Karen News

Following intense media speculation, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, released a media statement on Thursday 17 July in an attempt to cool speculation that the refugee camps on the Thai Burma border were about to be closed and residents sent back to Burma. The MFA’s press release highlighted four main points and underlined that a recent meeting between Thailand and…

A United Nations working group warns that the detention of an ethnic Kachin activist is illegal. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an official ruling that the 21-year prison sentence of the ethnic Kachin activist, Brang Yung, is illegal and demanded his immediate release from Myitkina prison where he is incarcerated. Brang Yung was charged under Article…

The Women’s League of Burma, an umbrella group representing 13 women’s organizations in Burma has said that a culture of “systemic impunity” to rape exists in the Burma Army. The Women’s League of Burma (WLB) issued a statement citing the harassment of Chin women activists by authorities for their involvement in protests calling for greater women’s rights and an end…

Five journalists from Burma’s Unity Journal have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for ‘disclosing state secrets,’ – Amnesty International warned that it was a “dark day for freedom of expression” in Burma. The five Unity Journal journalists were arrested between the 31st of January and the 1st of February following their involvement in an investigative report on an…

When three villagers from rural Myanmar visited Tokyo earlier this month they came equipped with an unusual itinerary. Rather than spend time exploring the city’s urban jungle, the first trip any of them made out of Southeast Asia was to hand-deliver a complaint letter to the obscure compliance department of Japan’s overseas aid coordinator, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).…

Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has reached an agreement with the commander-in-chief of Burma’s military to repatriate the 120,000 refugees on the Thai Burma border. The agreement has alarmed human rights experts and has increased refugees concerns, with uncertainty as to exactly when and where the refugees will go and how their safety can be guaranteed. Head…

Officials from Burma, Laos and Cambodia gave their support to new Thai labor policies on regulating migrant workers. The new policies drafted by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) are intended to reduce problems and protect workers’ rights and conditions. The Bangkok Post cited Laos’ ambassador to Thailand Mr Ly Bounkham who was speaking last week at the…

The Shan Human Rights Foundation, a community based human rights organisation, claims that since June 11th the Burma Army has been attacking civilians and is contravening its ceasefire agreement with the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N). The SHRF alleged that the Burma Army had deployed nearly 2,000 soldiers in attacks against the SSA-N in Kehsi and Murng Hsu townships, Shan State…

Burma is arguably the worst offender of minority rights in Asia, according to the latest report by Minority Rights Group International (MRG). The Minority Rights Group annual report documented “disturbing levels of violence and propaganda against minorities” across Asia but singled out Burma as perhaps the worst place for minority groups where hate crimes were a “daily reality.” MRG noted…

A British human rights advocacy group claims the Burma Government has failed to live up to its pledge to end sexual violence, as authorities arrest women leaders protesting against rape. Human rights advocacy group, Burma Campaign UK, has hit out at the Burma Government for making “zero” progress on ending sexual violence, one month on from the government’s decision to…