Karen News

A KNU statement released on January 26, said military attacks by the Burma Army and its sponsored militia, the Border Guard Force (BGF) since the February 1st 2021 military coup, has been daily. The Burma Army and its militia have focus attacks on local Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) units, and in doing so,…

Citing the increase in both exports and imports through the Myawaddy – Mae Sot route, the Ministry of Commerce, under the control of SAC, reported trade reached USD$705.627 million in just three and a half months, from 1 October 2021 to 14 January 2022. The report stated that the total trade value in the same period during the previous year…

The pandemic is far from ending and as new variants of the virus emerge and spread around the world, healthcare providers working for migrant communities, including Mae Sot General Hospital, Mae Tao Clinic and Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU), are stepping up their awareness raising campaign of the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 to reduce the risk of being…

The farmer explained to Karen News the recent increase in costs associated with farming is creating hardship – fuel costs have tripled. “Price have increased a lot in recent days. Fuel is now more than 7,000 kyats (about USD$ 4) a gallon. Before, we could use 2,000 Kyat (about USD$ 1.5) worth of fuel for the whole day. Now, we…

The statement issued on January 20, by Karen, Karenni, and Chin Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) demanded international governments, ASEAN and UN establish safe zones for the protection of civilians and to declare military no-fly zones in Burma where the military has ordered airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting civilian areas. In response to the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy’s proposal to send…

By Tha Dah Soe In the wild grassland on the banks of the Moei River, that separates Thailand from Burma, clusters of small makeshift huts with plastic sheet roofing huddle under the shade of bamboo groves or tall bushes. Pick-up trucks, tractor-trucks and motorbikes are covered in dust and now parked idle in the harvested corn fields near the temporary…

In a recent meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Burma, Noeleen Heyzer, on January 17, 2022, media reported Thailand’s Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, said displaced villagers would be able to return to their country on a voluntary basis. The recent fighting in Lay Kay Kaw areas south of Myawaddy Town resulted in more than 10,000 villagers…

The displaced villagers fled the attacks with only what they could carry, leaving cooking utensils and warm clothing behind. The villagers now sheltering in makeshift shelters rely on meal packs prepared by Burmese farmers living on the Thai side of the border. A displaced villager Daw Tin Tin (not her real name), told Karen News the conditions are made more…

Colonel Saw Htoo K’Shaw, Tactical Commander of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 5 said the Burma Army had suffered heavy casualties in its clashes with Karen troops and this had caused its rank and file soldiers to withdraw from battle. Colonel Saw Htoo K’Shaw told Karen News; “The casualties [Burma Army] on the front lines are high. Because…