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The independent Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), documented in May that two incidents involving grenades and fired by soldiers wounded villagers, including children. The civilians suffered from injuries from grenades of the government’s militia, Border Guard Force, in Bo Tho Township, Papun Distict, Karen State. I In January 2013, a 23-year-old woman and her one-year-old son were wounded when a…

A Rangoon based activist was jailed by the government for his role in organizing anti-government protests with farmers, over land confiscated to make way for a copper mine. Burma Campaign UK, a human rights advocacy group based in the United Kingdom, called on the British Government last week to pressure Burma’s government to repeal all repressive laws and release all…

A Shan human rights group condemned the Burma Army for shelling a Buddhist temple in central Shan State, eastern Burma and said the government disrespects religion, except when it uses it for its own propaganda. The Shan Human Rights Foundation claim that last week Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 525 launched an artillery attack on the village of Wan…

Burma’s military has renewed offensives in Shan State this month, leading to displacement of civilians and has occupied a Buddhist temple, turning it into a military base, say local rights group. As Burma’s military attacked the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) last week, a Buddhist temple found itself in the middle of the conflict zone. On June 23, the Army sent…

Karen humanitarian groups working with a Norwegian non-government-organization, as part of the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative, plan to start its second phase of a pilot project designed to help displaced Karen people in eastern Burma. The Karen National Union’s Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), the Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD) and the Norwegian People’s Aid run…

As talks between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Burma’s military continue, displaced Kachin say that it is not yet safe to return home. Thousands of villagers in Kachin State and northern Shan State have been displaced from their homes for nearly two years due to the conflict. This is in spite of ongoing talks between the Burma Army and…

The Karen National Union (KNU) has increased its efforts to destroy marijuana plantations and the selling of illegal drugs by villagers in northern Karen State. A spokesperson from the KNU’s Mutraw District office spoke to Karen News about the drug busting campaign. The KNU spokesperson explained that that the Mutraw District office has ordered local officials to search and eliminate…

The Australia Karen Organization commemorated World Refugee Day by calling for the international community to give more support to Karen people living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Under its banner, ‘Restoring Hope’, the Australia Karen Organization (AKO) and as many as 250 people gathered in Villawood, Sydney on June 22. The celebration was attended by over 250 participants…

The Border Consortium plans to cut its food rations to the 128,000 refugees living in the nine refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border. TBC is a group of nine international NGOs that delivers food, shelter and non-food items to the refugees on the Thai Burma border. The TBC in a letter to refugee committees, camp committees and community-based-organizations, stated that…

Naw Day Wah Htoo lives in Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp on the Thai Burma border and talks to Karen News about her life living on the margins. Karen News reports. “Living in a refugee camp we are not allowed to go outside to find work. When I hear talk about refugee repatriation, I have doubts about it as…