Dear John
Testimonies from Beyond
A powerful exhibition about the impact of Burmese military airstrikes and attacks, is open in London until 6th May.
Testimonies from Beyond draws attention to the atrocities committed by the Burmese military against the people of Burma, specifically attacks on civilians: airstrikes on monasteries and homes, sexual violence against women, and the abduction and murder of villagers.
The exhibition features the last belongings that victims had on them before they were killed. A nine-year old’s backpack, schoolbook, and lunch money, just one of a number of children killed in an airstrike on a monastery. A prayer book and rosary beads of a married couple in their 70s, killed in their home with their son when a shell exploded.
The exhibition venue is the Koppel Collective, 157 Regent's Park Rd, NW1 8BB, Chalk Farm, London,11am to 8pm (closed this evening at 5pm).
Burmese military spending now $5bn a year
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has reported that Burmese military spending increased by 66% to $5bn last year. At the same time the health budget has faced cuts every year since the 2021 coup, with 50% cuts in 2023 alone. Reliable figures for 2024 health spending are not yet available.
Arrests since 2021 coup now more than 29,000
With new arrests every day, more than 29,000 people have been arrested by the Burmese military since the 2021 coup, with more than 22,000 still in jail, facing horrific conditions. A recent amnesty where prisoners were released made international headlines, but most were criminals coming to the end of their sentences anyway. If you compare the number of political prisoners now to the average of around 2,100 political prisoners under the pre-2011 military dictatorship, the number of political prisoners is almost 1,000% higher. More information on the campaign to free all political prisoners is here.
Thank you again for your support
Mark Farmaner
