Following the race, at about 1pm, there will be an informal lunch providing an opportunity to hear from Zoya Phan about her experiences as a child in Burma and as a refugee now.
Zoya Phan is International Coordinator at Burma Campaign UK, a human rights organisation, and co-founder of the Phan Foundation, which provides aid for the Karen people, protects Karen culture, and promotes human rights.
She is from the Karen ethnic group. For decades the Karen have been under attack by Burma's military junta. Both her mother and father were involved in the Karen resistance movement. Her father was General Secretary of the Karen National Union.
When she was 14 years old Burmese army soldiers attacked her village, and herself and her family were forced to flee for their lives. They hid in the jungle and eventually ended up in a Thai refugee camp.
She joined Burma Campaign UK in 2005 and have met with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and other senior politicians from around the world, to urge them to take action on Burma. She is regularly featured in national and international media including BBC, CNN, ABC and Al Jazeera.
In February 2008 her father, Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan, was assassinated by agents of the Burmese military dictatorship. She is also coordinator of the European Karen Network, which brings together Karen people across Europe, and she is also on the board of Austria Burma Center, and Secretary of the Karen Community Association UK. She is also a fellow for TEDGlobal 2009.
Her autobiography “Little Daughter” was published by Simon and Schuster in April 2009.
At the lunch you will also hear from a Partners representative to learn how they are involved, and how you can help.
The lunch will be at St Stephens Comely Bank, just a few minutes walk from the race site. A map is below.
