Ma Lwin Lwin and her husband Ko Lu Maw Naing have been living in Nu Po refugee camp in Thailand since August 2008. Being the sister of U Gambira, one of the leaders of the 2007 Saffron Revolution, meant that Ma Lwin and her family members experienced continuous harassment and persecution from the Burmese military [...]

In Seattle, Washington, two members of The Best Friend visited the offices of U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell in order to urge the senators to add their signatures to a letter asking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to support the establishment of an international commission to investigate allegations of Crimes Against Humanity committed [...]

Ashin Issariya (King Zero), Ashin Naymeinda and Ashin Nadarciriya attended the Waso ceremony at the Sarmu Htaw School. This school currently teaches around 380 students. Many people offered robes, food, drinks and other donations to the Sangha (monks). All these will be further distributed among the monks and monasteries who need it.

Waso, the fourth month in the Burmese calendar, is usually around June / July. This is partially summer, partially rainy season in Burma. The full-moon day of Waso is very important. This is the day the Buddha was conceived in his mother’s womb and the day the Buddha renounced worldly pleasures. On this day, he [...]

King Zero (Ashin Issariya) and Ashin Naymeinda visited the people at the Relocation Site. This is the place where some families who used to live on Mae Sot’s rubbish dump, have recently started a new life. Houses were built there for them and the existing school was improved and now functions as a Learning Centre. [...]

Ashin Sopaka visited Bulgaria for the film screenings of Milena Kaneva’s films “Total Denial” and “Freedom from Fear”. Here is a short photographic impression of his trip there.

The Best Friend member Ashin Kovida used to be a teacher in Burma. He was forced to leave his country and has lived in Europe (Switzerland) ever since. He talks about the differences in education between the East and the West as he experienced it. Samarinde Tin (ST): Before you left Burma in 2006, you [...]