Life at Nu Po Refugee Camp. Nu Po Refugee Camp is located in an isolated part of Thailand six hours south of Mae Sot. The camp is sometimes called ‘Noh Poe’, which means ‘small lake’ in Karen. Almost 15,000 people live here. Most of the residents of the camp are Karen who have left their own state in Burma due to the long-standing civil war. Many others are monks who fled Burma following the Saffron Revolution of 2007. Another significant segment of the population is comprised of former political prisoners, who come for refuge after they escape across the border to Thailand. [more]

The Best Friend is deeply honored by Shepard Fairey’s generosity in allowing us to distribute his poster “Freedom to Lead” in Thailand, Germany and the Netherlands. All proceeds from this poster, sold by us, will go to The Best Friend and in this way support the monks movement for peace, freedom and democracy in Burma that started in 2007 as the Saffron Revolution.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, who has been held under house arrest for more than 14 of the last 20 years, symbolizes the struggle for freedom of Burma’s people. She is, as Shepard Fairey’s poster portrays, the symbol of hope in Burma. [more]

With the help of local villagers and many other people, Ashin Issariya has started on a project to build a new pagoda at Nanti monastery, close to Mae Sot, Thailand. [more]

Ashin Issariya holds Dhamma talks in Mae Sot prison, Thailand

All of the prisoners on these photographs are Burmese. Most of them are illegal (workers) in Mae Sot. Ashin Issariya visits them in prison and speaks about how they can bring peace to their lives and be good persons. [more]

If you are looking for a deeper understanding of some of the complex issues related to the “Burma Situation”, please check out The Best Friend’s new Archive and Online Library! We have been working hard to collect and categorize reports, articles, and information about Burma, and are now ready to present our ever-expanding collection to you. [more]

September 27 will be the third anniversary of the brutal crackdown on the peaceful Saffron Revolution in Burma in 2007. Since then many monks have been arrested, forcibly disrobed, and put into jail and forced labor camps. Others have been forced into hiding. Some have fled to Thailand, while others are still hiding inside the country. While their struggle for peace and freedom goes on, the world seems to have forgotten about them. I recently spoke with Ashin Issariya, one of the leaders of the Saffron Revolution, about the current situation of the Burmese monks. [more]

Ashin Kovida answers questions about whether we should travel to Burma, international sanctions and the generals at the Burma VJ screening in Berlin, June 2010. [more]

The Best Friend Library in Mae Sot offers regular free English, Thai and computer classes for everyone who is interested. [more]

Ashin Issariya aka King Zero visits the people on the rubbish dump of Mae Sot and the near by school. [more]

Today – Friday 13th August, which is believed by some in Western countries to be an unlucky day – the long awaited election date in Burma was announced:
on 7th November of this year, Burmese people can cast their votes in what has no chance of being free or fair elections. What is The Best Friend’s opinion on these elections and what will happen in the lead up to them? [more]