By Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Myanmar
“We must move forward, forward in Myanmar. There is no backwards for us.” These words were spoken to me by a participant in the “8888″ uprising in Myanmar who was forced to flee his country. Twenty years after the brief flowering of people power in Myanmar, however, little [...]

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Olympics Open on Bloody Anniversary Twenty years after the uprising in Burma, the military government continues to sharply restrict fundamental rights and violently suppress dissent, Human Rights Watch said today. The anniversary falls as the Olympic Games open in Beijing, while the Chinese government gives crucial support to Burma’s repressive regime.
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Twenty years after the start of pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar that were violently repressed, the United Nations (UN) should take stronger measures to obtain the release of U Win Tin and other prisoners of conscience detained since that day, Amnesty International said today.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor, Ibrahim Gambari, and the UN Special Rapporteur [...]

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Civilians Forced Back Into Conflict Zone, More Returns Threatened
Thai security forces should immediately stop forcing Karen refugees and asylum seekers to return to Burma from refugee camps in Thailand, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Concerned Governments Should Press for Zargana’s Release
Burma’s military government should immediately free detained activist Zargana and permit him to continue distributing aid unhindered to communities affected by Cyclone Nargis, Human Rights Watch said today.
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More Bureaucracy Adds to Government’s Interference in Aid Efforts
New Burmese government guidelines on humanitarian agencies will further hamper the delivery of aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis, Human Rights Watch said today.
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For over two years the Myanmar army has been waging a military offensive against ethnic Karen civilians in the eastern parts of the country. The ongoing offensive includes widespread and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, according to a new Amnesty International report. The report describes these violations as crimes against humanity.
The [...]

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Myanmar’s government is keeping aid from reaching survivors of Cyclone Nargis and stepping up efforts to force them out of emergency shelters, according to new research published by Amnesty International. The government’s actions place tens of thousands of already vulnerable survivors at increased risk of death, disease and hunger.
On 20 May, Myanmar’s government, the State [...]

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Much of Devastated Irrawaddy Delta Remains Uninhabitable
The Burmese government should immediately halt forcibly evicting people displaced by Cyclone Nargis from their temporary shelters, Human Rights Watch said today. The Burmese government should abide by its pledge to the United Nations and allow full humanitarian access to all cyclone victims.
Link to hrw.org

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Poor Disaster Response Reflects Government Political Oppression
Despite welcome and improved access to the Irrawaddy Delta area affected by Cyclone Nargis, the Burmese military government is still using red tape to obstruct some relief efforts when it should accept all aid immediately and unconditionally, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s response to the humanitarian disaster [...]

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