Karen State

Karen people have started to make their annual pilgrimage to the Karen National Liberation Army 7th Brigade’s headquarter in Hpa-an district to commemorate the 66th Anniversary of the beginning of its resistance against the former Burma military regime. The Karen Resistance Day falls on 31st January and is celebrated every year in Karen National Union controlled territory. This year, the…

Primary school students from Htee Klo Thaw village in Hlaingbwe Township will be starting the 2015 academic year in a new school. The Karen Community Based Network Group is finalizing the school construction project to have it ready for the students. The KCBNG, are based in the East Dawna Ranges, began its school construction project in November 2014 with funding…

The United Nation High Commission for Refugees and the Thai Ministry of Interior are planning a joint exercise to verify refugee population in the nine camps along the Thai-Burma border in January, according to sources from camp service providers. Saw Robert Htwe, chairperson of the Karen Refugee Committee confirmed to Karen News about the planned verification process. “The UNHCR and…

As many as 2,000 people joined the celebration of Karen New Year of 2754 and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army’s 20th formation day that was organized at DKBA’s Sone Si Myaing headquarter in Karen State. Karen villagers, representatives from political parties, Karen State government officials and civil society groups attended the Karen New Year celebration that falls on the 21st…

A report by the Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic, has found the Burma Army guilty of ‘war crimes’ constituting ‘crimes against humanity’ in Karen State. The result of a four-year investigation, the report said there was ample evidence of government forces committing human rights abuses including the torture, rape and executions of civilians during a three year military…

During a conference for tourism representatives, the Karen State Chief Minister said the state government would spend 80million kyat to solve the insufficient drinking water problems facing Thandaung Gyi Township in Karen State. Thandaung Gyi Township representative, Saw Taw Palae, said the Chief Minister of the state responded to do a request made by local representatives of Thandaung Tourism Development…

With the support of the US Embassy in Myanmar, a two-year English Access Micro scholarship Program was recently launched in Hpa-an. The opening ceremony took place at Thumaydarama Kyartawya School in Hpa-an on December 04, 2014. Local teachers pleased with the new scholarship said that the project would help local children to learn English. “The purpose of this training course…

To increase their respective chances at the 2015 elections three Karen political parties have agreed to work together to avoid unnecessary competition between them at the polls. The three Karen political parties, the Karen State Democracy and Development Party (KSDDP), the Karen Democratic Party (KDP) and the Kayin People’s Party (KPP) formalized its alliance in Hpa-an on November 22, 2014.…

A Hla Ka Myin village leader is determined that the population of voting aged people in his area are verified and ready to vote in the 2015 Election in Karen State. The village elder, Saw Htay Kyaw Myo, told Karen News that he began the verification process on November 13, 2014. “In gathering data, the first and most crucial thing…

The Plone-Sawow Democratic Party (PSDP), a Karen State based political party said that their request to lift a voting decree in 147 polling areas of Karen State for the 2015 national election had been refused by Burma’s Union Election Commission (UEC). The 147 areas were deemed by the UEC to be ‘unsafe’ as they were in areas affected by armed…