Articles

Karen leaders say they were threatened by gunmen when they visited rock quarries on the foothill of Lun Nya Mountain in Hpa-an Township, last week. Lun Nya Village Youth Group’s chair Saw Khite Khite told Karen News that 13 people from the village including him and a monastery donor went to the foothill of Lun Nya Mountain to observe the…

Complaint letters received by Karen State parliament related to land issues dominated all other concerns over the 10-month period from January to October 2017. A government official responsible for receiving the complaint letters said that 54 complaint letters were received by the related government committee. U Saw Hla Myint, a Member of the Karen State Parliament and Chairperson of the…

Dr. Cynthia’s Mae Tao Clinic is struggling to keep helping patients as donors to the Thai-Burma border stop funding. Mae Tao Clinic is appealing for help as funding cuts from donors are impacting their operations. The Clinic provides free healthcare to the displaced and vulnerable people of Burma, including refugees and migrants along the Thai-Burma border. Mae Tao Clinic is…

In one Karen State township, ethnic literature teachers are seeing a windfall of cash thanks to a donation from the Karen National Union’s education wing. The Karen Education Department (KED) provided funds to support 473 village-appointed teachers and ethnic literature teachers in the Win Yaw area under Kya-in Seikgyi township for the 2017-2018 academic year. The donation ceremony was held…

The 62nd Annual Karen State Day ceremony opened in Hpa-An on 7 November. The event, which will run until 11 November, includes a fair with games and food vendors, Karen cultural displays, and various competitions such as traditional dance, badminton, boxing, and cane-ball. The event started with a speech by the Karen State Chief Minister Nan Khin Htwe Myint, in…

Over 100 Karen youth leaders from Karen and Mon states, as well as Bago, Tanintharyi and Yangon regions gathered in the past week at a networking event to discuss how ethnic youth can get involved in the peace process and work together more closely. In the hopes of rallying young leaders and future negotiators, the Karen Youth Organization (KYO) and…

Karen organizations are accusing the government of abusing the ceasefire process to take advantage of investment opportunities with little regard for potential consequences to the environment or the local population. The latest iteration of the long-standing complaint was lodged by handful of groups after the Kawthoolei Land Seminar on November 2-4. Over 370 participants representing 53 Karen organizations attended the…

The Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) is prepared to assist the Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS) in a nationwide drive to vaccinate children against Japanese encephalitis, and even lead efforts in areas controlled by armed ethnic organizations. The ministry’s nationwide Japanese encephalitis vaccination drive, which aims to immunize 14 million children in Burma against the potentially deadly…

A Norwegian and a Thai company have joined with the Karen State Rubber Production Association to build a rubber refinery in the Hpa-an industrial zone. U Wing Hlaing Oo, head of the Karen State Agricultural Department said that the Norwegian’s Nyor Company, the Thai Southland Company, and the Karen State Rubber Production Association plan to invest in and build the…

Amid increasing quarrying projects that threaten to destroy the natural environment, residents have banded together to form a conservation network protecting mountains in Karen and Mon states. The Natural Mountain Conservation Network will work to conserve four mountains: Mi Kayin, Taung Kalay (Taung Kone) and Lun Nya mountains in Karen State and Min Lwin Mountain in Mon State, members said.…