"The Best Friend was founded in 1999 as The Best Friend Group of Literature, by two concerned monks with the purpose of encouraging people to become more educated, aware and active in the struggle for peace and freedom in Burma. The main belief is that education can open up people?s ears and eyes and is THE way to eradicate poverty. At one point, The Best Friend operated fifteen libraries inside Burma. The libraries provided both monks and laypersons access to uncensored information and literature. Apart from that, they were meeting places where people could discuss freely. The Best Friend also teaches languages, such as English, French, Japanese and Burmese. The Burmese military regime has been closely monitoring and controlling the activities of politically active people, especially since the 2007 Saffron Revolution. Many of the members and volunteers of The Best Friend were forced to leave Burma to avoid persecution. Several people, also monks, were arrested and are currently imprisoned. Simply for the crime of providing information and discussing about politics and freedom. Today, only three of the fifteen libraries are still in operation. King Zero and Ashin Sopaka, the founders of The Best Friend, moved to the Thai border town Mae Sot and opened the first Best Friend Library in Thailand in 2008. Apart from Thailand, The Best Friend has spread to many other countries in the world and has now active groups in The Netherlands, in Switzerland and Canada. It is legally registered as The Best International e.V. in Germany and is active raising awareness about the situation in Burma and giving information to people who wish to support the organization. From its new base in Thailand, The Best Friend is developing projects supporting the many Burmese refugees in the area. In 2010, the Mobile Health Care Program was launched and the Relocation Project ? to help illegal refugee families move away from the Mae Sot rubbish dump ? was set up. The Best Friend also offers many classes, such as English language classes, computer and sewing courses, Dhamma teachings and children?s classes. All teachers work voluntarily and all classes are free of charge..."