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Since December, Burma Army’s use of helicopter gunships and jets to support ground offensives against Kachin Independence Army (KIA), with civilians being killed in the crossfire. New offensives
have opened in Lajayang, Pang Wa, and Nam San Yang. The humanitarian organisation, Free Burma Rangers (FBR), which delivers aid to IDP’s in the area of conflict, says attacks have occurred in Hpum…

President U Thein Sein invitated a Karen National Union delegation to Naypyidaw to meet with key government ministers, including the vice president Sai Mauk Kham and the military chief, Vice-Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The KNU delegation led by General Mutu Say Poe, the KNU chairman, met for two days, from the 5th to the of 6th January, with President…

The United Nationalities Federal Council says they have come to a common agreement and are now prepared to help the Kachin if the government troops do not stop their offensive in Kachin State. The alliance group made the public statement at a press conference held on the Thai-Burma border saying they have agreed on ways of helping Kachin from their…

Ashin Pinnya Thami, the head monk from Taunggalay, sent a special Karen New Year blessing to all Karen people. In his public statement Ashin Pinnya Thami said. “Today is the national New Year Day for all the Karen people. Today, the inherent nature of the entire Karen Nation can be seen in the features and characteristics of our race.” Ashin…

First use of airstrikes by the government in twenty years raises prospect of increased numbers of civilian deaths in conflict areas – community groups condemned air strikes. The Burma Army’s appalling human rights abuses, especially in the conflict zones of ethnic states is well documented by international humanitarian groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International On 2 January 2013,…

The Karen Women Action Group, a community-based women’s group working out of Rangoon gave its approval for the issues the Karen National Union raised in its meeting with the government and its key ministers, including the president and the head of the country’s army. Naw Susana Hla Hla Soe, director of KWAG spoke to Karen News. “We are pleased to…

A Karen National Union delegations met with Vice-Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the Defense Ministry and the Tatmadaw (Burma Army), in the country’s capital, Naypyidaw, to talk about the need for nationwide ‘concrete ceasefire agreements’ between all ethnic armed groups and the government. Padoh Mahn Mahn, joint secretary of the KNU and a member of its delegation…

The 2013 Karen New Year celebrations will be first. It will be the first time, the Karen people and its political organisdation, the Karen National Union (KNU) will celebrate the Karen New Year in a government controlled area. This was made possible when the KNU and the government reached cease-fire agreement last year. The Karen New Year 2752 celebrations in…

Villagers in the east of Dawei, Southern Burma are protesting the building of a dam that will destroy their villages and force them to be relocated. More than 400 villagers from five villages from east of Tavoy, in southern Burma gathered in their village and held a prayers service. The villagers, both Buddhist and Christians prayed for the Htee Ler…

Naing Han Tha, a spokesperson for a key ethnic alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council compared the attacks on the Kachin by the Burma government’s military as an attack on all ethnic people in the country. Naing Han Tha, the general secretary of the UNFC told Karen News that its members are opposed to the government’s attacks on the Kachin.…