Voices of the People
These are Burma’s voices for change, extraordinary stories of people of Burma from all walks of life. Their experiences, struggles, fears, and successes. These are unheard stories of incredible spirit of resilience and courage, voices of hope and dreams that have emerged from decades of oppression. Help us spread these voices across the globe!
“We Lost Everything to the Government”: Refugee Interview #3
Burma Link | May 18, 2015 The following interview was conducted as part of the joint refugee voice project by Burma Link and Burma Partnership. On April 27, 2015, Burma Link and Burma Partnership launched [...]
“As Soon As We Got Out, Our Houses Were Burned”: Refugee Interview #2
Burma Link | May 11, 2015 The following interview was conducted as part of the joint refugee voice project by Burma Link and Burma Partnership. On April 27, 2015, Burma Link and Burma Partnership launched [...]
“Burma Is a Hell for Me. I Don’t Want to Go to That Hell”: Refugee Interview #1
Burma Link | May 4, 2015 The following interview was conducted as part of the joint refugee voice project by Burma Link and Burma Partnership. On April 27, 2015, Burma Link and Burma Partnership launched [...]
Briefing Paper: Voices of Refugees – Situation of Burma’s Refugees Along the Thailand-Burma Border
By Burma Link and Burma Partnership | April 27, 2015 (27 April 2015) Today, Burma Link and Burma Partnership launches a joint briefing paper, Voices of Refugees – Situation of Burma’s Refugees Along the Thailand-Burma [...]
Karen Major General Nerdah Bo Mya: ‘The Government Is Playing the Game’
By Burma Link, April 7, 2015 Nerdah Bo Mya is a Major General and the Chief of Staff of the Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO), which was founded in 1947 to protect the Karen people [...]
Karenni Refugee in Ban Mai Nai Soi Camp: ‘I Stay Here So I Feel Safe’
By Burma Link / March 24, 2015 John Bosco is like any 23-year-old who dreams of good education and a career, and who likes to read, use the internet, and play football. Unlike many young [...]
The Reality and Future of Kachin IDPs in the State’s Capital City Myitkyina
By Katy Carlson In Burma, foreigners can expect many obstacles if they wish to investigate areas of conflict. In most cases, the government defines these places as restricted areas, keeping curious outsiders from witnessing the reality. In Myitkyina, it's different though. […]
‘If I Really Try Hard Nothing Is Impossible’: From Collecting Recyclables to Higher Education
Naw Eh is an incredibly determined 20-year-old Karen woman whose perseverance, motivation and hopeful spirit have taken her far beyond what she ever could have imagined as a child. Growing up as an undocumented migrant under extreme poverty and lack of opportunity, unlike many others in Thailand young Naw Eh had no chance to go to school. Instead, she spent her mornings selling snacks to school children […]
PWO Part Two: Empowering Women Whilst Facing Conflict, Poverty, and an Opiate Epidemic
You can’t visit all the areas where the Palaung Women’s Organization (PWO) works. Even if you could get past the many arms of Burma’s military regime that keep foreigners away, you wouldn’t want to. You would have to face bloody conflict […]
PWO Part One: ‘It’s the women and children that are suffering’
The northern Shan state, home to a majority of the Ta’ang people (referred to as ‘Palaung’ by others), is among the least accessible areas in Burma. These areas host some of the bloodiest conflict, the most poppy cultivation, extremely high rates of opium addiction, and crippling poverty. The Palaung […]
Lway Chee Sangar: Reclaiming Rights After a Childhood of Labor, Hardship, and Conflict
"We had never heard about human rights in the village," Lway Chee Sangar tells me at the Palaung Women's Organization (PWO) office in Mae Sot, Thailand. Sangar is 23 years old. The ethnic nationality group to which she belongs […]
Ta’ang (Palaung) Leader Tar Aik Bong: ‘Without Proper Political Solutions, There Will Be No Lasting Peace’
In an exclusive interview with Burma Link, Tar Aik Bong, leader of the Ta'ang (Palaung), discusses the Ta’ang conflict, the drug crisis, and the brutal tactics that the Burmese military uses against Ta’ang civilians in order to cut the opposition […]