Articles

Naw Day Wah Htoo lives in Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp on the Thai Burma border and talks to Karen News about her life living on the margins. Karen News reports. “Living in a refugee camp we are not allowed to go outside to find work. When I hear talk about refugee repatriation, I have doubts about it as…

Following an informal meeting between the Karen National Union and Burma government officials, at the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) in Rangoon on June 15, to talk about a ceasefire “Code of Conduct” both delegations plan to meet again in July. Padoh Saw Aung Win Shwe, head of the KNU’s foreign affairs department and a member of the Karen’s delegation told…

Villagers in the Taungoo area claim that government officials from the Land Registration Directorate are ignoring their reports of land confiscation cases. Original landowners from Htan Tabin Township, Taungoo District, Pegu Division accuse officials from the Land Registration Directorate of avoiding meeting with them on June 20. The landowners had gone to the Land Registration office to report the confiscation…

Villagers accuse a Burma Army Battalion commander, based in Wah Kla (Wa Daw) in Southern Burma, of demanding villagers use their private vehicles to travel him around the area. Naw Hser Tha U Htoo, from Wah Kla village, told Karen News. “The battalion commander demands villagers use their cars on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s twice a day or once…

The Karen National Union (KNU) and villagers from the upper Pawklo area of Southern Burma are in agreement that a Thai coalmine operating in Tha Nay Kler area, has to protect environment and make sure that local water sources are not polluted. The agreement was reached at a meeting on June 15 that was held in Ka Taw Ni village…

The Burma military conducting jet fighter bombing practice in Htan Tabin Township, Taungoo District have not informed villagers so that they can take safety precautions. Villagers going to work on their farms have been terrified as jets drop their deadly loads. Padoh Saw Eh Wah, chairperson of the KNU Taungoo District confirmed the villagers fears to Karen News. “During the…

Villagers from Hpa-an Township have appealed for the second time in a letter sent to President U Thein Sein for the government’s land confiscation commission to investigate claims that their lands were illegally taken by government authorities. The villagers, from Phakat, sent their latest letter to the President on June 11. Phakat villagers said that 79 plots of land were…

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army held an ethnic nationalities seminar to exchange views and to assess the current political situation in Burma. The seminar was held at Sone Zee Myaing village, Karen State on June 15. Brigadier General Moshay, the DKBA Deputy Chief-of-Staff told Karen News that although the government has made ceasefire agreements with most of the ethnic armed…

As the world commemorates refugee week, in Thailand’s largest refugee camp ethnic Karen refugees who fled conflict in Burma struggle with homesickness, discrimination and apprehension of what they’ll find when they return over the border. Ma Tway considers the uncertainty of her future, takes a long stare into nothing, before answering, “living in a Mae La refugee camp has been…

Following a series of attacks on Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia that have so far resulted in six deaths and 20 people injured, an spokesperson from Air Bagan said the airline will offer free flights to Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia who want to return home. The Air Bagan spokesperson told Karen News that they would also organize domestic flights…