Simon Billenness 
Congress seems poised to finally do right for the Rohingya and people of Burma The BRAVE Burma Act Thank you to Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) for sponsoring this bill and to Congresspeople Brad Sherman (D-CA), Betty McCollum (R-MN) and Ann Wagner (D-MO) for cosponsoring. The Myanmar military seized power on February 1, 2021. To resist … Read more
Seven years is too long to wait for justice Tell your Members of Congress to support the Rohingya GAP Act (H.R.8936) U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) have introduced the Rohingya Genocide, Accountability, and Protection (GAP) Act (H.R.8936). The Rohingya GAP Act seeks to provide protection, support, and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya … Read more
Happy holidays! Here are two must-read articles on sanctions and Burma from the essential Frontier Myanmar. Read them as you sip your egg nog or tea. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-end-of-myanmars-resource-boom-could-doom-the-junta/ “The end of Myanmar’s resource boom could doom the junta” Key quote: “The military has since the 1990s relied on three main partners to weather sanctions: Singapore for … Read more
Dear Alyson:Sanctions by the US and European Union have left the Myanmar military scrambling for money. According to Myanmar NOW, since the US and EU imposed sanctions on key army-controlled banks and oil companies, over half a billion dollars of oil and gas money is being held in foreign bank accounts out of the military’s … Read more
Saturday was Human Rights Day. It’s a day to reflect on how we can take effective action in support the rights of others. This is also a day when we can celebrate our successful week in Washington, DC. Because of our year-long lobbying for the BURMA Act, Congress is on the brink of passing a significant new … Read more
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, organized citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” You proved that right last week when you successfully pressed luxury jeweller Harry Winston to stop buying gems from Myanmar. This week, let’s stay focused on the oil companies … Read more
Under pressure, Harry Winston announces it will no longer sell #GenocideGems International Campaign for the Rohingya applauds the announcement today by luxury jeweler Harry Winston that it will stop buying gems that originate from Myanmar (Burma). In a post to its social media, Harry Winston (owned by Swatch) announced today that it “will no longer … Read more
The Myanmar military is building up troops and equipment in Chin State and neighboring areas in North-Western Burma. This past week, the Myanmar military has burned down homes and churches in the Chin town of Thantlang. We are concerned that the military is on the verge of a large-scale offensive against civilians, using tactics ominously reminiscent … Read more
It’s long past time for Facebook to take down the pages of Myanmar military companies. These military-owned companies help fund the army and the atrocities it commits. And the social media giant continues to allow the Burmese military to use its accounts to spread hate speech, recruit soldiers, and build its lucrative business empire. Please click here to … Read more
The Myanmar military is deploying tens of thousands of troops and heavy weapons to Chin State northern Myanmar. These tactics are ominously reminiscent of those the army employed in its genocidal attacks against the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017. The Chin people cannot wait. In response, U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet urged Singapore to help … Read more