Articles

Burma’s President, U Thein Sein, granted an amnesty on Tuesday that saw the release of 24 political prisoners out of a total of 80 prisoners who were freed. Ko Tate Naing, secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) based on the Thai-Burma, confirmed the release of political prisoners to Karen News. “According to our latest source list, there…

In a small bamboo hut located at the bottom of a mountain in the Dawna Ranges, that rises in Eastern Burma, a small girl is busy putting firewood in a stove made out of three stones. The girl is, Naw Bleh Hsi, fills the water in a smoke blackened pot and sits it on top of the three-stone-stove to boil.…

A small Karen boy leads two large brown bulls in search of a much-needed feed of grass. The summer sun has baked the ground hard and dried the grass brittle. The boy is wedged between the huge animals his small frame dwarfed by their bulk. The boy, Saw Tabluklee, blinks against the bright sun, his skin burnt brown and says…

Burma’s 60 years of ongoing civil war – the world’s longest – has driven what was once a wealthy regional power into one of the poorest countries in the world. Endemic issues face Burma. With over 500,000 internally displaced people (IDP), a general lack of infrastructure, few education opportunities and poor healthcare, the people of Burma face many challenges. Due…

The Burma government’s peace-talk delegation led by Railway Minister U Aung Min, today made an early morning visit to Dr Cynthia Maung’s Mae Tao Clinic in the border town of Mae Sot, Thailand. U Aung Min’s 6am visit followed-up on his yesterday meet with the Karen National Union and Dr. Cynthia Maung, the Minister said today’s visit was to get…

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…