We are pleased to release our latest visit report “SWAN on the Frontline of Emergency Relief.” Members of the HART team travelled to Thailand and the Thai-Burma border to visit our partners the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN). The team was delighted to spend time with our friends at SWAN, visiting refugee camps for those […]
Burma’s military junta continue to wield much control across major cities, towns and lesser-known villages in ethnic states, including Chin state. They seek to impose an extreme version of ultra-Buddhist religious nationalism, resulting in severe anti-minority violence, human rights abuses and mass displacement. According to Dr Sasa, Minister of International Cooperation for the country’s civilian […]
Intro HART has supported not only SWAN’s Women’s Wellbeing Programme but educational programmes in northern Thailand since 2006. This support has provided the women and children of migrants and refugees fleeing poverty and conflict in Burma with the opportunity to attend schools and receive medical care whilst raising awareness of the plight of these refugees. […]
HART recently received the following update from our partner the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN): Throughout the year we have been facing COVID-19 and it has been a year of challenging and demanding work for the Women’s Well-being Program. We are very grateful for HART’s support and flexibility so that our needs can be met […]
Baroness Cox has continued to fight for those who’s voices are not always heard by asking questions in the House of Lords. This month, she has asked questions concerning Fulani militia and the Twitter ban in Nigeria and the ongoing situation in Burma. Her questions and the subsequent UK Government answers can be found below:
The Challenges As the 2nd largest ethnic minority group in Burma, more than 200,000 Shan people were forced to flee their homes in 1996 when the Burmese Army torched their villages, forcing them to settle in makeshift camps along the Thai-Burma border ever since. Access to healthcare, education, food and shelter is limited and Shan […]
This month HART is focusing on the ingenuity of our partners and the solutions they use to combat the challenges facing their communities. At the core of our ethos is a commitment to working in partnership with local people. All of our projects are locally-led, from vision through to implementation, by partners who possess the […]
Yesterday, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken announced nearly $155 million in new aid for Rohingya Refugees outside Myanmar, and a raft of new sanctions against the military junta of Myanmar. HART welcomes these initiatives and acknowledges the appropriateness of both these responses. However, the crisis in Myanmar is reaching a very dangerous level. At […]
The letter, published yesterday, reads as follows: Justice for Burma Sir, Burma’s coup undid a decade of political reform. The protestors who have demonstrated in their thousands throughout the country against the military coup and for democracy deserve the support and admiration of the world (“39 killed in escalation of anti-coup protests”, world, […]
Given recent events in Burma/Myanmar, the complexity of the country’s ethnic make-up, and the fact that our partners in Burma/Myanmar all operate in minority ethnic community areas, HART is pleased to offer a brief introduction to some of the main ethnic groups within the country. Here we continue with the Chin people. HART currently […]
Given recent events in Burma/Myanmar, the complexity of the country’s ethnic make-up, and the fact that our partners in Burma all operate in minority ethnic community areas, HART has decided to offer a brief introduction to some of the main ethnic groups within the country. Here we begin, with the Shan people, the largest […]
Although the name ‘Burma’ comes from the Bamar people who form two-thirds of the country’s population, in official government statistics, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the region containing over 135 ethnic groups. Throughout its long history, the country’s geographic position has resulted in the country attracting settlers from many […]
HART continues to be deeply concerned with developments in Burma. Our thoughts are very much with our partners in the country and the humanitarian work that they undertake. Today, HART Founder and CEO Baroness Cox, contributed to a Private Notice Question in the House of Lords on the reported military coup. Watch what she […]
The 13th February is Children’s Day in Burma, a day which should secure the safety of all children in the country. However, this year at 10AM, shells from ongoing fighting that was happening three kilometres away hit a school in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State. The nearby fighting was between Tatmadaw, Burmese armed forces, and the […]
Peacock Generation is a poetry group based in Burma with a string of charges against them. On 17th February 2020, three members of the group were convicted of “online defamation” and sentenced to six months in prison whilst four members were acquitted. Their crime? Posting photos and videos and livestreaming performances of their art form […]
UNICEF has expressed their concerns of continued and intensified fighting in Rakhine State, Burma. A statement was issued after four children were killed on 6th January and five injured when an explosive device went off whilst they collected firewood from a forest near Htike Htoo Paul village in Buthidaung township, Rakhine State. In 2019 alone, […]
Lunches 4 Littles Established in 1998, the SWAN Foundation is an affiliate of the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) that aims to respond to the needs of Shan migrants living along the Thai-Burma border, who are discriminated against by the Burmese military. Reduced border aid has increased the vulnerability of this already persecuted group – […]
Baroness Cox (crossbench) posed questions to the UK Government about recent arrests during peaceful protests in Yangon, and the escalated conflict in Kachin and Shan States. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) responded. Question 1: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma regarding the recent escalation of military violence […]
The Joint Strategy team monitoring the current situation in Kachin State, Burma have released an update on the humanitarian crisis on the 28th May 2018. The text can be downloaded below. Humanitarian Situation Update in Kachin State – 14th to 28th May 2018 Since series of armed clashes have been intensified again between Government […]
Update from Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), documenting Burma Army crimes against IDPs in Kachin State, North Eastern Burma. May 15, 2018 Urgent update by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) Burma Army commits war crimes against Kachin IDPs: blocking access to refuge, using as human shields and minesweepers, indiscriminate shelling, looting Contrary to […]
Baroness Cox brought to the forefront the plight of the Shan and Kachin people during a Parliamentary debate on ‘Recent developments in Myanmar’. In recent weeks, the fighting in Kachin State has intensified, displacing 6000 people, killing hundreds and trapping 3000 in conflict zones. As fighting also continues in Shan State, hundreds of civilians are […]
The following transcript has been taken of the urgent question asked in the House of Commons on 5th September about the violence in Rakhine State, Burma. For the televised recording of this debate, please see the Parliament website. This debate can be found at 15:42:57. Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South East) (Lab) (Urgent Question): To ask […]
Burma Amnesty International has called on Burma to immediately lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid. These restrictions are currently preventing vital access to aid in Rakhine and Kachin States. Aung San Suu Kyi has defended herself against claims she has ignored the plight of the Rohingya Muslim population. More than 1 million Rohingyas live in […]
