Articles

The winner of 2014 Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award, is Karen activist Naw Hsa Moo. With a certificate of recognition, the award comes with a $2000 grant, as a means to practically support the community work by Naw Hsa Moo. Naw Hsa Moo was awarded the prize for recognition of her services to the Karen community. Naw Hsa Moo…

This year’s Friend’s Without Borders Foundation art and cultural festival held at Chiang Mai University Art Centre commemorates the work of Karen human rights activist, Pawlachee Rakchongcharoen, also known as Billy. The Festival runs from 8 to 12 of May. The 2015 festival sub-title, Rak Chongcharoen (Salute to Love), honors the human rights and environmentalism work of Billy. Billy was…

The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) released a report today, 11 May that documents the results of interviews held with Kokang villagers taking refuge in neighboring China. The Shan Human Rights Foundation report that the refugees “remain fearful of return, due to killing, beheading and disappearance of villagers caught returning home.” The Shan Human Rights Foundation said that there are…

Villagers from Kunhing on the upper Salween River are strongly opposed to the Mong Ton Dam project that they say will destroy their way of life. The villagers released a statement on the 30th April listing their opposition to the damming of the Salween. “Our  ‘thousand island’ Kunhing township,  is one  of  the 16 townships  that will  be  flooded by the…

The Australian Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation’s (SMEC) cancelled its plans to hold a public meeting to discuss the Mong Ton mega-dam on the Salween River after hearing that hundreds of villagers were going to hold a protest against the dam. The Shan Human Rights Foundation said in statement released to the media said that a public meeting planned by the…

A paper released last week by Burma Link and Burma Partnership claims the voices of refugees are ignored in Burma’s reforms. The joint paper, Voices of Refugees – Situation of Burma’s Refugees Along the Thailand-Burma Border, urges all the organisations responsible for refugees welfare to include them in the “planning and preparedness of their eventual return” to Burma. The joint…

The Karen National Union’s vice chairperson, Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein will lead its delegation to attend the ethnic leaders’ summit to be held today 1st May, in Pangshang. Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein was selected at the KNU by its central standing committee at an emergency meeting on 25th April to discuss the draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement at the ethnic summit.…

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a recent released report to the UN Security Council said that there is, ‘a high level of impunity for conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by State actors’. In his report the UN’s Security Council, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the government of Burma “…to ensure that security personnel accused of such crimes are prosecuted.”…

The Burma government continued its crackdown on political activists with the February arrest of two union leaders who demanded a $1 pay rise for garment workers. The Burma Campaign UK, on the eve of May Day, called for the “immediate and unconditional release of two union leaders, Naing Htay Lwin and Myo Min Min.” The Rangoon based union leaders were…

Villagers from Ka Htaung Li village who protested against a gold mining operation that polluted their water sources alleged that they were harassed, punished and warned not to do it again by a Burma Army officer. Villagers alleged that Lieutenant Colonel Than Htike, the battalion commander of Infantry Battalion 62 under Tactical Command 1 of Military Operation Command 19 based…