Seven Charged Over Inle Lake Hotel Zone Protest

Villagers who say the government confiscated their land to build a hotel complex in Nyaungshwe township, Shan State, have been charged with obstruction following a protest demonstration. If convicted, they face up to six months in prison or a fine.

Seven local residents face charges in Nyaungshwe township, near Taunggyi and the major tourist destination of Inle Lake, where land is being cleared for the hotel zone. They are U Zaw Min, U Thein Tun Oo, Daw Khin Win, U Kyaw Sein, U Aung Myint, U Chway Gal and U Aung Kyaw Myo from Inngyinkon and Kanbe villages. Nyaungshwe township administrator U Soe Win Maung accused them of incitement to impede administrative tasks […]

Protests Against Controversial Chinese Copper Mine Resume

Local villagers and activists resumed their demonstrations against a Chinese-backed copper mine in central Burma on Wednesday, as anger continues to grow over the government’s failure to address community grievances over the project.

Hundreds of villagers gathered near Sagaing division’s Monywa copper mining project yesterday to demand a complete halt to the project, which locals say has caused irreparable damage to the local environment and communities. There is growing anger over the government’s failure to address their concerns, despite the formation of an official investigative body […]

Join Kachin Community in Thailand’s Peaceful Rally in Chiang Mai

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Kachin Community in Thailand invites you to join the peace rally in Chinese Consulate-General in Chiangmai (Thailand) and Consulate General of the United States in Chiang mai in Thailand to raise awareness for armed conflict in Kachin State, Shan State, and other ethnic States in Burma (Myanmar).

• Date: Friday, January 25th, 2013
• Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
• Theme: To Stop War Crimes and Crime against Ethnic Minorities in Burma

Protest locations

1. Chinese Consulate: 111 Changloh Road, Haiya District, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50100
2. U.S Consulate: 387 Wichaynond Road, Chiang Mai 50300, THAILAND[…]

CFOB Concerned with Kachin Conflicts in Northern Burma

Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) is concerned with escalating conflicts in Kachin State of Burma, especially reports on civilian casualty and the use of heavy artilleries and air forces. We call on the Government of Canada and international community to help stop the conflicts by using its diplomatic channels and to help alleviate the sufferings of 100,00 refugees in the conflict zones by providing emergency humanitarian assistance […]

A Protest Law With Genuine Rights and Freedom is Needed in Burma

Burma Campaign UK today urged the Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire MP to call in the Burmese ambassador to Britain to question him regarding why people are still being arrested under the right to protest law in Burma. Burma Campaign UK also urged the Foreign Office Minister to demand the military-backed government pass a protest law with genuine rights to protest and to form a joint domestic and international board with the involvement of the UN to investigate the numbers of political prisoners remaining in Burma’s jails […]

Burma: Drop Charges Against Peaceful Protesters

End Protest Denials; Amend Law on Assembly for International Standards

Authorities in Burma should drop charges against activists who participated in peaceful protests against government policies, Human Rights Watch said today. Nine peace activists now face criminal charges for demonstrating in Rangoon without a permit on September 21, 2012, International Peace Day. Anti-mining protesters and land rights activists elsewhere in Burma have also been subject to intimidation and prosecution […]

Join Peace Rally at Burmese Embassy in Bangkok with the Kachins

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Kachin Community in Thailand invites you to join the peace rally in Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Bangkok in Thailand to raise awareness for armed conflict in Kachin State, Shan State, and other ethnic States.

• Date: Friday, January 11th, 2013
• Time: 10:00 AM
• Theme: To Stop War Crimes and Crime against Ethnic Minorities in Burma
• Protest locations: Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
• Address: 132, SATHORN NUA ROAD, BANGKOK 10500, THAILAND

It has been more than a year since the outbreak of armed conflict in Northern Burma, June 9th, 2011. The civil war being fought between the Burmese government forces and Kachin Independence Army has displaced over 100,000 internally displaced personals (IDPs), to date.

The ongoing fierce aerial assaults, the use of combat helicopters, fighter jets, and shelling on unarmed innocent civilians by our own government’s forces have killed civilians, hence putting the lives of thousands of Burmese citizens in grave danger […]

Movement Against Article 18

On 27 December, the Movement for Democracy Current Forces (MDCF) led a protest calling for abolishment of Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law and Article 505(b) of the Penal Code. Rather than granting freedom of expression, assembly and association, these laws are being used to intimidate, silence and arrest human rights defenders and activists in Burma […]

A Year of Nascent Reforms to Build Upon

2012 has been an eventful year for Burma – a year of initial steps hopefully in the right direction as well as several hurdles that pose serious challenges to the reform process.

In April, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 42 other members of the National League for Democracy won their parliamentary seats in a landslide victory for the party. However, parliamentary procedures are obscure and NLD and other progressive MPs are outnumbered by those from the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the military, making it difficult to raise important issues, repeal oppressive laws or push for amendments to draft legislations.

This year, we have seen the release of a significant number of political prisoners. While the freedom of these crucial players in the democratic process was welcomed, the opportunistic nature of the releases and the existing charges against those released cast a dark shadow. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail and authorities continue to arrest outspoken activists, including most recently those who have protested against the Letpadaung copper mine, one of many cases of land confiscation throughout the country […]

Burmese in India Launch 5 Day-Long Sit-in-Protest in New Delhi

Beginning of the “5-day long peaceful sit-in-protest cum photo exhibition at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi” today, over 40 Burmese activists in India condemn the Burmese government’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters who demanded the suspension of Letpadaung copper mine near Monywa, Sagaing Region in Burma last month […]