Articles

More than a 1,000 well-wishers turned up at the Child Development Center, a migrant school based in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, to celebrate Dr. Cynthia Maung’s 53rd birthday on the 6th December. Despite her Mae Tao Clinic facing a severe funding shortfall of US$320,000, Dr Cynthia Maung, continues to provide health care to refugees and migrant workers…

Villagers at a public meeting attended by government ministers, political organisations, community groups and developers called for new impact assessments to be carried out on the Dawei Special Economic Zone. Villagers from Ka Loat Hta made their request at a special meeting at Dawei Town Hall on December 5th. More than 300 people attended the meeting that was organized by…

The United Nationalities Alliance, which represents leaders from many of Burma’s major ethnic groups, has released an open letter addressed to the U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to be cautious in America’s relations with the military-backed government of Burma. The letter comes on the heels of Barack Obama’s visit to the once isolated country. The US President’s 6-hour visit…

The first ever Karen Women’s seminar has been attended by more than 40 Karen women who work in a wide variety of fields, including education, health, social work and human rights. “This is the first time Karen women from various geographic areas have come together to consult and discuss various issues related to women participation in the peace process.” The…

An ethnic political party will publish the first nationally distributed Karen magazine since the government launched its media reform agenda. The Palon-Sagaw Party based in Pa-an Town in Karen State said the objective of the magazine is to get distribution of the first Kayin Thu Ri Ya (Karen The Sun) Magazine out to the whole of Burma and to inform…

General Tamla Baw, the Karen National Union’s President resigned on the first day of the KNU’s 15th Congress held at Lay Wah Camp, Hlaing Bwe Towhship in Karen State. General Tamla Baw, who had a long and distinguish career as a soldier said in his opening speech at the KNU Congress. “I will resign at this Congress. I advise those…

The Phan Foundation officially announced its call for nominees to enter the 5th year of the Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award. The cut off date for applications is January 31, 2013. The Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award is given each year to Karen community workers from the health, education, social or cultural sectors. According to the Foundation criteria,…

President Obama, honored in a speech, people working for community based organizations. President Obama praised the community workers when he spoke to member of the CBO’s in the Rangoon University compound on his historic first visit to Burma. Naw Susana Hla Hla Soe, director of the Karen Woman Alliance Group, told Karen News. “We have been working under many forms…

Tavoyan people in Southern Burma, who will be evicted from their homes to make way for a deep sea port and industrial zone deny claims by the project developer, the Italian-Thai Development Company, that most of the people have already been relocated out of the area. Premchai Karnasuta, the managing director of ITD, told regional media that the relocation of…

Karen community based organizations from inside Burma want the Karen National Union leaders to put the people’s interest first in the ongoing ‘peace talks’ with the government. The Karen based community groups raised their concerns at meeting during the Myanmar Baptist Convention in Rangoon on November 20. Saw Kyaw Swar from the Karen Affair Committee said concerns about the huge…