Articles

The ongoing legacy of deadly mine run-off for a small town in Thailand could be repeated en masse in Burma, where mining companies have little to no oversight and environmental laws are more lax than Thailand. Two small girls sit and sway in a hammock at their playground beside their nursery school of Lower Klity village. They silently stare into…

This year is the 64th anniversary of the Karen Revolution Day and for the first time, members of the Burma government’s army and militia attended the ceremony. A number of Karen Revolution Day ceremonies were held at various statewide locations. As many as 50 Border Guard Force (BGF) militia attended a ceremony at the Karen National Union, Brigade 7, Hlaingbwe…

Government ministers, police officers, the government’s military and representatives of all of the state’s armed groups met and discussed the setting up of economic zones in Myawaddy, refugees repatriation and the country’s legislation system. Colonel Aung Lwin, the Karen State, Border Security Affairs Minister, met with government department officers, the police and representatives of the State’s various armed groups at…

Hundreds of people attended a ceremony to mark the 64th anniversary of the Karen revolution and to commemorate its fallen heroes. Singing, dancing and a soldiers parade at the KNLA’s 7th Brigade marked the ceremony, which saw as many as 700 attending, including leaders from the KNU, KNLA, community based organisation groups and men wearing Burma Army insignia. Hundreds of…

Burma’s recent reforms have failed to improve the country’s human rights situation, say rights groups. Over the past year, Burma’s civilian government has released nearly 400 political prisoners, relaxed media censorship, and permitted opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party to assume 43 parliamentary seats it won in a 2012 by-election. Human rights groups…

A group of environmental activists rode bikes from Rangoon to Dawei to show their support to the estimated 23,000 villagers about to be evicted to make way for the controversial $63 billion Dawei development project planned for the region. Lwin Lwin from Tavoyan Voice, a community based group spoke to Karen News. “14 people including a Tavoyan woman from the…

KNU President, General Mutu Say Poe, has called for continued ethnic Karen unity while paying respects to the Karen people in a speech marking the 64th anniversary of Karen Revolutionary Resistance Day. In the speech, General Mutu Say Poe acknowledged the sacrifice of the Karen people in their decades-long conflict with Burma’s military. “In the period of 64 years of…

Civil society groups voiced their disappointment that the government ministers appointed to its Peace Committee failed to address many of the questions that representatives from 64 community-based-organisations brought to a meeting held at the Myanmar Peace Centre on Sunday. Nan Thandar Aung, a representative from the Karen Women Action Group (KWAG) who was at the meeting, spoke to Karen News.…

Fighting broke out between the government’s Border Guard Force militia and the Karen National Liberation Army close to Mae La Hta village in Papun Township, Karen State. The conflict erupted last week wounding two in the conflict – a KNLA soldier and a civilian. KNLA sources said militia from Border Guard Force battalion 1014 based at Mae Seik village attacked…

Kachin activists based in Thailand demonstrated in front of both the US and China consulates in Chiang Mai calling for an end to the Burma Army offensive in Kachin State Friday last week. The protest lasted around 20 minutes at the Chinese consulate before continuing at the US consulate. Speaking to Karen News, Ma Hsai Zin, a member of the…