Kachin Civilian Sentenced to 2 Years in Jail on False Charges

On Thursday 18th July Brang Shawng was sentenced to two years in jail, just three days after Burma’s President Thein Sein visited the UK and repeated a past promise of releasing all political prisoners by the end of the year. The British government has failed to secure any new concrete commitments […]

Cameron Should Demand Thein Sein Withdraw Soldiers From Ethnic States

Human rights training for Burmese Army won’t work

The Karen Community Association UK (KCA UK) today calls on Prime Minister David Cameron to press President Thein Sein to withdraw his soldiers from ethnic states to demonstrate he is genuine about wanting peace and improving human rights.

Despite a ceasefire agreement being reached between Thein Sein Government and the Karen National Union (KNU) in January 2012, human rights violations including force labour, arbitrary arrest, detention and land confiscation continue in Karen State […]

British Parliamentarians Call on Government to Prioritise Human Rights During Burmese President Thein Sein Visit

British Parliamentarians from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma are calling on Foreign Secretary William Hague to prioritise human rights when he meets Burmese President Thein Sein in London.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group For Democracy in Burma has recently heard evidence on a number of serious human rights issues, including the continuing recruitment of child soldiers, ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, religious persecution against the Chin ethnic minority, and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese Army against Kachin civilians […]

Prime Minister David Cameron Should Press President Thein Sein to Stop Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing

After decades of persecution, state sponsored deadly violence against the Rohingya and Kaman Muslims was carried out in Arakan in June and October 2012 that resulted in the killing of many thousands people, massive rape and large scale destruction of villages, homes and properties and displacement of about 150,000 Muslims. In addition the evidences of mass grave have been uncovered by the creditable human rights groups […]

Thein Sein – President of Burma

This briefing highlights Thein Sein’s decades-long involvement in human rights abuses in Burma.

Thein Sein spent 40 years as a soldier in one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world. He spent 14 years on the ruling council of the dictatorship, including serving as Prime Minister during the crushing of the Monk-led uprising in 2007. He also spent many years based in ethnic states, where the Burmese Army committed horrific human rights abuses against the civilian population, in violation of the Geneva Conventions […]

Burma: UK’s Cameron Should Press President on Rights

Demand Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity, Release of Political Prisoners

Britain’s Prime Minster David Cameron should urge visiting Burmese President Thein Sein to bring those responsible for atrocities against Burma’s Muslims to justice, release all political prisoners, and ensure that new legislation meets international human rights standards, Human Rights Watch said today. Thein Sein is visiting the United Kingdom from July 14 to 16, 2013 […]

UK Must Insist on Commitments from Myanmar President on Minority Rights

Ahead of President Thein Sein’s upcoming visit to London, Refugees International (RI) calls on the British government to demand action from Myanmar on protections for minority groups and citizenship for the stateless Rohingya.

“The British government has been focused on the positive reforms seen under President Thein Sein and the initial steps towards democratization in Myanmar. But these steps are reversible, and it is not in the interests of Myanmar for the international community to ignore the serious human rights abuses that persist in the country,” said RI Senior Advocate Melanie Teff […]

Thein Sein In His Own Words

This briefing provides revealing quotes, past and present, from Burma’s President Thein Sein […]

CSW Urges UK to Put Human Rights at the Heart of Burmese President’s Visit

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today urged the British Government to ensure that continuing grave violations of human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, are put at the heart of discussions with Burma’s President Thein Sein during his visit to the United Kingdom next week […]

Open Letter to President U Thein Sein on the Arbitrary Arrest, Incommunicado Detention and Unfair Trial of Human Rights Defenders and Peaceful Protesters

Your Excellency,

Burma Partnership, a regional democracy and human rights advocacy network, and Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma, a political prisoner monitoring and advocacy group, along with the human rights organizations endorsing this letter, wish to draw your attention to the arbitrary arrest, prolonged incommunicado detention, and unfair trial of human rights defenders and peaceful protesters, most recently in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region […]