Articles

Karen State Chief Minister Nan Khin Htwe Myint met for the first time with local residents opposing a coal-fired power plant at a public consultation on October 14. Around 1,500 people attended the discussion, which was held in Hpa An township’s Sasana Rama Wut Gyi monastery, including state government officials, experts, and residents from Ta Dar U, Kyauk Ta Lone,…

Amid anniversary celebrations of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, the chairperson of the Karen National Union (KNU) bemoaned the lack of progress and lingering weaknesses in the peace process. Speaking at the October 15 commemoration of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement’s two-year anniversary, KNU chair General Mutu Sae Po pointed out lingering weaknesses in the pact, which was signed by just eight…

In a rare favorable turn for migrant workers, two Myanmar nationals reported being paid thousands of baht in compensation after they were laid off by a Thai steel factory this week. Ko Tin Soe Lwin and his wife Ma Ngwe Tin were both laid off as part of an alleged staff downsizing at the Jaguar Steel Factory in Hwe Mu…

Students and teachers from refugee camps along the border and from migrant schools in Mae Sot gathered to honor their teachers on the World Teacher’s Day on the 5th October. Led by the Karen Refugee Committee Education Entity (KRCEE) and camp education officials the ceremonies were held at Mae La, Umphiem, Nupo, Mae La Oon, Mae Ra Ma Luang, Tham…

State and region officials are calling on all potential ethnic literature teachers to come forward and apply for daily wage teacher posts. To make the process that much easier, ethnic committee officials have pledged to assist potential applicants with the required paperwork. “Anyone who wants to apply should come [to my home]. They need to bring recommendation letters. They can…

The Karen National Union held an emergency meeting to try to re-energize current peace talks between Ethnic Armed Organisation and Burma’s government. KNU sources claim the peace talks have become bogged down since the much vaunted second 21st century Pang Long Peace Conference took place in May. The Karen National Union Central Standing Committee held the emergency meeting on the…

Funding cuts to Burma related groups working on the Thai-Burma border have resulted in 20% salary reduction for health workers at Mae Tao Clinic. The Clinic has run a free service for migrant, refugee and people from Burma for 28 years. Mae Tao clinic’s deputy-managing director Naw Eh Ni said that starting from the 3rd of October, staff salaries will…

Hoping to bring relief displaced Karen people whose camp no longer has a source of funding, the Karen diaspora across the border in Thailand staged an emergency fundraising benefit over the weekend. Over 100 people attended the September 30 fundraiser in Mae Sot, which brought together artists, musicians, and Karen culture organizations. International donor funding for the Ei Tu Hta…

A Karen State official is accusing some school administrators of putting up road blocks to prevent Karen language and literature classes from being offered. “The textbooks haven’t been issued yet this year. Some headmasters don’t want ethnic literature to be taught because they worry that it would affect the teaching hours,” said Saw Aye Mya, chair of Kayin State’s Karen…

Despite appeals for emergency funding, a displaced persons camp in the northern Karen State has received no additional cash and anticipates its finances have dried up by the end of September, officials said. At the beginning of September, the Ei Tu Hta IDP Camp Supporting Committee submitted letters to international donors requesting that financial support be extended. The committee told…