Burma: Joint Letter from Ethnic Nationalities Civil Society Organizations Regarding Foreign Military Engagement with the Burmese Military

Dear President Obama, Prime Minister Cameron, and Prime Minister Abbott,

We, the undersigned 133 ethnic nationalities civil society organizations, are writing to express our concerns and reservations about your countries’ military engagement with the Burmese military.

We appreciate the concern the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have shown over the years for the human rights violations the Burmese military has committed against us, as well as your support for our pursuit of genuine democracy and national reconciliation. While your intentions may be genuine, we are deeply concerned that your current approach to military-to-military relations will neither prove beneficial to our mutual goals of ending the Burmese military’s perpetration of human rights violations against us, nor bring us closer to national reconciliation […]

Letter to President Obama on GSP Trade Benefits for Burma

Dear President Obama,

We are writing about the ongoing review to reinstate trade benefits for Burma under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Promoting trade with Burma creates human rights risks, particularly in problem sectors such as extractive industries and plantation agriculture, that could undermine the careful economic reengagement policy your Administration has charted thus far. Therefore, if GSP benefits are restored to Burma, we urge your Administration to take the steps outlined in this letter to manage the human rights impacts of that decision […]

Statement by Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes on the Expiration of the Ban on Imports from Burma

Today, in light of the July 28 expiration of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act’s (BFDA) ban on imports from Burma, the President issued an Executive Order that repeals the provisions of Executive Order 13310 that implemented the broad BFDA import ban on products of Burma […]

U.S. Government Must Ensure U.S. Investors Abide by Reporting Requirements

27 Organizations Express Strong Concern about Serious Informational Gaps in Reports from U.S. Companies Investing in Burma

(Washington, D.C.) — Today, August  12,  2013, twenty-seven  organizations  submitted  a  detailed  letter  to  President  Obama  expressing  concern  over  U.S.  companies  avoiding  making  full disclosures on their investment activities in the reports submitted as a requirement for investors in  Burma.  The  joint  letter  requested  the  U.S.  Administration  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to establish a precedent of thorough and high-quality reporting by U.S. companies […]

Burma: Joint Letter to President Obama on Reporting Requirements

We are writing to express our concerns regarding the first public reports from U.S. companies under the Burma Responsible Investment Reporting Requirements (“Reporting Requirements”). We commend the companies that have complied with the July deadline for timely reporting but are concerned that the reports exhibit serious […]

First U.S. Companies Release Reports on Investments in Myanmar

A handful of U.S. companies released public reports on their investments in Myanmar last week, as required by the State Department and other agencies administering the U.S. sanctions regime. The reporting companies are involved in offshore oil and gas activities, as well as passive investments in a Singapore-based company doing significant business in Myanmar. More reports from U.S. companies, including from Coca-Cola, are expected towards the end of the year […]

Kachin Organizations and Civil Society Groups Urge the United States Government to Renew the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act

We, Kachin civilians and activists from 30 organizations are calling on President Obama, Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Reid to renew the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, which will expire at the end of July 2013.

It is urgently needed to maintain pressure on the Burmese government to stop its policies of military aggression, and to begin a political dialogue to end the civil war in Burma […]

Sustaining Myanmar’s Transition: Ten Critical Challenges

A new Asia Society report takes stock of progress and challenges in Myanmar’s reform process over the past two years and thinks through ways forward for U.S.-Myanmar relations […]

Trafficking in Persons Report 2013: Burma

Burma is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor, and for women and children subjected to sex trafficking in other countries. Many Burmese men, women, and children who migrate for work to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the United States, China, Bangladesh, India, South Korea, and Qatar are subjected to conditions of forced labor or sex trafficking in these countries […]

Union Government – Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Peace Talks

We welcome the constructive talks which took place between the Union Government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) May 28-30 in Myitkyina, Kachin State. We are encouraged by the seven-point joint agreement that resulted from the talks and look forward to continued progress in building trust and delivering lasting peace, as envisioned in the agreement […]