Articles

A report by the frontline humanitarian organisation Free Burma Rangers has said that the war in Kachin and Shan States is escalating. The FBR said in a report dated 29 August 2016 that “clashes and infantry assaults backed by mortar attacks are now a daily occurrence, and civilians are frequently caught in the crossfire.” The FBR said in its report…

YANGON (Myanmar Now) – Last month, Phyu Phyu made a life-changing decision that few women in Myanmar dare to take in her situation: the 38-year-old mother of two left the family home in Yangon’s Thingangyun Township to escape her abusive husband. “I was hit with a broken glass, and got bruises and cuts on my head. Once I was hit…

Saw Kweh Say Karen activist, songwriter, singer, filmmaker and founding member of Karen News, died in Mae Sot at the age of 43. Kweh Say suffered from diabetes and number of other health related illnesses in recent years. His commitment to his family, Karen related issues will be missed. Kweh Say worked with Burma Issues for more than a decade…

A controversial Chinese dam project in Shan State has been given the go-ahead, as local human rights organisations warned that the development could stoke ongoing conflict in the region. The project, called Naung Pha dam, will produce 1,200 megawatts, of which 90% will be exported directly to China. Naung Pha is backed by China’s state-owned Hydrochina Company. The project has…

YANGON (Myanmar Now) – A newspaper published by the former ruling party of ex-generals has claimed that crime has sharply risen under the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and that her efforts to impose rule of law have failed. The Union Daily, a little-read publication owned by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said in an…

Three ethnic armed organizations not recognized by the previous military backed government as part of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement have said they are prepared to attend upcoming political dialogue if they are invited. The three armed groups – the Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party/ Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNTJP/MNDAA), the United League of Arakan Army/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) and…

The Karen National Union increased its efforts in its anti-narcotic crackdown saw more than 200 drug dealers and users arrested in the three months from June to August, 2016. Padoh Saw Maung Shwe, chairman of Win Yay (Woraw) Township, Dooplaya District said that the KNU is serious about taking action against the people involved in the drug trade. “Over 200…

Despite the recent change of government, displaced Karen people hold little hope for justice while Myanmar’s military maintains its presence in ethnic lands. Monsoon rains drench the cluster of small bamboo huts clinging to the sides of the Salween River bank that separates Thailand from Myanmar. The 475 leaf-roofed huts are home to 3,356 Karen people that make up the…

The NLD’s ongoing narcotics crackdown has caught many drug addicts, but health experts say they should be treated as patients, not punished. YANGON (Myanmar Now) – Several young men were standing near the entrance of Thingangyun Hospital in central Yangon on a recent July morning, waiting impatiently for a fellow drug addict to exit the facility. They had just received…

Karen students from village schools in Kungyangone Township in the Rangoon Region are to be taught their mother language, but outside official school classes. The schools that Pwo [Plone] Karen will be taught are; Taitkyi, Zuklug, Tawjyaung, Wagauttaw, Mankaleit, Kayan, Hseikyi, Kamarpar and Naung Ngu villages. The decision to teach the ethnic language was reached at the Teaching Karen Language…