Burma 8-8-88

August 8, 2010 in information by Rob Hallam

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the 8-8-88 protests, when hundreds of thousands of peaceful protestors took to the streets to call for human rights and democracy. It was to end in bloodshed – a brutal crackdown by the ruling military junta would leave an estimated 3,000 people dead in the weeks that followed. The anniversary is still marked around the world.

The leader of the protests back then was Min Ko Naing. He was also involved in organising the protests in 2007. He is now in jail and is one of Amnesty’s priority cases. Sadly little seems to have changed over the years and the junta’s reaction to the protests back in 2007 only reinforced the point. Burma is a country where torture, slave labour and unfair trials are all common place. And there are estimated 2,200 political prisoners there.

Waihhin is a Burmese student living in London, and her father Ko Mya Aye was also involved in both protests. He is currently serving a 65-year jail sentence.

A good timeline of the events in Burma is available on Dipity.

New Website!

August 4, 2010 in information, news by Rob Hallam

We have a new website! The old one, though it served a purpose, was getting a bit long in the tooth. In the spirit of the new decade, we have a fancy new updated design. The driving ideas behind the design are simplicity and integration. Simplicity so that it is easier for people to find out information, especially new members. Integration so that all pages share a common design, so the jump to the blog (for example) is less jarring than it was before.

If you have any comments on what you’d like to see on the blog or any improvements, please either leave them below, or contact us through Facebook or by email. Cheers!