EU Must Highlight Ongoing Human Rights Abuses in UNGA Burma Resolution

Members of the European Burma Network welcome the decision of the European Union to continue with the annual United Nations General Assembly resolution on Burma.

We are concerned that despite the fact that the government of Burma has not met a single one of the twenty main demands made in last year’s resolution, the European Union had seriously considered discontinuing the resolution […]

CSW Calls on UN General Assembly to Address Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Burma

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today urged the United Nations General Assembly to focus on continuing violations of human rights, including abuses of freedom of religion or belief, in the forthcoming annual resolution on Burma.

While significant changes have taken place in Burma during the past two years, including the release of many political prisoners, the participation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Parliament, increased space for civil society, political actors and the media, and the agreement of fragile, preliminary ceasefires with most armed ethnic resistance organisations, grave violations of human rights continue to be perpetrated, in particular against religious and ethnic minorities […]

UN General Assembly: Establish Clear Benchmarks to Address Continuing Abuses in Myanmar

Wartime Abuses in Kachin State, “Ethnic Cleansing” in Rakhine State, Tens of Thousands Denied Access to Aid

The United Nations General Assembly should adopt a strong and comprehensive resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar to promote much-needed human rights reform in the country, Fortify Rights said today. When it considers a forthcoming resolution on Myanmar, the UN General Assembly should condemn the wide range of ongoing human rights violations by the government and armed forces of Myanmar and provide clear benchmarks for measurable improvement, including establishing the presence of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Myanmar […]

Fresh Violence in Arakan State Belies Government’s Disingenuous Assurances to UN Human Rights Council

A resurgence of inter-communal violence in Arakan State on 1 and 2 October has left six Muslims dead and dozens of homes destroyed, with mobs setting fire to houses in several villages in Sandoway Township just hours before President Thein Sein was due to arrive for an official visit to the beleaguered region. Calm has now been restored, but suspicions and tension remain between Muslims and Buddhists, while nearly 500 people have been left homeless and many others reportedly injured or missing.

What differentiates this latest outbreak of violence from previous ones is that this time the ethnic Rohingya, who bore the brunt of the violence in June and October 2012, were not on the receiving end. Rather, according to local NLD representative Win Laing, “They are Kaman [Muslims], they are ethnic nationals—not outsiders.” Yet, despite evidence to the contrary, namely that the victims were of a different ethnicity this time and that Buddhist gangs initiated the violence, the government line is that so-called illegal Muslim immigrants – or Rohingya – are to blame for the violence. “Bengali people wanted to create violence now,” claimed Win Myaing, Arakan State government spokesperson […]

Women and Children Killed and Urgent Action Needed to Stop Attacks against Muslims in Thandwe

A systematic new attack against Muslims of Thandwe in Arakan State began on Saturday. During last few hours the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) has received reports that many houses were burnt down in Dabru Shine village and Pauktaw village of Thandwe Township in Arakan State. According to our reliable source, some women and children were killed […]

The Dark Side of Transition: Violence Against Muslims in Myanmar

In its latest report, The Dark Side of Transition: Violence against Muslims in Myanmar, the International Crisis Group examines the recent violence against Muslim communities. Anti-Muslim violence is nothing new in Myanmar but has been growing in the past two years, the product of reduced authoritarian controls and a history of intolerant Burman/Buddhist nationalism. Issued on the day President Thein Sein begins a visit to Rakhine State, the centre of much violence, this report urges a stronger government effort to combat bigotry and protect its Muslim population […]

Burma Update: Serious Crimes Continue

This briefing paper summarizes crimes that have been committed in Burma over the last year. It details the ongoing abuses and restrictions against Rohingyas, continuing anti-muslim violence, restrictive legislations being used to arrest and prosecute activists, farmed and human rights defenders, and the Burma Army’s offensives against the Kachin Independence Army and other non-state armed groups despite peace agreements.

The Elders Encourage All Parties in Myanmar to Advance National Reforms, Support Peace Accords

Concluding a three-day visit to Myanmar, the Elders offer their support to the people of Myanmar during this exciting period of transition. They also encourage decision-makers responsible for the implementation of the political reform process to make further progress. This was The Elders’ first visit to Myanmar as a group […]

Burma Risk Assessment

Following extensive research, the Sentinel Project has concluded that the risk of genocide or related mass atrocities in Burma is extremely high. Despite recent democratic reforms in the country, violence, discrimination, and extrajudicial killings continue and are mostly directed toward the Muslim Rohingya minority in Rakhine state. Violence and other crimes against the Rohingya, which are conducted by both state and non-state groups, are both widespread and systematic […]

BMA Press Release on Latest Anti-Muslim Violence in Burma

President U Thein Sein promised on his recent visit to the UK and France that there would be no tolerance for religious extremism and sectarian violence in Burma. Unfortunately, a number of serious incidents have taken place in recent days which raise questions about the government’s ability to prevent and take action against sectarian violence […]