Karen News

By Klo Kwe Moo Kham* I shall begin by making two preliminary comments. The first is the meanings of Ba U Gyi’s three have varied in use over time and context, and all have been adopted by our leaders throughout the last seven decades in one form or another. My second comment is that selection of which strategy is suitable…

Phil Thornton one of the judges said the writing was thought provoking and covered important issues for the Karen’s current political struggle. “Many of the essays identified weaknesses in the KNU’s approach to the National Ceasefire Agreement process. Others questioned the KNU’s political structures and its capacity to handle negotiations with the Burma military use of tactics that locked Karen…

By Sa Isue In a statement released before the Union Peace Conference- 21st Century Panglong 4th meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw from August 19 to 21, the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karen National Liberal Army (KNLA) said the government by excluding northern ethnic armed groups had deviated from building a genuine peace. The KNLA…

The arrested organizers, Sa Thein Saw Min and Saw Hser Kwa Lar were taken into custody and now face charges under the notorious Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act. The Karen Peace Support Network issue a statement condemning the arrest of organizers for commemoration of 70th Karen Martyrs’ Day in Rangoon on August 12, 2020 and calling for the charges…

Despite the peaceful ceremonies police in Rangoon arrested Karen organizers of the 2020 Martyrs’ Day commemoration held in Maha Bandula Park in central of the town where many Karen people in the region joined to pay tribute to the Martyrs pillar. During the event, police turned up and arrested two of the five youth organizers, Sa Thein Zaw Min and…

The Phan Foundation said Saw Hsa Nay Thaw was nominated by KSNG who described him as “a leader with ability and skills and a role model for students. His strong commitment, good work and leadership has contributed so much in Karen society, especially in the educational field.” The ceremony and announcement of the award was delayed due to the COVID-19…

KPSN said the “family and community need to know if justice has been done for the killing. KPSN said “there are strong doubts whether the trial was fairly conducted, given the military’s earlier claims that the soldiers killed Mu Naw ‘accidentally’.” The Burma Army said on August 2, two soldiers who robbed and killed Naw Mu Naw, a mother of…

By *Myra Dahgaypaw As far back as 1949, civilians have suffered at the hands of the Tatmadaw [military]. When the country opened its borders and declared a democratic transition, civilians hoped the situation would get better, but that has given way to disappointment as the Tatmadaw continued its abuses and horrors. Respective ethnic and civilian political leaders tried to fix the…

By Naw Poe Kler Before his assassination Saw ba U Gyi instructed Karen leaders of his manifesto based around three key points: 1) armed struggle; 2) political dialogue and a negotiated settlement with the Burmese government and 3) international intervention and arrangement on the Karen peoples’ behalf. The overall objective of the competition is to pay tribute to the Karen’s…

As many as 4,650 villagers from 114 villages in Papun Township marched from Taung Thone Lone [Burma Army outpost] to KaMaMaung on July 28, 2020. This is the second protest staged by villagers following the murder of a Karen woman by two Burma Army soldiers based in the area. Local sources said the two soldiers are the in custody, but…