Karen News

As the world celebrates Christmas, villagers in northern Burma have fled their their homes in fear Burma Army attacks. Burma Army offensives are underway in northern Shan State, with reports of a village being torched and civilians being used as forced labourers and guides. The Shan Human Rights Foundation, an ethnic community based organisation monitoring human rights abuses in Shan…

A humanitarian aid organisation said that Burma Army offensives during October and November have displaced more than 10,000 civilians,. The Free Burma Rangers, delivers medical aid and monitors conflict areas inside Burma, recorded 92 new armed clashes in parts of Northern Shan and Western Kachin State over the last two months, including attacks by Government aircraft, heavy artillery, and armoured…

YANGON (Myanmar Now) — When Myanmar’s current parliament first convened in 2011 following a flawed general election, most observers and opposition members expected it to be a rubber stamp for the army and the newly installed civilian government of ex-generals. As with so much of Myanmar’s democratic transition, its performance has been a surprise. Lawmakers soon began to actively debate,…

Six men have been charged over printing a 2016 calendar which used the term Rohingya, leading to condemnation from a prominent human rights organisation. The calendar, printed in November of this year, referred to Rohingya as an ethnic group of Burma, and was printed in three languages – Burmese, English and Arabic. In all several hundred copies of the calendar…

Health professionals on the Thai Burma border have warned that people are still at risk from dengue fever because of the unusually warm weather and late rains that have allowed the aedes mosquito to continue to breed. Ms. Aya Tabata, coordinator of the Stop Dengue, Protect Your Family campaign urged people to continue to take precautions. “People need to get…

More than 300 farmers from different parts of Shan State gathered to honour the memory of a fellow farmer, Loong Sarm, who was shot and killed by Burmese Government soldiers on October 13. Loong Harm, 54, was travelling alongside 14 others to monitor mining operations in Loi Kham area close to his village when he was shot in the leg…

A coalition of Shan community based organisations has accused the Burmese Government of committing ‘war crimes’ in the ongoing Shan State conflict. At a press conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, more than 30 Shan community organisations, including Shan Human Rights Foundation, said that Burmese Government soldiers had engaged in the “shootings and rape of villagers.” “[Government] troops have been launching…

The Phan Foundation has officially announced its acceptance of nominees for the 8th annual Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award – the closing date is on January 31, 2016. The Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award is given annually to Karen community workers who work in health, education, social or cultural areas. According to the Foundation’s criteria, nominees should be…

Thailand’s public health officials have reported that 2015 was the worst year for dengue fever in more than 20 years. Thailand’s Ministry of disease control estimates that 116 people died and as many as 123,168 cases of dengue fever were detected up until the end of November 2015. Sophon Mekthon, deputy director-general at the Ministry of Public Health said in…

Refugee camp officials on the Thai Burma are hugely concerned that suicides among camp residents are climbing. Saw Pha Htaw, social affair coordinator for Mae La refugee camp said that the rise in the suicide rate in Mae La camp this year is now causing a lot of concern. Speaking to Karen News, Saw Pha Htaw said. “We have seen…