Burma’s Facade: An Update on Conflicts, Displacement & Human Rights Violations

This briefer, which covers the period from October 2012 to March 2013, includes the following developments:

• Regime authorities continue to commit serious human rights violations against Rohingya in Arakan State
• From December, the regime dramatically intensifies military offensives against the Kachin Independence Army

Burma Still Requires the UN Human Rights Council’s Attention

This week 22 organizations from Burma released a statement calling on the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to maintain its resolution on the situation of human rights in Burma under item 4 as “Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention” and to renew the full mandate of the Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana. Serious human rights challenges that require the Council’s attention remain as the events of this week illustrate.

Border Security Forces in Arakan State allegedly raped 13 young Rohingya women. This highlights the serious remaining issues of the rampant culture of impunity for security forces and the Burma Army and the decades-long discrimination against the Rohingya organized and perpetuated by the government.

In Kachin State, despite ceasefire talks, fighting continued this week making more and more victims on the civilian side […]

Burma/Myanmar: Serious Human Rights Challenges Require the Continued Attention of the Human Rights Council

Civil society organizations from Burma/Myanmar urge the United Nations Human Rights Council (Council) to remain seized of the serious and ongoing human rights abuses occurring in Burma/Myanmar. The government has undertaken a series of noteworthy developments in the past two years which have been important and necessary steps towards democratic reform, however such developments remain […]

Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

I have just concluded my five-day mission to Myanmar – my seventh visit to the country since I was appointed Special Rapporteur in March 2008. I would like to express my appreciation to the Government of Myanmar for its invitation, and for the cooperation and flexibility shown during my visit, in particular for my visits to Rakhine State and Kachin State […]

UN Special Rapporteur Visit to Assess Human Rights Situation

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, will undertake an official visit to the country from 11 to 16 February 2013, which will include gathering information on the current situation in Kachin State and Rakhine State. The rights expert visits the country at the invitation of the Government […]

British MPs Support Rohingya Motion In Parliament

Burma Campaign UK today welcomed Early Day Motion 838 on Burma, tabled by members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma (APPG Burma). So far 57 MPs across all parties have signed the motion, calling for international observers, full international access to deliver humanitarian aid, and the repeal of the racist 1982 citizenship law in Burma. An Early Day Motion (EDM) is a kind of parliamentary petition […]

Statement from the Women’s Workshop on Peace-Building and Conflict Transformation

Forty-six women representatives from 31 ethnic women’s organizations from various regions and states of Myanmar held a workshop on peace-building and conflict transformation in Yangon during January 30 – February 1, 2013.

Participating representatives issued the following position statement on the final day of the workshop […]

Burma: Rights Abuses Endanger Reform

Government’s Commitments to Change Falling Short

Burma’s human rights situation remained poor in 2012, despite some noteworthy actions by the government to adopt rights-respecting reforms, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2013 released today […]

Myanmar Must End Its Policy of Segregation in Rakhine State: ASEAN’s Inability to Act Points to Institutional Failures

The Myanmar government’s policy of segregating Muslim and Buddhist communities in Rakhine State is compounding a humanitarian crisis there, while ASEAN’s failure to positively influence the situation points to continued institutional failures in the regional grouping, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) said today […]

Cyclone Giri: Two Years On

This report, published on the second anniversary of the cyclone, documents and highlights the situation in Arakan State before, during and after Cyclone Giri […]