Articles

The Myanmar Mahar Dana Company called a meeting to discuss with Htilon villagers their plans to build an antimony processing plant near Htilon village, Hlaingbwe Township, in Karen State. Mahar Dana chairman U Tin Soe told villagers at the meeting in Htilon village on March 24, that he wanted to build a processing plant with the agreement of the villagers…

Karen News photojournalist Saw Mort spent time with landmine casualty Saw LahKyi, a Karen National Liberation Army soldier, who lost both legs when he stepped on a mine in 2009. The Royal Thai Army estimates that the Thai Burma border is the region’s most heavily landmined and according to the 2012 Landmine Monitor Report, Karen State has the most casualties…

Between Thailand and Myanmar, the town of Mae Sot is experiencing rapid economic growth. But the story of success is a double-edged sword, with migrant workers struggling to live, even as the town gets richer. The border town of Mae Sot is undergoing an unprecedented boom, riding on Myanmar’s rapid opening up and its strategic position as a regional transport…

Farmers in Karen State have been told to apply for land concession of their farmland that were either confiscated or were sold off by officials in the previous military government before the 2010 national election. From February this year farmers can now apply to village administration offices to get back the use of their ‘stolen’ land. Farmers in Hpa-an area…

Following the murderous violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Meikhtila Town last week, a prominent Buddhist monk organization has forbid its congregation to be involved in sectarian violence. The Saffron Monk Network issued a statement last week warning the public not to take part in any violent events following the riots between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Meikhtila…

The Karen Refugees Committee has issued a statement outlining its position on the repatriation of Karen refugees on the Thai-Burma border. The KRC said that the recent political reforms in Burma that took place in 2010 “signals a ray of hope for many refugees to be able to return to their homeland.” Figures released by The Border Consortium (TBC), an…

Over 100 houses located in area near a Burma Army camp in Three Pagoda Pass Town were told by senior army officer they had to leave the area. Residents from Three Pagoda Pass Town in Karen State alleges that both an army officer from the Southeast Tactical Command and local authorities, warned residents living in the Tat Gon district, to…

The Kaw Moo Ra Karen Youth Group last week raided an island located in the middle of the Moei River and ‘detained’ suspected drug runners and seized illegal substances, ammunition and weapons. The River Moei separates Thailand from Burma. The island, known as ‘no-man’s land, sits in the middle of the river opposite the border towns of Mae Sot on…

Karen News is led to understand that the death toll from the fire that destroyed the Ban Mae Surin refugee camp has now been confirmed as 35 with one person still unaccounted for. Dr Paisarn Thanyawinitchakul, the chief of the Mae Hong Son Public Health Office, was reported in the Bankok Post, as saying that, “35 people have been confirmed…

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has confirmed today that 45 refugees were killed in a fire that tore through the Baan Mae Surin camp at around 4pm on Friday afternoon. Karen News is led to understand that most of the dead were trapped in the camp hospital. Two severely burnt refugees have been transferred to hospitals in…