Press Conference: ASEAN’s Role in Promoting Human Rights and Democratization in Burma

Burma’s independent civil society will hold a press conference to raise concerns about the lack of genuine political change since the November 2010 elections, the escalating armed conflict in Eastern Burma, and ongoing human rights violations throughout the country. Under the banner of the Task Force on ASEAN Burma (TFAB), representatives of many Burma organizations have come together to call on ASEAN to live up to its stated commitments of promoting justice and human rights. Speakers will present several concrete recommendations to ASEAN and member states to help improve the human rights situation and lack of genuine democratization in Burma.[…]

ASEAN Civil Society to Hold First Hearing on CSR

Southeast Asia civil society’s first public hearing on Corporate Social Responsibility and ASEAN will be held in Jakarta on Monday, May 2, from 10am-4pm. The venue is the Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI) office, Jl. Diponegoro No. 74, Jakarta Pusat […]

First US Ambassador to Asean Expected to Press Burma

David Lee Carden, a former attorney who has been named the first US ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), will attend the Asean Summit in Indonesia next week, where he will have the opportunity to push Burma to change and discuss with Asean members whether Burma chair the organization in 2014, claim Burma activists […]

Burma Representatives to Attend Regional Civil Society Conference in Jakarta

Eighteen representatives from Burma’s civil society, including members of the Task Force on ASEAN and Burma, will be traveling to Jakarta, Indonesia to participate in the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum 2011 (ACSC/APF) from 3 to 5 May, and associated events […]

Potential Camp Closures in Thailand Put Refugees from Burma at Risk

In early April 2011, authorities in Thailand announced their intention to close nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, which would send more than 140,000 refugees back to Burma. That includes 100,000 refugees from Burma who have been officially registered and an estimated 53,000 who have not. This decision has received heavy criticism from local and international human rights groups. The Thai authorities have not indicated when they intend to repatriate the refugees.

The announcement of camp closures comes only 6 months after the fraudulent elections in Burma and the formation of a new parliament composed predominantly of former military officers and those sympathetic to the regime. Since the elections, there has been no opening of political space, conflict in Eastern Burma has intensified and human rights abuses continue throughout the country. Any suggestion that refugees and asylum seekers along the Thai-Burma border could be safely returned to their country in the near future is a complete unreality […]

Burma Seeking to be the Chairman of Asean in 2014

Can Burma have its cake and eat it too? The answer rests with Asean. Right after the new civilian government was installed at the end of March in Naypyidaw, one of the first important tasks President Thein Sein did was to submit a letter to the Asean Secretariat stating Burma’s readiness to take up the grouping’s chair in 2014 […]

ASEAN Urged to Speed up Talks on Migrant Worker Protection

Organizations gathered under the Taskforce on ASEAN Migrant Workers (TFAMW) group urged leaders in the region to address the issue of migrant workers by forming a regional framework this year that was legally binding on all ASEAN member states […]

ASEAN Negotiating Rules to Protect Migrant Workers

ASEAN member states are negotiating a set of regulations to protect and promote the rights of migrant workers at the 4th meeting of the ASEAN Committee for Migrant Workers (ACMW) here on April 11-12 […]

Immediately Withdraw Military Regime’s Sanctions upon the People

The SPDC military regime is found to be interminably blaming and rebuking sanctions imposed by democratic powers. Similarly, political parties that have contested in 2010 elections as well as ASEAN countries are also echoing the regime’s line […]

UN says Burma ‘a regional burden’

Increasing numbers of Burmese asylum-seekers in Southeast Asian states is evidence that Burma’s domestic crises are having a negative impact on the region, a top UN official has said […]