human rights

Villagers living in the Tandaung Township, Taungoo District accuse Burma Army soldiers of demanding of them force labor and threatening their ability to earn a living. A villager (who security reasons is not named) told Karen News that Burma Army battalions under Division 66 ordered seven villagers from Kaw Thay Der to use their motorcycles to deliver army rations to…

The issue of political prisoners in Burma is still critical, with arrests and government intimidation ongoing, claims a prominent activist organization. The activist organization Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has accused the Burma government, led by its President Thein Sein, a former Burma Army general, of ignoring basic civil and political rights with impunity. The current political situation in…

The Karen Women Organization held a ceremony to honor the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012 by celebrating their victories and at the same time vowed to continue their fight for the emergence of legal protection and a guarantee of protection of women against violence. Naw Dah Eh Kler, secretary of the KWO spoke to Karen News. “Now in…

The Karen Women Organization issued a media statement late last night condemning the attempted rape of a 22-year-old mother who was “viciously attacked yesterday by two soldiers of the Burma Army on Sunday this week.” The KWO told Karen News that they have taken the young woman into their care. The KWO statement alleged the two soldiers attempted to rape…

Two soldiers from the Burma Army attempted to rape a Karen woman in a location near the Thai border village of Mulu Chai [opposite Thay Baw Boe village on the Burma side], Phophra district in Tak province, Thailand. On 5th of March 2012 at about 4 pm, two men Burma Army soldiers abducted a 22-year- old Karen woman on a…

A report by the Karen Human Rights Group accuses the Burma Army of extorting, forced labour and bribes from villagers in the Toungoo district. The report placed civilians into two categories. Those that lived in areas under Burma Army control, and those that didn’t. According to statistics released by the KHRG, civilians in the former category were much more likely…

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burma, released a statement last week that highlighted the challenges facing the impoverished country. He cautiously stated that the West should be encouraged by recent gestures of reform “there has been a continuing wave of reforms in Myanmar, the speed and breadth of which has surprised many international observers…

Burma Army battalions operating in the Tantabin Township, Taungoo District, Karen State area have forced villagers to work daily on a rotation to supply frontline bases. A local villager told Karen News that Light Infantry Battalions 376, 541, 540 and 380, under the Military Operation Command 9, have been since the first week of November 2011 until now been forcing…

Reports by human rights groups accuse the Burma Army of ongoing abuses including rape, torture and murder. The recent visit in November by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was supposed to nudge Burma’s military leadership towards reform. But the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) claims that Burma’s political reforms are almost meaningless whilst human rights continue to be widely…

Villagers say Burma Army units operating in the Amo in Palaw Township of Tenasserim Division area have imposed a night curfew order on local villagers in the area, beginning on December 7th. The order was issued by the Burma Army Tactical Operation Command #3, led by Commander Colonel Soe Min Htay and based in the Amo area. The Commander summoned…