Dear John

Earlier this year I was invited to attend a secret meeting being held in Karen State in the east of Burma. The meeting was to plan what kind of government could be built for the people now that large parts of Karen State have been freed from military rule. I discussed our campaigns and the international response to the crisis in Burma.

Zoya Phan speaking at a secret meeting in Karen State, Burma.

Much as I longed to return to my homeland and catch up with old friends and fellow activists, I thought hard about whether to go. 29 years on I still have nightmares about the time the Burmese military attacked the village I used to live in. I was 16 years old and doing my homework when the first bombs went off. We had to flee all night through the jungle to escape.

At that time mortar bombs and bullets were the main weapons used by the Burmese military. Now they use jets, helicopters, drones and even motorised paragliders to attack. They deliberately target homes, schools and hospitals. Nowhere is safe. I knew once I was across the border I would be in constant danger. The meeting would be a key target if the military found out about it.

Sure enough, on the day I arrived at the meeting place, I heard a jet plane, and I panicked. People around me laughed. It’s not a fighter jet, they told me, it’s a passenger jet plane. The threat of airstrikes is so common local people can tell the difference between aircraft engine sounds. Their lives depend on it.


The meeting lasted days and it was so inspiring to see how committed people are to building a country free from military rule, where the job of the government is to help people, not oppress them. So many young people were working so hard to rebuild our country.


But people kept asking, why isn’t the international community helping us? Why isn’t the British government helping us? I didn’t know how to answer.


The British government has not imposed any new sanctions against the Burmese military since 2024.

Please make a donation today ([link removed]) so we can step up our campaigns to force the British government to act.


Imagine yourself, sitting at home, and always having to keep an ear out for the sound of a jet. Imagine taking your family to sleep in a local park at night because it’s too dangerous to sleep in your home. As you walk to work, down your road, you have to watch the sky and always look for a place to shelter if a jet or drone comes.


That’s everyday life for millions of people in Burma.


Yet the British government refuses to make any new effort to stop money, arms and jet fuel reaching the Burmese military.


I met one villager who had been severely injured in an airstrike. He lost one hand and part of his other arm. His whole body was injured. He could no longer walk. He was carried through the jungle for weeks to reach a medical centre. He will never work again. His family will live in poverty.


He told me something must be done to stop Burmese military airstrikes. I promised him we are trying to get the British government to act.


There is so much suffering in Burma, but also so many brave people trying to build a better future. It is so frustrating to see the contrast of the sacrifices people in Burma are making, and the lack of action from the British government.


I have returned to the UK inspired by what I saw in my homeland and determined that we have to do more to support them.


Please make a donation today ([link removed]) so we can step up our campaigns to force the British government to act.

Thank you

Zoya Phan

Programme Director


PS: We have seen in the past when the British government acts on Burma, other governments follow. If we can persuade the British government to act it will mean other governments will act as well. Make a donation so we can unlock international action and help stop money, arms and jet fuel reaching the Burmese military.
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