Demanding Justice for Migrant Arakanese Youths, Demonstration in Front of Thai Consulate in New York
Around 30 Burmese nationals, most of them are Arakanese , staged a demonstration in front of Thai Consulate in New York on Friday demanding justice to two Arakanese migrant workers, who were detained in Thailand in a murder case there, said Ko Khaing Ba Khine, one of the organizers of the event in America.
The demonstrators, who assembled in front of the Consulate General of Thailand for two hours beginning on 2 pm, urged the Thai government in Bangkok to scrutinize the case fairly, where the two Arakanese youths have been accused of murdering two British citizens namely David Miller (25 years old) and Hannah Witheridge (23) […]
| |Tanitharyi Divison Villagers Call For Development Projects To Stop As Govt Grants Hundred Of Thousands of Acres To Business Interests
Representatives from civil society groups, religious leaders and villages in the Tanitharyi Division have sent a petition letter to both the government’s Division Chief Minister and the Karen National Union’s Megui/Tavoy District chairperson to try to get development projects stopped that villagers claim are health hazards.
The petition sent on October 13, was signed by 125 representatives from 46 villages, members of civil society organizations such as Tarkapaw, Community Sustainable And Livelihood Development,Trip-Net, Dawei Development Association and religious leaders in the region […]
| |Protesters Call for Fair Trial of Myanmar Suspects in Murder of British Tourists
A small crowd of protesters took to the streets of Yangon on the occasion of the Thai premier’s visit to demonstrate on behalf of the two Myanmar migrant workers accused of murdering two British tourists on the Thai holiday island of Koh Tao.
Nay Myo Zin, a former military captain and political prisoner organized the demonstration in front of Yangon City Hall between 8 and 9 am October 10 to call for a free and fair trial by the Thai authorities of Myanmar nationals Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21 […]
| |Michaungkan Protestors Stage One-day Hunger Strike
Protestors from Michaungkan began a hunger strike at Maha Bandula Park on Wednesday calling for the release of Sein Than, a community leader from the eastern Rangoon village who was arrested and jailed for staging an unauthorised protest in July.
The protestors have occupied the site in central Rangoon for seven months, demanding the return of seized lands […]
| |Smattering of Rangoon Protesters Greet Thai PM Over Koh Tao Murder Case
RANGOON — A smattering of Burmese activists held two days of protests against the arrest of a pair of Burmese migrants accused of murdering two tourists on southern Thailand’s Koh Tao island last month, as Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrived in Rangoon on Friday for the second day of his first overseas trip since taking the helm of the military-ruled country.
A group of about 20 Burmese led by the Movement for Democracy Current Force held a protest and prayer vigil at downtown Rangoon’s Sule Pagoda on Thursday evening, holding placards that urged the former general turned prime minister “to let the accused two Burmese receive the benefit of the doubt.” […]
| |Michaungkan Protestors Stand Fast as Deadline Passes
As Saturday dawned, dozens of protestors from the Rangoon suburb of Michaungkan, who have been conducting a vigil outside Maha Bandula Park in the city centre to protest land grabs, were still occupying the public street despite a 3 October deadline ordered by local police to dismantle their camp and leave.
As Friday’s deadline struck, police did not appear at the protest site where many feared that force might once again be used to disperse the villagers […]
| |Arakanese Remembered Monk Revolution in Sittwe
The people of Burma remembered the monk revolution in various parts of the country. The Arakanese capital city of Sittwe also held the commemoration ceremony where 90 monks received donations from the devotees.
The 8th anniversary of monk revolution was jointly organized on 27 September by the Arakanese Young Monk Association (for maintaining discipline and welfare to the people), Youth Association of Mizzan Quarter (in Sittwe) and the students & youths of Mizzan Duarter […]
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