human rights

A report by the Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic, has found the Burma Army guilty of ‘war crimes’ constituting ‘crimes against humanity’ in Karen State. The result of a four-year investigation, the report said there was ample evidence of government forces committing human rights abuses including the torture, rape and executions of civilians during a three year military…

On global anti-child trafficking day, Mae Tao Clinic on the Thai-Burma border hosted an event called, To stop child trafficking, invest for the children’s future. The event was was attended by as many as 1,000 children from local migrant schools. “This event was held to raise awareness about child trafficking to alert students and migrant workers who attended the event…

The human rights advocacy group, Burma Campaign UK, has called on David Cameron’s government to support a UN Commission of Inquiry into violations of international law in Burma, amid concerns that the country’s reform process under President U Thein Sein has stalled. “Burma Campaign UK believes that European Union sanctions on Burma were lifted prematurely, without the EU’s own human…

This week, which marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the women of Burma reiterated their call for an international investigation to look into the continuing use of rape and sexual violence against women in Burma, and address the issue of military impunity. The situation since the so-called reform process began is no different from before…

Burma’s armed forces are using systematic sexual violence on a “widespread scale,” a report by a women’s group advocating on ethnic women’s rights in Burma has found. The report, by the Women’s League of Burma, an umbrella organisations that represents 13 organisations, accused the Burmese military of using rape as a strategy of war. In a statement released today to…

An artillery attack against the Kachin Independence Army’s Military Academy, that left at least 23 officer cadets dead and a further 20 injured, was unprovoked and endangers the push for a nationwide peace agreement, a Kachin advocacy organisation has asserted. A statement by the Kachin Alliance, a network of Kachin community organisations based in the United States, condemned the attack…

Families moved by the Burmese government to make way for a special economic zone in Thilawa have been living in deplorable conditions, leaving them hungry and sick, a report by a human rights organisation has found. The report, by the New York based, Physicians for Human Rights, said that the Burma government had violated international standards when it moved the…

A report by Fortify Rights, an international human rights organization based in Southeast Asia, has accused members of Burma’s authorities of being involved in human trafficking. Burma’s security forces are part of a transnational crime syndicate collecting payments from ethnic Rohingya asylum seekers fleeing persecution in Burma by boats – with authorities going as far as to even escort the…

An international human rights organisation claims in a statement released 6th November that the Burma Army is committing human rights abuses with impunity in conflict areas. The statement, released by South East Asia based Fortify Rights, stated that the Burma Army was deliberately attacking and killing civilians. Matthew Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights, said that the government claims of…

Free Burma Rangers, an organisation delivering humanitarian assistance to conflict affected areas, stated that clashes between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups continued into October with reports of government forces resorting to looting, torture and arbitrary detention. “There are claims that civilians are being conscripted into Burma militia training; Burma Army troops make a regular practice of establishing checkpoints…