Burma’s War Against Kachin Creating ‘Perfect Storm’ for Human Trafficking

A new report by Kachin women exposes how the Burmese government’s war against the Kachin has greatly increased the risk of human trafficking along the China-Burma border […]

Joint Open Letter on Review of the European Union’s Joint Decision on Burma

Dear Minister,

We are writing to you regarding the upcoming review of the European Union’s joint decision on Burma/Myanmar and to call upon you to support the continuation of the state of suspended sanctions against Burma/Myanmar for an additional year.

While we acknowledge that positive steps have been taken by the government in Burma/Myanmar, we caution that reforms have not led to progress towards national reconciliation. Nor have they sought to stem the ongoing human rights abuses and impunity, which continue to be serious problems in the country […]

More Armed Conflict, More Landmines

Last Thursday, 4 April, was International Day of Mine Awareness. While over 80% of the world’s countries have signed or agreed to the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning the use of landmines, Burma is among the 20% who have not. Recent statistics place Burma as the country with the third largest amount of land mine causalities in the world. From 1999 to 2011, over 3,000 men, women and children have lost their lives to mines in Burma. A week and a half ago, two porters, forcibly conscripted by the Burma Army, were killed in Northern Shan State by landmines.

Mines are regularly used by both government forces and non-state armed groups. Parts of Northern and Eastern Burma have some of the highest concentration of mines in the world. The Land Mine and Cluster Munitions Monitor identifies over 47 townships in Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Arakan and Shan States that suffer from mine contamination as well as in Pegu and Tenasserim Regions […]

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Political Reconciliation with Burma’s Armed Forces

On 27 March, Burma’s Armed Forces Day was commemorated with its usual military fanfare. But this year, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sat in the front row of the parade, raising concerns about her closeness to the army.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was similarly criticized for her comment on BBC’s Desert Island Disks radio show about her “fondness” for her father’s army. While Daw Suu appears to be cozying up the Burma Army as an attempt of political reconciliation in her push towards the 2015 elections, the public widely continues to see the country’s security forces as the perpetrators of human rights violations especially in ethnic nationality areas and of brutal crackdowns on civilians in 1988, 2007 and most recently in November 2012 against protesters and monks at the Letpadaung copper mine.

The Burma Army continued this week to launch offensives against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northeastern Shan State, two weeks after the latest peace talks in Ruili, China. There have also been reports of shelling and looting of villages in Kachin State despite President Thein Sein insisting on his visit to Austria at the beginning of the month, “There’s no more hostilities, no more fighting all over the country, we have been able to end this kind of armed conflict.” General Gun Maw, deputy chief of the KIA said after the 11 March talks, “They wanted us to sign a ceasefire agreement first, but there are many issues to discuss about the peace process before we can reach a ceasefire.”

Furthermore, the military has been implicated in the violence in Meikhtila, which has left 43 dead and 12,000 displaced by UN estimates […]

Statement No. (2/2013) of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission Regarding the Conflict in Kachin State

The Myanmar National Human rights Commission is gratified that the Union Peace-Making Committee and the KIO delegation were able to issue a joint statement at the peace talks held at Shweli (Ruili) of the People’s Republic of China on 11-12 March 2013 and that positive developments were achieved. The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission also whole-heartedly welcomes the statement that the Union Government will accelerate development and rehabilitation tasks in the Kachin State as the process to achieve cease-fire has commenced under said joint statement […]

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

Joint Statement After the Ruili Peace Talk

The Government Representatives led by the vice chairman of the Union Peace Implementation Committee and the Union Minister U Awng Min to which the Lieutenant General Myint Soe is a member and the KIO representatives led by U Sumlut Gam met in Ruili […]

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 […]

Civil Society Calls on UN Human Rights Council to Address Serious Human Rights Challenges in Burma/Myanmar

Civil society organizations from Burma/Myanmar are urging the United Nations Human Rights Council 22nd session to address the serious human rights violations that are challenging the country’s reform process. Today, 22 organizations released a statement […]

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 […]