Universal Periodic Review of Burma: Deny, Dismiss and Dodge, Military Regime Unwilling to Face up to Massive Human Rights Abuses

On the occasion of the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights situation in Burma at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 January, FIDH, Altsean-Burma and BLC deplore the military regime’s blanket denial of the serious human rights abuses and the entrenched impunity that prevails in the country. The organisations welcome the engagement by a number of Member States in their dialogue with regime officials […]

Burma Faces First-ever Review of Human Right Record at UN

Burma’s human rights record will come under scrutiny at the United Nations in the country’s first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 27 January […]

Poison Clouds: Lessons from Burma’s Largest Coal Mine Project at Tigyit

The report introduces the coal mine concept at early part followed by detail facts about Tigyi Coal Project. It then explains the on-going human rights abuses and breach of national as the projected was being implemented and how the area is effected by the mining environmentally threatening careers and lives of the residents […]

Burma’s Largest Coal Project Poisons Communities Near Famed Inle Lake

Burma’s largest coal mine and coal-fired power plant, located thirteen miles from Burma’s famous Inle Lake in Shan State, are polluting waterways, threatening the health of local populations, and displacing villages, according to a report released today […]

ASEAN’s new approach to Myanmar is nothing new

ASEAN’s foreign ministers just completed their two-day retreat in Lombok on Jan. 17, wherein Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa outlined the nation’s agenda and priorities for ASEAN as it assumes the association’s rotating chair […]

10-16 January: SPDC Continues Authoritarian Rule with Military Draft Law as Citizens Push for Genuine Democracy

Although Burma’s new parliament is set to hold its first session on 31 January 2011, the current military regime continues to control the country with no intention of loosening its grip on power. The revelation that the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) enacted an unpublicized military draft law days before parliamentary elections provides further evidence of the generals’ aims: to perpetuate military rule and to deny the people of Burma their basic rights and freedoms. With the military unwilling to make any positive changes for the country, democracy and ethnic organizations continue to take the cause into their own hands, developing the foundation for democracy and national reconciliation despite the risk of a military crackdown.

Communities Displaced Due to Flooding from Dam Project

Entire communities in northwestern Karen State have been displaced due to extensive flooding from a new dam project on the Shwe Gyin River […]

ASEAN to push Myanmar on democracy, wants sanctions lifted

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) wants the U.S. and Europe to lift sanctions against member Myanmar after its recent elections and release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it said on Sunday […]

SPDC’s Military Conscription Law

According to the draft, men between the ages of 18 and 45 and women between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve the military. The maximum service period could be 2 or 3 years depending on the profession of citizen and requirement of the military, and citizens fail to serve without proper reasons could be sentenced up to 3 years imprisonment […]

Economic Analysis and Vision of the NLD

An analysis of the economic situation in Burma shows clearly that the situation is dire. Due to the unequal distribution of state revenue, the majority of the people in Burma are facing high commodity prices, high unemployment rates and a lack of employment opportunities.

The main cause of the increased commodity prices is the government’s printing of large amounts of new money to cover the deficit in government expenses […]