Ethnic cleansing survivor – Zoya Phan interviewed by LADbible
Burma Campaign UK’s Programme Director, Zoya Phan, shares her incredible story of growing up under military dictatorship in Burma with LADbible TV.
“Born in the remote jungle, Zoya’s childhood ended the moment she saw a decomposing body floating down the river where her siblings played. Years later, under a brutal regime of ethnic cleansing Zoya and her family were forced to flee as bombs rained down on their home. Despite the ongoing threats to her life and surviving three assassination attempts, Zoya continues to follow in the footsteps of her parents and fight for the freedom of the Karen community and the people of Burma.”
Religious Minority Persecution in Myanmar – UK Parliament debate
Today the British Parliament held a debate on religious persecution in Myanmar, moved by Jim Shannon MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief.
The 90 minute debate concluded with a request that the Government commit to publishing regular assessments of freedom of religious belief and human rights in Myanmar, using independent monitoring.
China suddenly loves elections… in Burma – Labour Hub
“When western countries impose targeted sanctions or take other steps to promote human rights and democracy in Burma, China complains”, writes Burma Campaign UK’s Director Mark Farmaner in Labour Hub. “Western countries are interfering in the internal affairs of another country, they say.
“China interferes in the internal affairs of Burma more than any country since British colonial occupation. They arm the Burmese military and they fund the Burmese military. At the same time, China destabilises the Burmese military by selectively arming some ethnic armies on the China-Burma border which administer autonomous areas. They want a subservient ally, not an all-powerful one.
“China decided that the Burmese military would be most subservient to their interests, and swung behind them, cutting off arms to the resistance and, of all things, telling the Burmese military they had to hold elections.
“The British government must lead in not only rejecting these elections, but the Chinese-backed military-installed regime which will follow.”
Zoya Phan interviewed by Karen Vibes
Burma Campaign UK’s Programme Director, Zoya Phan, was interviewed about the military dictatorship’s sham elections by Thailand-based Karen Vibes, which aims to inform, educate, and entertain with Sgaw Karen, Pwo Karen, English and Burmese language.
BCUK urges London to toughen stance as junta prepares ‘sham’ election – Mizzima
Burma Campaign UK has called for a revision of the British government’s approach to Myanmar, warning that the UK has slipped from “leaders to laggards” on human rights, reports Mizzima. The call comes as Myanmar’s junta moves ahead with what are widely seen as “sham elections” beginning 28 December.
“When British government ministers have the political will, the UK can be very effective at mobilising international action to assist the people of Burma in their struggle for freedom,” said Mark Farmaner, BCUK’s director. “While the Burmese military implement new sham elections as part of their plan for eternal rule, the British government needs to be proactively cutting off their supply of money and arms.”
The election is a side-show – the real future of Burma is already being built – Mizzima
Across the country in areas freed from Burmese military occupation, a bottom-up federal nation is being built, writes Naw Wahkushee, Director of Advance Myanmar’s partner Karen Peace Support Network, for Mizzima. Local people are finally in charge of their land and natural resources, and for the first time have a say in how they will be governed, with new local constitutions being consulted on.
An example of this is highlighted in a new report, ‘Retaking our Eastern Border’ by the Karen Peace Support Network. Local administrations such as the Karen National Union in Kawthoolei [the Karen name for Karen State], which administer areas freed from Burmese military occupation, need international support to provide essential services to local populations and improve governance.
Supporting the development of local administrations free from Burmese military rule is the most effective approach to long term stability in Burma.
UK leadership imperative as Myanmar’s crisis deepens ahead of junta’s announced sham elections: UN expert
A UN expert today urged the UK to help mobilise international opposition to the Myanmar military junta’s claim that the election that it will stage later this month is legitimate, while taking other measures to strengthen its support of human rights in Myanmar.
“I am heartened by the United Kingdom’s rejection of the junta’s election scheme,” said Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, at the end of his visit to the UK. “I urge the UK Government to proactively reach out to other Governments to ensure they do the same. A strong, coordinated rejection of these sham elections is essential to deny the junta the means to fabricate credibility and legitimacy … The UK can play a decisive role — and now is the moment to act.”
Zoya Phan, BCUK’s Programme Director, meeting Tom Andrews on his visit to the UK.
25 Karen groups join Karen National Union in rejecting the regime’s 2025-26 elections – DVB
Twenty-five Karen civil society groups “overseas,” led by the Karen National Union (KNU), have condemned the regime’s 2025-26 elections which are scheduled to begin on December 28, reports the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).
“This sham election is not about political reform or genuine peace in the country. History has already shown that the Burmese military is not interested in genuine peace and democracy, they just want to consolidate their power and continue their authoritarian rule,” Zoya Phan, the programme director at Burma Campaign UK, told DVB.
“If Thailand and other neighboring countries want stability in Burma, working with ethnic revolutionary organizations and allies is their best option. You can see Karen State as an example where the KNU works to bring stability, services, and rule of law to the areas under its control.”
Myanmar’s military rulers grant amnesty to thousands ahead of election – Al Jazeera
Myanmar’s military rulers have pardoned or dropped charges against 8,665 people locked up for opposing army rule as the country prepares for next month’s elections, reports Al Jazeera.
Critics have asserted that the upcoming election will be neither free nor fair because there is no free media and most of the leaders of Aung San Suu Kyi’s dissolved National League for Democracy party have been arrested.
“It’s wonderful news for the prisoners,” Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, wrote on X. But “as expected” political prisoners are being used “for public relations purposes by Burmese military to try to build a fake narrative of reform” ahead of the polls.
22,708 political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, remain in detention.
US, China Spur Southeast Asian Scam Crackdown – Asia Sentinel
After more than a decade of rapacious scam activity, reports Asia Sentinel, dual pressure from the US and China has caused the Myanmar military to raid Shwe Kokko, a notorious compound 40 km from the Thai border town of Mae Sot where enslaved workers defraud online victims globally, although analysts are skeptical over the junta’s seriousness.
“A combination of Chinese pressure and US sanctions have panicked Chit Thu [leader of the Karen Border Guard Force, which works together with the Burmese military] and the Burmese military into a public relations exercise to convince the world they are taking action,” said Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK. “We are witnessing a farcical situation where they are raiding their own town to destroy facilities they helped build and which they have been profiting from.”