Articles

The Kawkareik to Myawaddy road, a major trading route between Burma and Thailand, is still blocked by landslides caused by the recent heavy rains. The road crosses the Dawna Ranges has been blocked since July 28 and has yet to be cleared of the debris from the flooding and landslides. Speaking to Karen News, the traffic police officer in charge…

Myawaddy Town residents claim that at least 32 people died in floods last week when four days of heavy rains caused the Moei River to breech its banks. The floodwaters swamped the Thai border town of Mae Sot and the Burma border town of Myawaddy. Government official figures put the flood related deaths at three, a Myawaddy resident, who asked…

The Karen National Union claims that the Burma’s recently introduced Land Laws could cause problems for the country’s peace efforts. The KNU urged the government to not apply it during the peace building process between the government and ethnic armed groups. The KNU’s, General Secretary P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, said in a specially video made statement to inform Karen…

Driving through the rural roads of the Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) region in Southern Burma, vast plantation of palm oil and rubber trees stretch on either side of the roads. Signboards along the roads and in the town proclaim that, ‘Tanintharyi Division is the Oil Bowl of Myanmar’. Government policy to use vast tracts of farmland and forests for rubber and palm…

Thousands of Karen refugees on the Thai Burma border have been resettled in the United States. Nickel City Smiler follows the ups and downs of Smiler Greely, a refugee, as he battles to carve out a new life for his family in Buffalo, New York State. Victoria Jack and Saw Blacktown review the documentary for Karen News. After escaping horrific…

The Moei River breeched its banks and flooded the Burma border town of Myawaddy and as many as 5,000 residents homes were affected by the floodwaters. It is estimated that as many as 25,000 people in Karen State have been made homeless by the floods. Sources from a community-based group who are helping the flood victims said that the water…

In a recent meeting Karen armed forces agreed to unite and to join forces to work together to achieve self-determination. The Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the KNU/KNLA Peace Council agreed at a meeting held in the Burma border town of Myawaddy, to work together on Karen national affairs under one political objective. Following…

In an effort to protect lands that were confiscated or stolen for recent development projects and business development in Karen State, the Karen National Union is working on a land policy that will then be proposed to the Burma government. A KNU source said that the organization would modify its current land policy that had been set up to protect…

Floodwaters in the Thai Burma border towns of Mae Sot and Myawaddy have started to fall. Residents on both sides of the border have started to clear away the debris brought by the floodwaters. The director of the Burma Children Medical Fund, Kanchana Thornton explained to Karen News that the floods had played havoc with patients’ treatment schedules. “We need…

The River Moei broke its banks on the Thai Burma border today after heavy rains lashed the area over the last week. The commercial business district of Mae Sot is under heavy floodwaters. Many shops and restaurants have closed their doors as the floodwaters are expected to continue to rise. Mae Tao Clinic had to shut its services down as…