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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…

A Karen National Union delegations met with Vice-Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the Defense Ministry and the Tatmadaw (Burma Army), in the country’s capital, Naypyidaw, to talk about the need for nationwide ‘concrete ceasefire agreements’ between all ethnic armed groups and the government. Padoh Mahn Mahn, joint secretary of the KNU and a member of its delegation…

The 2013 Karen New Year celebrations will be first. It will be the first time, the Karen people and its political organisdation, the Karen National Union (KNU) will celebrate the Karen New Year in a government controlled area. This was made possible when the KNU and the government reached cease-fire agreement last year. The Karen New Year 2752 celebrations in…

Villagers in the east of Dawei, Southern Burma are protesting the building of a dam that will destroy their villages and force them to be relocated. More than 400 villagers from five villages from east of Tavoy, in southern Burma gathered in their village and held a prayers service. The villagers, both Buddhist and Christians prayed for the Htee Ler…

Naing Han Tha, a spokesperson for a key ethnic alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council compared the attacks on the Kachin by the Burma government’s military as an attack on all ethnic people in the country. Naing Han Tha, the general secretary of the UNFC told Karen News that its members are opposed to the government’s attacks on the Kachin.…

The Ethnic Human Rights Network issued a public statement calling on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her political party, the National Liberation Party, to take a stand against the abuses being committed in Kachin State by the Burma military. The Ethnic Human Rights Network statement said the fighting in Kachin State had resulted in “human rights violations such as…

Villagers in the Thandaung area were frightened by a Burma Army helicopter that repeatedly flew over their homes last week – the area is under the Karen National Union’s Taungoo District and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army 2nd Brigade. Local sources said that the helicopter flew to Tate Pu military camp on January 1 and to Bu…

The humanitarian group, Free Burma Rangers, released a statement from Kachin State that claims the Burma military is using jet fighters and helicopters to attack the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) with chemical munitions. “The Burma military uses two fighter jets – shooting machine guns, dropping bombs and using chemical munitions (possibly HC CS – or some form of tear gas/riot…

Karen National Union leaders left today from the Thai-Burma border to travel to Naypyidaw to meet with President Thein Sein to discuss war in ethnic areas. The KNU Supreme Headquarters issued a statement confirming the trip and said they had received an invitation from President U Thein Sein. A number of the KNU’s newly elected leaders left from their border…