Karen

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Tham Hin Camp Commander Suspended After Karen Refugees Protest Harsh Punishment and ‘Taxes’ on TV, Phones, Bicycles, Motorbikes and Use of Solar Panels

Hundreds of camp residents from the Tham Hin refugee camp gathered to demand fair treatment by camp officials toward refugees after travel in and out of the camps were restricted. Refugees accused of breaking the tightened restrictions were punished by camp officials, including corporal punishment and fines. A Tham Hin camp resident spoke to Karen News (with the condition of…

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Double Standards: Government Approves 8888 Events and Burma Martyr Day Ceremony, But Quick to Arrest Karen Martyr Day Organizers – Karen Alliance Demand All Charges Dropped

The arrested organizers, Sa Thein Saw Min and Saw Hser Kwa Lar were taken into custody and now face charges under the notorious Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act. The Karen Peace Support Network issue a statement condemning the arrest of organizers for commemoration of 70th Karen Martyrs’ Day in Rangoon on August 12, 2020 and calling for the charges…

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Karen Groups Demand Justice for Murdered Villager and an End to Military Impunity

Naw Mu Naw, a 40 years old and mother of three, from Po Lo Hta village in Papun (Mutraw) district in the Northern Karen State, was shot and killed at her home by two Burma army soldiers who also stole her jewellery. The two soldiers, identified as private Than Soe Lwin and Hein Min Htet from Ku Thu Hta (Hla…

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Karen Don Dance Proposed for UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage Recognition

The decision to submit the Don dance, a traditional dance of the Karen people was made after a meeting of department heads of the Karen State government and community leaders committed to the preservation of Karen culture. The proposal will be submitted to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Union Parliament) that will receive all nominations – one each from different States and…

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Karen State Records 200,000 More Voters Eligible for 2020 Elections – But More Villages Want the Right to Vote

Karen State Election Commission data for the period between January 2019 to January 2020 showed the total of eligible voters registered as 1,100,000 – excluding eligible voters in the military. Sa Kyaw Swa, vice chairperson of the Karen National Democratic Party (KNDP) in Kyainseikgyi Township told Karen News people in his area were excluded from the two previous elections. “In…

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Karen Peace Park Wins UN’s 2020 Equator Prize

The United Nations Development Program awarded the prestigious Equator Prize to the Salween Peace Park for their landscape conservation works. The Salween Peace Park is a community-led initiative, empowers local Indigenous communities by revitalizing their traditional practices, asserting their rights, and managing their natural resources. The Equator Prize was established by the United Nations Development Program in 2002 and is…

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Sued Karen Environmental Activist To Fight His Case

Saw Tha Boe, a Karen environmental activist who was sued and charged with defamation against the State by Hpa-An Township court says he will fight the case to prove he did not break the law. On March 6, local police went to arrest Saw Tha Boe, who works for Karen River Watch, by going to his house, but he was…

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RIP – PADOH SAW EH KALU SHWE OO – (1955-2020)

Respected Health Worker Loses Battle with Cancer Padoh Saw Eh Kalu Shwe Oo, a department head of the Karen National Union, passed away on February 8 at 12:49 PM at his home on the Thai-Burma border. Padoh Saw Eh Kalu Shwe Oo, aged 65, died after suffering from liver cancer, according to his eldest son, Saw K’ser Mu Khah, who…

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Burma’s Indigenous Karen Communities Move to Protect Rivers, Forests

Communities in rural Karen State don’t refer to climate change by name, but they have experienced its negative impacts and are responding. At the foot of Maw Law Ei Mountain, the highest peak in eastern Myanmar’s Karen State, increasing temperatures, drought and extreme weather events, such as flash-flooding, have become common. Members of the indigenous groups that make up the…

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Grassroots Karen Women Groups Call for Genuine Reforms and More Involvement in Burma Politics

Karen women’s groups called for more women to be involved in Burma’s federal political and Karen National Union elections. The call was made in a statement issued after the 4th Grassroots Karen Women Seminar held during the last week of October, 2019. The statement called for the abolishment of the 2018 Vacant Fellow and Virgin land law and for widespread…

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