 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
| Part of a series on the |
| Democracy movements inMyanmar |
|---|
 The fighting peacock flag |
| Background |
| Mass protests |
| Development |
| Elections |
| Organizations |
| Figures |
| Related topics |
Burma Campaign UK (BCUK;Burmese:ဘားမားကမ်ပိန်း ယူကေ) founded in 1991 is aLondon-basednon-governmental organisation (NGO) that aims to achieve the restoration of basichuman rights anddemocracy inBurma (also known asMyanmar). BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma inEurope.
It does this by:
It has two directors, Anna Roberts and Mark Farmaner. Patrons includeGlenys Kinnock,Baroness Helena Kennedy,Maureen Lipman,Roger Lyons,Clive James,Sinéad Cusack andLord Steel. The organisation is funded by public donations. Burma Campaign UK receives no government funding.[citation needed]
Following the2007 Burmese anti-government protests Burma Campaign UK worked closely with international Burma Groups to help co-ordinate theGlobal Day of Action for Burma on 6 October 2007 through the "Support The Monks' Protest In Burma" group on Facebook.com, when thousands of people demonstrated in over 25 countries across five continents.[1]
By working with other groups around the world Burma Campaign UK has:
This is linked with another aim of BCUK tofree all political prisoners. BCUK set up a petition to be sent toUN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon to make the release of political prisoners in Burma his personal priority.
The government's repression of individuals and communities residing in eastern Burma has been deemed asethnic cleansing by BCUK. BCUK also highlights the issues offorced labour in the region and displacement, as 66,000 people have been forced to leave their homes during the past 12 months.Rape is used as a weapon against women and disease is most densely concentrated on Burma's borders, as the regime blocks aid from these communities. Information from numerous sources including the Karen Women's Organisation andKaren Human Rights Group can be found on the BCUK website. BCUK is also pushing for a UNarms embargo against the regime.
Following a report published in 2005 byVáclav Havel andDesmond Tutu that showed that Burma fits the criteria forUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC) intervention. BCUK calls on UNSC members to pass a resolution requiring the regime to work with the United Nations in restoring democracy to Burma, and to releaseAung San Suu Kyi and all otherpolitical prisoners.
Burma is one of the mostimpoverished nations on the planet. The militant regime spends half of its budget on the military and less than $1 per person, per year oneducation andhealth care. BCUK is urging the Department For International Development (DFID) to take a more active role in alleviating the immediate suffering and to support the democratic movement.
BCUK has campaigned for targetedsanctions against the regime for many years. These sanctions are designed to pressure the regime to enter into dialogue with the democracy movement. In 2007 they claimed victory as the European Union imposed new sanctions against the regime. BCUK is now calling for targeted financial sanctions to be imposed against Burma by both the UK and EU. BCUK revealed that in 2008 the number of companies with links to Burma had actually increased.[2]
Insurance companies from all over the world, including ones from countries with economic sanctions against the regime, help to insure foreign companies in Burma that provide vital income to the regime. Money made from these foreign companies will not go to the starving people, it will be used to fund the military machine that oppresses the people. BCUK advocates, among other aims, that the EU issue a ban on the provision of insurance services from member states to companies inside Burma. Due to pressure from BCUK certain companies have been forced to respond.[3]
TheFrench oil companyTotal began constructing theYadana gas project in 1992 in partnership withUnocal and the state-ownedMyanmar Oil. This joint venture earns the military regime hundreds of millions of dollars every year. BCUK launched an international campaign against the oil company supported by 41 organisations in 18 countries. In September 2007 the French foreign ministerBernard Kouchner stated that he favoured TOTAL pulling out of the country.
Burma Campaign UK supporters includeDamien Rice,Annie Lennox,Maxi Jazz,Emma Thompson,Anna Friel,Tony Robinson,Maureen Lipman,Jay Kay,Joanna Lumley,Esther Rantzen,Kabir Bedi, SirIan McKellen andGillian Anderson.[4]
