Articles

Karen community-based organizations have issued media statements raising concerns about the recent decision of the Karen National Union to sign a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the Burma government. The Karen Peace Support Network (KNSP), a coalition of community based groups and the International Karen Organization (IKO) both sent open letters to KNU expressing their alarm that it had taken the…

Major General Nerdah Bo Mya, head of the Karen National Defence Organisation in an exclusive interview with Karen News said that moves to sign a nationwide Ceasefire Agreement is worthless unless all ethnic armed groups are included. General Nerdah stressed that peace must be based on equality and justice and that a nationwide ceasefire is worthless unless there is a…

Shan community representatives presented 23,717 signatures opposing the construction of plans to dams the Salween River to the Australian company doing the environmental and social impact assessments (EIA/SIA) for the Mong Ton dam in southern Shan State. The Shan community representatives delivered their petition to the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) offices in Yangon. The Mong Ton dam is the…

The ethnic armed organizations representatives have reached the end of the nationwide ceasefire agreement process following a three-day meeting in the Thai Northern city of Chiang Mai. The meeting held from August 21 to 24 resulted in the appointment of a new delegation of eight members to meet with President U Thein Sein and General Min Aung Hlaing in Nay…

Burma’s Parliament has passed controversial laws regulating religion and marriage, amid concern from human rights organisations that the laws further isolate minorities. “Parliament has not only shown disregard for basic human rights norms, but turned up the heat on Burma’s tense inter-communal relations and potentially put an already fragile transition at risk, with landmark elections right around the corner,” Phil…

Two senior members of the Karen State’s National League for Democracy resigned from the party to join the newly formed Karen Party. According to a Karen state NLD official, Saw Poe Wah, vice chairman of NLD Karen State, and Saw K’lue Htaw, administrative committee member from Hpa-an district resigned and will contest as representatives of the Karen National Party (KNP)…

For the second year running the Burma’s government allowed Karen people to commemorate their Martyrs’ Day in Rangoon. The 65th Karen Martyrs’ Day was held at the Judson Hall on August 12, 2015. This year’s event organized by Karen youth groups packed out the Judson Hall including representatives of the Karen National Union. Organisers said many people did not attend…

In August 2011, at Mae Sot General Hospital, a mother found herself facing a choice no parent should have to make. She had given birth three days earlier and walked seven hours from her home in eastern Burma to seek medical treatment for her sick newborn daughter, Naut Naut, leaving her husband and other infant daughter at home. She went…

The Karen National Union has decided to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, despite the other members of the ethnic armed group’s alliance, having not yet made their positions known. The KNU decision was reached at its Central Committee Emergency meeting held on August 14 and 15 at Lay Wah, Pa-an District, Karen State. Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, general secretary…

The Burma Army is continuing with concerted military offensives in ethnic areas says a report by the frontline humanitarian organisation, Free Burma Rangers. Burma Army soldiers attacked Mali Yang in Northern Shan State and villagers have reported human rights abuses including torture, killings, force labour and sacking of villages. FBR’s frontline teams have documented 59 clashes in July, including two…