Burma

Oppression, murder, torture, rape, dictatorship, kidnap, violence....bet you wouldn't find these words in a tourist brochure.  Amazingly enough an Australian company does make tourism guides for Burma and encourages tourism.

The Burma Campaign UK campaigns for human rights and democracy in Burma. BCUK works for the freedom of all the peoples of Burma regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or age. We provide analysis to the media and government, and we lobby and campaign to improve government and commercial policy on Burma. The Burma Campaign UK is the only national organization in the UK dedicated to campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma.

You can contact BCUK at info@burmacampaign.org.uk

Objectives
BCUK aims to achieve the restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma through;
 

• the discouragement of trade, investment and tourism (including pressure for sanctions)
   

• the raising of public awareness of issues relating to Burma
   

• international pressure on the UK government, on the European Union (EU), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN).

Activities

• Direct lobbying of the UK government and EU

• Campaigning

• Public education

• Lobbying businesses

• Research
  
   

Campaigns

‘Cut The Lifeline’ Campaign
Foreign investment in Burma has supplied this regime with billions of pounds, helping the regime to expand the army and maintain power. Our campaign aims to cut this economic lifeline by increasing pressure on companies to withdraw from Burma and raising public awareness of the issues relating to Burma. Our current campaigns are:

• British American Tobacco (BAT) - BAT is one of the most important British investors in Burma. Its factory in Burma is a joint venture with the military regime. In 1996 the industrial zone where the BAT factory is sited was upgraded by the military authorities using child labour. BAT pays factory workers just 23p a day.
  
   

• Tourism - Tourism is a vital source of income for the regime. Our tourism campaign educates people about reasons not to visit Burma, lobbies companies to stop operating there, and lobbies publishers not to produce guides that encourage people to visit the country. The campaign includes a boycott of Lonely Planet publications. Lonely Planet publishes a guide that promotes tourism to Burma and vigorously defends tourism to Burma in the media.
  
   

• Clothing - The clothing industry is becoming an increasingly important foreign currency earner for the regime in Burma. We aim to persuade clothing manufacturers and retailers to withdraw from production and sourcing of clothing in Burma and to discourage potential new garment manufacturers from going in.
  
   

• Sanctions - Whilst in opposition the Labour Party voiced support for investment sanctions against Burma. However, in government they reversed this position, and refused to implement such sanctions. We are calling on the UK Government to legislate new powers that will enable it to impose unilateral financial sanctions against Burma and for the UK Government to press other EU member states to impose similar sanctions.
  
   

Achievements
BCUK has, since its inception in 1991, built a solid and credible reputation as a source of reliable information and a powerful campaigning and lobbying body. Here are just some of our recent achievements.

BCUK ...

• forced the UK's largest investor in Burma, Premier Oil to withdraw from Burma.

• directors met and interviewed Aung San Suu Kyi in June 2002 after her release from house arrest.

• launched a high profile boycott of Triumph International because of their operations in Burma. Within the first week of the campaign the Norwegian Winter Olympic team cancelled its sponsorship deal with Triumph. Within two months Triumph bowed to pressure from the campaign and pulled out of Burma.

• took the Labour Government to court in December 1999 over their claim that sanctions against the regime in Burma would be illegal. BCUK succeeded in clarifying that there are no legal barriers to the imposition of sanctions on British investments in Burma.

• has persuaded a growing number of tour operators to withdraw from Burma. The tour operator ‘Intrepid’ pulled out of Burma announcing "there are issues in life that go to the very core of what is right and what is not...it is an inescapable fact that human rights abuses are directly linked with tourism in Burma".

• successfully lobbied the UK and the EU to take an unprecedented stand on tourism to Burma. Both now promote the view that tourism to Burma is inappropriate under the current regime.

• persuaded the ITV travel show 'Wish You Were Here?’ which has an audience of 8 million, to withdraw a planned feature on Burma.

• organised a celebrity event at the Royal Court theatre to celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday in 2002. Stars included Fran Healy from Travis, Jamie Catto and 1Giant Leap, Maxi Jazz from Faithless, Horace Andy from Massive Attack, John Hegley and Maureen Lipmann.

• has been directly responsible for the withdrawal from Burma of a significant number of British and international companies including British Home Stores, Diesel, The Burton Group and River Island.
  
   

Our Patrons
Sinead Cusack, Clive James, Miriam Karlin OBE, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Glenys Kinnock MEP, Sue Lloyd-Roberts, Sir John Mortimer, Dr Jose Ramos-Horta and Rt Hon Sir David Steel

Petition here to get BAT out of Burma

Petition here against the production of tourism encouraging brochures