We write to you urging prompt protection for Rohingya asylum seekers from Burma. Several aspects of Japan's current policy on refugee protection fail to meet international standards, and therefore are in need of revision.

Japan’s new administration should protect Burmese Rohingya asylum seekers in Japan and press Burma to end abuses against the minority group.

Australia has an often overlooked key role to play in drawing military ruled Myanmar out of its isolation, and is well placed to play a prominent supporting position in international efforts to engage the SPDC.

On October 21, 2009 Tom Malinowski, Washington Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding US policy toward Burma. Describing the new US policy as thoughtful and well balanced, Mr. Malinowski stressed the need for a disciplined, time-bound approach to any process of engagement with Burma going forward. He also affirmed the usefulness and appropriateness of targeted sanctions.

(New York, October 9, 2009) – The award of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama should encourage him to apply his stated principles to both foreign and domestic human rights policy.

We write to you about the human rights and political situation in Burma and possible changes to Australia’s policy. As the United States government concludes its review of Burma policy, we believe it is an opportune moment for other key states such as Australia to also take stock of their approach to Burma and recalibrate policies accordingly.

As the Obama administration moves forward with a new policy of increased engagement with Burma - Mr. Zaw Lwin, a U.S. citizen who often goes by the name Nyi Nyi Aung, has disappeared into a Burmese jail cell.

The UN Human Rights Council concluded its session with mixed results. The council adopted helpful resolutions on the human rights situations in Burma, Somalia, Honduras, and Cambodia and unanimously supported resolutions on freedom of expression, migrants' rights, HIV/AIDS, and access to medicines.