Articles

A Karen woman activist claims that the authorities in Burma are watching her every step despite recent efforts for democratic reform and building peace with ethnic groups. Naw Ohn Hla, a former political prisoner and a former member of the National League for Democracy – a major opposition political party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, spoke to Karen News…

The Karen National Union and Burma government held further peace talks in the Thai border town of Mae Sot yesterday. The government delegation led by Railway Minister, U Aung Min, met with KNU representatives to discuss and reinforce the agreements they made in earlier meetings. The six member KNU delegation was led by its general secretary, Naw Zipporah Sein, and…

A Karen family alleged that they have been abused and expelled from their home by the Dawei Princess Company are now seeking help from the local Karen National Union (KNU) office. Naw Hsa Gay, husband works at the Dawei Princess Company mining site at Min Htain in a KNU controlled area in southern Burma, spoke to Karen News about the…

A report released today in Bangkok by Human Rights Watch accuses Chinese authorities of forcing Kachin refugees back across the country’s border with Burma, amidst escalating conflict between Kachin armed forces and the Burma’s Army. Since open war erupted between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burma’s military in June last year, a growing tide of ethnic Kachin have sought…

Last week Thai officials and advocates from a migrant worker rights group held a public meeting to tell workers from Burma what their rights and protection was provided by Thailand’s labor laws. Migrant worker rights groups said that the official public talk was an important step towards making sure workers understood their rights while employed in Thailand. It was the…

Mon politicians and civil society groups claim information on national identity cards has denied them a getting a representative into Parliament. The Mon Literature and Culture Committee (Yangon) wants corrected what they claim is the wrong ethnicity information on national identity cards and the household registration papers of Mon people in the Yangon Region. Nai Min Thaung Shin, Chairman of…

As part of their recent signed ceasefire agreement, local government authorities and leaders of Karen armed groups put away their weapons and attended a school opening ceremony at Leh Haw village under Kawkareik last week. The village head, Saw Pha Ta Pot, Karen National Liberation Army officers, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army representatives and government officials pledged to encourage and support…

The Karenni National Progressive Party met and discussed with Community-Based-Organizations (CBO) from Loikaw Town in mid June to set up a ‘peace-talk’ monitoring group to keep tabs on the on-going talks between the government and the KNPP. in the Kayah State. The CBO initiative followed on from agreement reached between the KNPP and government representatives on June 9th.The KNPP put…

The Italian-Thai Development Company has made a second compensation payment to Karen villagers affected by the Dawei-Kanchanaburi road construction in eastern Tavoy Town. On June 8, the Italian-Thai Development Company and its partner, Max Myanmar, paid 15,582,240 Thai baht (4,93,750.47 US$)compensation to 20 villagers affected by the road between Myitta and Kaw Htee Lor (Thebyu Chaung). The villagers’ plantations were…

Residents in Burma’s Tenasserim Division claim government authorities have begun registering thousands of illegally imported motorbikes from Thailand. Saw David, a resident from Dawei Town spoke to Karen News. “The Land Transportation Department office in Dawei announced it began registering illegal or unregistered motorbikes in Tenasserim Division, from Tuesday, June 5. The registry in Dawei Town expects it will take…