Karen

Thousands of Karen refugees on the Thai Burma border have been resettled in the United States. Nickel City Smiler follows the ups and downs of Smiler Greely, a refugee, as he battles to carve out a new life for his family in Buffalo, New York State. Victoria Jack and Saw Blacktown review the documentary for Karen News. After escaping horrific…

Despite a ceasefire agreement between the Karen National Union and the Burma government and endless rounds of dead-end peace-talks, the Burma Army continues to consolidate and reinforce its military bases in Karen State. Many observers fear the government is ‘playing’ peace politics with the KNU and other ethnic groups while it continues to militarize the ethnic states readying them for…

The independent Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), documented in May that two incidents involving grenades and fired by soldiers wounded villagers, including children. The civilians suffered from injuries from grenades of the government’s militia, Border Guard Force, in Bo Tho Township, Papun Distict, Karen State. I In January 2013, a 23-year-old woman and her one-year-old son were wounded when a…

Karen humanitarian groups working with a Norwegian non-government-organization, as part of the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative, plan to start its second phase of a pilot project designed to help displaced Karen people in eastern Burma. The Karen National Union’s Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), the Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD) and the Norwegian People’s Aid run…

The Karen National Union (KNU) has increased its efforts to destroy marijuana plantations and the selling of illegal drugs by villagers in northern Karen State. A spokesperson from the KNU’s Mutraw District office spoke to Karen News about the drug busting campaign. The KNU spokesperson explained that that the Mutraw District office has ordered local officials to search and eliminate…

The Australia Karen Organization commemorated World Refugee Day by calling for the international community to give more support to Karen people living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Under its banner, ‘Restoring Hope’, the Australia Karen Organization (AKO) and as many as 250 people gathered in Villawood, Sydney on June 22. The celebration was attended by over 250 participants…

As the world commemorates refugee week, in Thailand’s largest refugee camp ethnic Karen refugees who fled conflict in Burma struggle with homesickness, discrimination and apprehension of what they’ll find when they return over the border. Ma Tway considers the uncertainty of her future, takes a long stare into nothing, before answering, “living in a Mae La refugee camp has been…

A Karen Women’s Organisation staff member who has just returned from Nu Poe refugee camp estimated that there are as many as 200 dengue fever cases. Karen News is led to understand that two Nu Poe camp residents died in recent days from complications associated with dengue fever. In a separate incident Karen News has learnt that a 2-year-old girl…

Karen News has learnt that Burma Army leaders and officers in Tenasserim Division are under orders to create disagreement among the Karen National Union (KNU) leaders in Mergui-Tavoy District. A Burma Army source in the Dawei area, who requested that his name not to be used, said that orders have been received to create disagreement among KNU leaders in order…

The Karen National Union’s general secretary, Padoh Kwe Htoo Win, in an exclusive interview with Karen News explains why now is not the right time to return refugees or displaced people. “When there is no more fighting and no more human right violations, they [displaced people] can start to rebuild their lives. Since we don’t have a concrete ceasefire, we…