EU Must Back Burma Crimes Inquiry At UN General Assembly

Burma Campaign UK today publishes an updated and expanded Briefing Paper – UN General Assembly and Crimes in Burma – highlighting how the UN General Assembly has failed to establish a UN Commission of Inquiry which could help reduce human rights abuses in Burma […]

Burma Briefing No. 14: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Burma

For twenty years the United Nations has documented human rights abuses in Burma which may be in violation of international law. In March 2010 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma called on the UN to establish a Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. Later that year, with no serious moves being made to establish an inquiry, he repeated his call, stating: “Failing to act on accountability in Myanmar will embolden the perpetrators of international crimes and further postpone long-overdue justice.” Burma’s democracy movement is also calling for a UN Commission of Inquiry, and human rights groups worldwide are supporting that call […]

Burma Regime’s Threats to Suu Kyi a Sign of Ban’s Failure

Burma Campaign UK today condemned threats made by Burma’s dictatorship against Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to abandon his ‘wait and see’ policy on Burma […]

Burma Briefing No. 13: Germany and Burma – Business before human rights

Commentary on an article published on 20th June 2011 in the Financial Times by Markus Loening, Germany’s federal commissioner for human rights policy.

It is rare for a German government official to make a detailed statement on their thinking on Burma policy, and the article is more revealing than perhaps was intended.

Loening’s arguments expose a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation in Burma, the history of EU policy, of the Burmese economy, and of the dictatorship itself […]

Aung San Suu Kyi 66th Birthday – New Briefing – Ban Ki-moon Must Act

As Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s democracy movement, celebrates her 66th birthday today, Burma Campaign UK calls for a revived UN effort to secure dialogue to solve the political problems in Burma.

In an updated briefing paper on Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma Campaign UK argues that the United Nations is failing to learn from previous experience in dealing with the dictatorship in Burma […]

UK Minister – Government of Burma should ‘reinstate ceasefire agreements’

Jeremy Browne MP, Minister of State at the Foreign Office with responsibility for Burma, has written to Burma Campaign UK stating that the government of Burma should ‘reinstate ceasefire agreements with a view to a lasting political settlement.’ […]

Burmese Army Kills Civilian in Mortar Attack on Village

A Burmese Army attack on a civilian village in Karen State, Burma, has killed one civilian and injured two others, including a seven year old boy. By deliberately targeting civilians in the attacks, Thein Sein’s regime has broken international law […]

Burma Campaign UK Welcomes Release of 34 Resistance Fighters

Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the release of 34 resistance fighters from Burma, who have been held in India for more than 13 years, despite never having committed a crime […]

No mass release of political prisoners – Thein Sein more hardline than Than Shwe?

Following an announcement of a limited prisoner amnesty in Burma, but no mass release of political prisoners, the new dictator, Thein Sein, is increasingly showing himself to be as or more hard-line than former dictator Than Shwe […]

UN Burma Envoy Must Not Ignore Shan State Crisis

Burma Campaign UK today urged Vijay Nambiar, the UN Special Advisor on Burma, not to ignore the current crisis in Shan State during his visit to Burma. Nambiar is visiting Burma to assess the willingness of Burma’s new dictator […]