Articles

A Karen Women’s Organisation staff member who has just returned from Nu Poe refugee camp estimated that there are as many as 200 dengue fever cases. Karen News is led to understand that two Nu Poe camp residents died in recent days from complications associated with dengue fever. In a separate incident Karen News has learnt that a 2-year-old girl…

A Burma Army officer physically assaulted four villagers from Wa Daw last week for refusing his orders to do forced labor for him. Lt.Colonel Aung Win Htun, from Column 1 is accused of beating the four villagers from Wa Daw village, located in the Myitta sub-township, Dawei District of Tenasserim Division. Eyewitnesses said the four villagers refused to be porters…

Government officials, from Nay Pyi Taw, working for the land confiscation investigation commission team and led by Dr. Htay Win were in Hpa-an last week on a fact finding mission. The investigation team met with landowners who alleged their land had been confiscated. Local farmers confirmed that the Nay Pyi Taw investigation officials called them to the Hap-an District administration…

Captain Gyi No, a Karen National Union (KNU) leader from the Tenasserim Division in southern Burma confirmed with Karen News that a Burma Army officer attacked three villagers without reason on June 5. Eyewitnesses said that the three villagers were so badly beaten that they needed hospital treatment. The KNU’s Captain Gyi No claimed the attacked was unprovoked. “The Battalion…

Following a number of reports and demands made to the Burma Army chief-of-staff for their confiscated lands to be returned to them, 70 farmers from Yay Twin Gone village tract, Twantay Township, have won the right to work their land. Local sources said that farmers have been fighting to have their confiscation land returned to them since early April. On…

Karen News has learnt that Burma Army leaders and officers in Tenasserim Division are under orders to create disagreement among the Karen National Union (KNU) leaders in Mergui-Tavoy District. A Burma Army source in the Dawei area, who requested that his name not to be used, said that orders have been received to create disagreement among KNU leaders in order…

A new report by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) raises concerns over how the Burma government’s war against the Kachin has greatly increased the risk of human trafficking along the China-Burma border, with young girls or women targeted. The report, titled ‘Pushed to the Brink’, states that the displacement of over 100,000 people over the past two years, lack…

Journalists working in Karen State claim that officials are stopping them from covering news stories, attending meeting or news events held by government departments. In the latest incident, journalists claim that on June 1 they were barred, while they were gathering news, from a meeting traffic rules and regulations held by the Karen State Land Transportation Department (Ka Nya Na)…

Padoh Kwe Htoo Win, the Karen National Union’s general secretary, in an exclusive interview with Karen News explains his organization position on development and land ownership. “Everyone wants development but when there is development, there is always a price to pay. Do you want roads, if you want roads, you will have to cut down trees. Do you want electricity,…

The Karen National Union’s general secretary, Padoh Kwe Htoo Win, in an exclusive interview with Karen News explains why now is not the right time to return refugees or displaced people. “When there is no more fighting and no more human right violations, they [displaced people] can start to rebuild their lives. Since we don’t have a concrete ceasefire, we…