Articles

The Burma government has confirmed a state of emergency in fours states as heavy rain continues to lash central and western parts of the country. Reports estimate that as many as 46 people have been killed and over 200,000 displaced. The Thai government has promised to donate five million baht in aid. The Burma government run newspaper, the Global New…

The number of political prisoners that have been released since 2014 is incredibly low given the number of overall prisoners released during that same period, an organisation representing political prisoners has said. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) noted that while 6,966 prisoners had been released since an amnesty in October 2014, only 13 of those were political prisoners.…

A report by Free Burma Rangers has recorded renewed offensives by government forces in Northern Shan State and Mali Yang in Kachin State. The fighting in Kachin State started in 2011, and in spite of attempts to negotiate a ceasefire the conflict has continued. The FBR estimate that fighting has led to more than 100,000 internally displaced and in June…

Weeks of non-stop heavy rain have caused flash flooding throughout Burma and northern Thailand. Residents in the Ma Ra Moe Refugee Camp on the Thai Burma border were terrified as flood waters swamped 30 houses. Aid vehicles were unable to get into Section 6 of the Camp as road access was cut off by floodwaters. Saw Ywar Baw, social issue…

Parents on the Thai Burma border have good reason to be worried that their children will become infected with the dengue virus. Statistics from the Thai Ministry of Health’s Department of Disease Control reveal that they as of July 27, 2015 – 39,597 people had been diagnosed by a Thai hospital with dengue fever. The MoH statistics found that almost…

Karen community-based-organizations have come to the aid of civilians displaced by fighting between government troops and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) in Kawkareik Township. The Karen CBO’s have set up a committee to coordinate the assistance for the displaced people. The committee composed of nine members which includes Saw Lay Kway Doo, as negotiation official, Ko Aung San Oo…

Recent fighting between the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and Government troops displaced more than 1,000 people from their homes, left them stranded and in urgent need of assistance for food, shelter and other basic items. The villagers fled their homes to avoid being caught in the conflict that started on July 2nd on the Myawaddy-Kawkariek Asia Highway. Today, three weeks…

The senior delegation negotiating the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement on behalf of Burma’s ethnic armed organisations said in a statement that its talks with the government’s team got off to a good start. The statement released on Wednesday 22 July, said that the two negotiating teams, the Ethnic Armed Organizations’ Senior Delegation (SD) and the Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC) said…

Community-based-organizations in Karen State are coming together to increase their efforts to educate people about voting in the national elections to be held on November 8, 2015. A workshop on voter education, led by the Nyein Civil Organization was held together with Karen community-based-organizations at Hpa-an in the second week of July, to raise awareness about voting in the various…

Land confiscation in Karen state has continues to increase according to a new report from the Karen Human Rights Group. The KHRG report titled, “With only our voices, what can we do?” was released on July 15 in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. The report documents the increased land confiscation by government officials and the Burma Army and…