Articles

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…

The Karen National Liberation Army 2nd Brigade based in the Taungoo District confirmed to Karen News that a small firefight between its solders and the government troops happened on April 20. Lieutenant Saw Prah, company commander of the KNLA 2nd Brigade’s security force told Karen News that the fighting was between his soldiers and the Burma Army’s Infantry Battalion 589…

Human Rights advocates, Fortify Rights urged the US State Department to “assign Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Bangladesh a tier-three ranking in its forthcoming Trafficking in Persons (TIP). Fortify Rights in a statement to the media said the tier-three ranking would “encourage more robust and effective action to combat human trafficking,” by the three Southeast Asian countries. Fortify Rights executive director…

Burma Army soldiers from the 88th Division have allegedly killed two civilians, including a 103-year-old, in Kachin State. The incident, which occurred on the 21st of March at around 10:30 in the morning, saw soldiers from two battalions attack Mahtek Village, in Mansi Township near the Kachin Independence Army’s 27th Battalion area. Villagers fled the attack and sought refuge in…