Articles

In an exclusive interview with Karen News, Ko Bo Kyi, a founding member and joint-secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), outlined his concerns over Burma’s on going reform process and the treatment of current and former political prisoners inside Burmese prisons. According to the AAPP in the last two years around 1,000 political prisoners have been released,…

Senior Thai officials, including the Minister of Interior, visited Mae La refugee camp in Tha Song Yang district of Tak Province to assess the situation of refugees on Thursday, January 13. Thailand’s Interior Minister, Jarupong Ruangsuwan, together with the Tak Governor and Tha Song Yang district officials made a short visit to Mae La refugee camp and met with the…

International and local human rights groups have demanded the USA and UK pressure Thein Sein’s government to stop the Burma Army’s use of air and artillery bombardments against the Kachin. In the most recent attack on the Kachin town of Laiza the Burma Army fired heavy artillery into civilian areas – killing three and wounding a number of people. British…

The Minister of Border and Security Affairs, Colonel Zaw Lwin, representing the government, joined with more than 4000 Karen people to celebrate Karen New Year Day, January 12, in Myitta village, Tenasserim Divion, in southern Burma. The KNU Mergui-Tavoy District Secretary, Padoh Saw Thaw Thi Pay, told the gathering that life for Karen in the area had got better since…

Since December, Burma Army’s use of helicopter gunships and jets to support ground offensives against Kachin Independence Army (KIA), with civilians being killed in the crossfire. New offensives
have opened in Lajayang, Pang Wa, and Nam San Yang. The humanitarian organisation, Free Burma Rangers (FBR), which delivers aid to IDP’s in the area of conflict, says attacks have occurred in Hpum…

President U Thein Sein invitated a Karen National Union delegation to Naypyidaw to meet with key government ministers, including the vice president Sai Mauk Kham and the military chief, Vice-Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The KNU delegation led by General Mutu Say Poe, the KNU chairman, met for two days, from the 5th to the of 6th January, with President…

The United Nationalities Federal Council says they have come to a common agreement and are now prepared to help the Kachin if the government troops do not stop their offensive in Kachin State. The alliance group made the public statement at a press conference held on the Thai-Burma border saying they have agreed on ways of helping Kachin from their…

Ashin Pinnya Thami, the head monk from Taunggalay, sent a special Karen New Year blessing to all Karen people. In his public statement Ashin Pinnya Thami said. “Today is the national New Year Day for all the Karen people. Today, the inherent nature of the entire Karen Nation can be seen in the features and characteristics of our race.” Ashin…

First use of airstrikes by the government in twenty years raises prospect of increased numbers of civilian deaths in conflict areas – community groups condemned air strikes. The Burma Army’s appalling human rights abuses, especially in the conflict zones of ethnic states is well documented by international humanitarian groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International On 2 January 2013,…

The Karen Women Action Group, a community-based women’s group working out of Rangoon gave its approval for the issues the Karen National Union raised in its meeting with the government and its key ministers, including the president and the head of the country’s army. Naw Susana Hla Hla Soe, director of KWAG spoke to Karen News. “We are pleased to…