Articles

MAI JA YANG, Kachin State (Myanmar Now) – It’s nearly dinner time at the dormitory in Mai Ja Yang and teachers are busy in the kitchen, while several teenagers are lounging on benches outside the building in this Kachin rebel-controlled town on the Myanmar-China border. While some sleep or read, La Phai, 16, is strumming his guitar. He said he…

Compensation would be given to locals whose farmlands or fruit tree plantations were affected by the two power cable projects from Myawady to Mawlamyaing and Myawady to Kawkareik. The Myawady-Mawlamyaing 230 KV and Myawady-Kawkareik 66 KV power line projects is being built, some of its towers run through farmlands and plantations. Government officials have said that a committee will be…

Karen State based political parties and civil society groups said that they are not invited to take part at the state level Joint Monitoring Committee-State Level (JMC-S). The state level JMC-S was formed with 16 committee members at the headquarters of the Burma Army 22 Light Infantry Division in Hpa-an on the 29th of June, 2016. Saw Kyaw Swa, of…

The Border Consortium, a coalition of INGO’s that has administered aid to the camps for over three decades, is preparing for a pilot project that uses a card system to deliver food rations to refugee camps residents from the end of July, 2016. The food card system will begin with some households in the Nu Po and Tham Hin refugee…

The ongoing conflict in Shan and Kachin State is escalating, according to frontline humanitarian organization, Free Burma Rangers, with two civilians killed. “The Burma Army is currently engaged in an escalating conflict in both northern Shan and Kachin states. The situation has left several dead, including a 22-year-old man killed by a landmine, and others injured, such as a 39-year-old…

Delegates from ethnic political parties and women groups are to be invited to the plenary ethnic armed groups’ summit scheduled to be held from July 26 to 29 at Mai Ja Yang, Kachin State. The decision to invite ethnic political parties and the women’s groups was decided the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) and leaders from Coordination Team (CT) of…

An 11-memeber new central executive committee was voted in at the 5th Karen Youth Organization congress held on June 29 at Lay Wah (Law Khee Lar), Pa-an district in Karen State. The new elected central executive members include Saw Ler Ner as chairman, Saw Eh Soe as vice-chairman, Saw Lar Set Wah as general secretary, Saw Thoo Lei as joint…

The United Nationalities Federal Council are in discussion with the government in order to join the ongoing political dialogue, now widely known as “21st century Pinlon Conference” to be held in August, 2016. Ku Oo Reh, leader of the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) said that UNFC needs to continue discussions with the government. The Delegation for Political Negotiation led…

A group of 19 community based organizations has called for an official investigation into the destruction of religious buildings in Burma. The statement was signed on behalf of a range of ethnic and human rights groups both local and international including Burma Campaign UK, Fortify Rights, and the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand. The statement comes after a spate of…

Health workers in two refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border stopped work over non-payment of compensation and claims that they are treated unfairly by a non-government organization running hospitals in the camp. Camp residents said that on July 5th, health workers employed by Premiere Urgence – Aide Medical Internationale at Mae La and Umpheim Mai refugee camps went on strike…