Myanmar: Protect Civilians Caught in the Kachin State Conflict, Investigate Attacks

Myanmar must take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties in Kachin state, Amnesty International said after three people were killed in air strikes which were reportedly carried out by the armed forces in the region […]

Kachin Organizations/Civil Society Groups Call for Investigation into Burma Army’s War Crimes in Laiza

We, the undersigned Kachin organisations, wish to express our grave concern over the widespread human rights violations being committed by the Burmese army against Kachin civilians, including the ongoing indiscriminate shelling of residential areas of Laiza, which recently led to the death of three civilians aged between 14 and 65, and injury of four others […]

Burma Must End Offensives and Dialogue with Ethnic Armed Groups for a National Political Settlement

We have entered a new year after a year and a half of fighting between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Since the war started, it is estimated that up to 100,000 people have been displaced. These refugees are living in Burma’s coldest area and receive very little humanitarian assistance as aid workers, including those from the United Nations, are often denied access to them.

The intensity of war against the KIA has reached a crisis point after the Burma Army launched a series of air strikes in late December. After exposure of footage on the internet of the air strikes the government had no choice but to admit the use of military jets and attack helicopters in carrying out targeted attacks. Today, the Burma Army injured and killed civilians in its attack on Laiza, the KIA headquarters. Yet the government still insists that it is not launching offensives but acting in self-defence. It is now unthinkable how far the Burma Army might go to win this war […]

Kachin Deaths A War Crime – Thousands More In Danger

Burma Campaign UK today called on the British government and United States to adopt a much more robust approach with the government of Burma in order to persuade President Thein Sein to halt Burmese Army attacks against the ethnic Kachin minority in Burma […]

CSW Calls For International Action to Pressure Burmese Government to Stop Attacks in Kachin State

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has called for international action following the Burma Army’s bombardment of Laiza, on the China-Burma border, in which three civilians, including a 76 year-old Christian pastor and a 15 year-old boy, were killed and four others injured […]

United Nationalities Federal Council Annual Meeting Statement

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) herewith issue a statement on resolution adopted by the following member and affiliate organizations in the annual meeting held from the 7th to 10th of January 2013 in a place on Thai-Burma border […]

Join Peace Rally at Burmese Embassy in Bangkok with the Kachins

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Kachin Community in Thailand invites you to join the peace rally in Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Bangkok in Thailand to raise awareness for armed conflict in Kachin State, Shan State, and other ethnic States.

• Date: Friday, January 11th, 2013
• Time: 10:00 AM
• Theme: To Stop War Crimes and Crime against Ethnic Minorities in Burma
• Protest locations: Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
• Address: 132, SATHORN NUA ROAD, BANGKOK 10500, THAILAND

It has been more than a year since the outbreak of armed conflict in Northern Burma, June 9th, 2011. The civil war being fought between the Burmese government forces and Kachin Independence Army has displaced over 100,000 internally displaced personals (IDPs), to date.

The ongoing fierce aerial assaults, the use of combat helicopters, fighter jets, and shelling on unarmed innocent civilians by our own government’s forces have killed civilians, hence putting the lives of thousands of Burmese citizens in grave danger […]

Kachin Organization’s Statement on Thein Sein Government and Burmese Army Airstrike Attacks Against Kachin Civilians and KIO/KIA

Since June 2011, Burmese troops started war against Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) became a government after 2010 election. Kachin Independence Organization the political wing of KIA sincerely conduct peace talk […]

CSW Urges Burma’s Government to Stop Military Offensive Against Kachin Immidiately

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today urged Burma’s military to end its offensive against the majority Christian Kachin people in northern Burma immediately, and called on the international community to put pressure on the government of Burma to engage […]

A Year of Nascent Reforms to Build Upon

2012 has been an eventful year for Burma – a year of initial steps hopefully in the right direction as well as several hurdles that pose serious challenges to the reform process.

In April, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 42 other members of the National League for Democracy won their parliamentary seats in a landslide victory for the party. However, parliamentary procedures are obscure and NLD and other progressive MPs are outnumbered by those from the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the military, making it difficult to raise important issues, repeal oppressive laws or push for amendments to draft legislations.

This year, we have seen the release of a significant number of political prisoners. While the freedom of these crucial players in the democratic process was welcomed, the opportunistic nature of the releases and the existing charges against those released cast a dark shadow. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail and authorities continue to arrest outspoken activists, including most recently those who have protested against the Letpadaung copper mine, one of many cases of land confiscation throughout the country […]