Ashin Gambira, who is serving a 63-year sentence for leading the peaceful protests, known as the Saffron Revolution, in 2007 started a hunger strike on May 27. He is one of four political prisoners in Burma’s remote Kale prison that have addressed a letter to Burma’s Minister of Home Affairs, U Ko Ko.

This past Tuesday we met (and surpassed) our fundraising goal for our Shan State Earthquake Relief Project! Our goal was to raise 45,000 baht ($1,500) for two local non-governmental organizations operating in the affected area, but our current total now stands at 63,624 baht ($2,120)!!

ExPPACT (Ex-Political Prisoners – Advocacy Counselling and Training) was envisaged as an organisation in early 2010, becoming fully operational in December 2010, by ex-political prisoners (Ex-PPs) who have fled Burma into Thailand.

Around 30 Burmese students received a certificate for successfully completing a basic Thai class at our Library & free education Center in Mae Sot.

The Best Friend Library is presenting a retrospective exhibit from the MY STORY photo project by photographers on the Thai-Burma border and from inside Burma at MuMu Arthouse in Chiang Mai.

“Nothing has really changed so far. Fear is still everywhere. As long as the people feel this fear, we can not say there has been any real change in the country,” Aung San Suu Kyi said at a live discussion about ‘The Future of Burma’ via telephone with students of the Hertie School of Governance [...]

Free Libraries & Free schools, Our work on the dump, Peace Campaign and Health Care Program (mobile). The Best Friend operates free libraries in Burma and Thailand. The libraries offer free internet access and literature, books, research reports, news magazines, films and other materials for English speakers as well as books in Burmese and Burmese-minority [...]