Karen News

The World Health Organisation classifies dengue as one of the leading causes of serious illness and death in children. WHO has listed dengue as the world’s fastest growing mosquito-borne disease and reports that almost half the world’s population is at risk. Health workers at Mae Tao Clinic, located in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, are running a campaign…

Four political parties are preparing to contest an up-coming by-election in Karen State at the end of the year. The parties contesting the election are the Plone-Swor Democratic Party (PSDP), Karen Democratic Party (KDP), National League for Democratic Party (NLD) and The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). “Currently, for advanced preparation, the PSDP party is still working under the…

August 12 marks the Karen Martyrs’ Day and its people scattered around the world take time to honor and remember those who died for freedom. Every year Karen leaders, soldiers and civilians commemorate the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the cause of the Karen people under successive Burma military regimes. Karen civilians and leaders from Karen National…

In an interview with Karen News, Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, deputy leader of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), said that an agreement had been reached with the Burma government to establish a federal union. He added that the agreement would guarantee the equality of nationality and rights to self-determination through future political dialogue. “We have reached the agreement…

Schools run by the Karen Education Department (KED) on the Karen State border with Thailand, are facing a massive shortage of teaching materials. Saw Law Eh Moo, the Secretary of the KED, in an interview with Karen News said the education system does not have enough teachers, books or funds. “KED’s does not have enough curriculum materials for students and…

The chatter of four teenaged Buddhist monks dressed in bright saffron robes breaks the silence of the morning peace, as they walk hand in hand the short distance from the Wat Nong Bua Burapha temple to a cluster of ramshackle buildings known as the New Blood School. Located in Nong Bua village on the outskirts of the Thai-Myanmar border town…

The Karen National Union’s, secretary 1, Padoh Saw Thaw Thi Bweh told Karen News that unless the situation in Burma guarantees refugees safety, their dignity and is conducted according to international humanitarian guidelines any return at the moment is not appropriate. In an interview with Karen News, Padoh Saw Thaw Thi Bweh, Secratry of the Karen National Union, warned that…

In an exclusive interview with Karen News, Ms Charm Tong, a founder of the Shan Women’s Action Network, expressed grave concerns over ongoing Burma Army offensives in Shan State in areas of supposed ceasefire, and criticised the international community for not applying more pressure on the government to stop its offensives. “There are three thousand Burma Army soldiers in Shan…

Community health workers in the Thai border town of Mae Sot have developed a health education campaign under the banner of Stop Dengue – Protect Your Family! Health workers said that the aim of the campaign is to combat the spread of the mosquito borne infection among the region’s migrant workers. Ms Aya Tabata, a project officer with the Japanese…

The New York based Human Rights Watch has issued a media statement urging the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, to use his forthcoming visit to Burma to pressure the government to put the “country’s deteriorating rights situation” back on its reform agenda. HRW said in its statement released to the media on 7th August that it had serious concerns…