Karen News

A report by FE 5 Tanintharyi, a local research group, found that junta airstrikes more than tripled in July, rising to 25 from just 8 in June. Aid workers said the rise in IDPs in Tanintharyi Region in July was driven not only by the surge in junta airstrikes but also by ground operations, arrests and killings of civilians, and…

In early August, before fuel deliveries from Myanmar’s mainland to Myawaddy were suspended, a liter of petrol cost around 3,500 MMK. By August 18, the price had surged to approximately 10,000 MMK per liter. “Petrol at fuel shops in Myawaddy, which once cost around 3,500 MMK per litre, now sells for up to 10,000 MMK per litre. Some people travel…

Since August 5, the trucks have been parked at a depot in Mae Sot, a Thai border town, awaiting permission to enter Myanmar, a trader said. “Entry of Thai goods through Friendship Bridge 2 has been suspended after senior military and civilian officials were arrested by the junta for allowing trucks to cross the Thanlwin River Bridge in Hpa-An. The…

Trucks transporting goods from Myawaddy were repeatedly stopped and extorted by both junta checkpoints and various armed groups along the route, forcing operators to halt operations as the business became economically unviable. “These days, it costs about 10 million MMK to go from Myawaddy to Hpa-An City, whereas it used to be around 5 million MMK,” a truck driver told…

August 12 will mark the 75th anniversary of Karen Martyrs’ Day, and an airstrike warning was issued in Brigade 7 territory ahead of the day. On August 10, a junta Y-12 utility aircraft bombed areas around the Brigade 7 headquarters between 7:47 pm and 8:00 pm, dropping 20 bombs in six bombing rounds. “The aircraft circled the area, dropping a…

With international humanitarian aid cutoff, food supplies to refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border have been suspended since early August. The financial support for health workers aims to restart stalled health services in these camps. The Tak Province Public Health Department, in collaboration with volunteer organizations and some hospitals, will provide 2,500 THB per month to each of the 80…

At around 9:00 pm on August 5, a landslide struck Ward 1 of Thandaung Town in Thandaunggyi Township, killing all four members of a family, including two children aged 4 and 9. Another landslide claimed the life of a local man in Ward 3 of Thandaung Town, while additional landslides near the Thaukyaekhat Stream in Thandaunggyi Township killed three more…

In July, clashes erupted between junta troops and resistance forces near an undisclosed village in Wai Htoo Village Tract. Following the fighting, junta troops entered the village and set homes on fire. According to an August 1 statement from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), the arson attack destroyed 39 houses, leaving only 4 intact. The residents of the village…

In April, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied resistance groups seized control of the main highway between Kyondoe and Kawkareik towns. However, in the last week of July, the junta launched an offensive and regained control of that road section. During the clashes, many residents of Kyondoe Town took refuge as IDPs in Yoemahar and Kyarkalay villages in…

On July 29, junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing promulgated the ‘Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic Elections from Obstruction, Disruption and Destruction,’ comprising 8 chapters and 32 sections. The Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM), representing media agencies and journalists in Myanmar, abroad, and in ethnic regions, has criticized the junta’s laws and restrictions as a growing threat…