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European Union delegates and a number of foreign ambassadors to Thailand visited the Tham Hin refugee camp in Rachaburi province. The group of diplomats told refugee leaders that they will be negotiating with the Burma government to ensure refugees can return to their country safely The diplomats said refugees should try to acquire skills in case of possible repatriation. Saw…

The National League for Democracy leader and recently elected Member of Parliament, Aung San Suu Kyi, is scheduled to make her first international trip in 24 years when she travels to Thailand to deliver a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Bangkok on Monday 28 May. Ms Suu Kyi’s trip has caused frenzy among foreign media and international…

The ongoing use of landmines by the Burma Army and armed groups in Eastern Burma continues to threaten civilians according to a report released this week by the Karen Human Rights Group. The KHRG report – ‘Uncertain Ground’ – documents the period between January 2011 and May 2012, and includes evidence taken from a total of 119 testimonies from local…

After receiving abuse from their senior officers, three Burma Army soldiers deserted to Phop Phra district on the Thai side of the border at the end of last month. The soldiers were from the Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion 61 operating in the Waw Lay area, Myawaddy Township in Karen State. According to local military sources these are the first…

The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand have accused Burma Army soldiers of raping a 48-year-old Kachin mother of 12 children in early on May. Moon Nay Li, a coordinator with KWAT said that the rape case happened when Burma Army soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 347 and Infantry Battalion 118 entered Luk Pi (Lupi) village in Chipwi Township, randomly firing their…

Karen National Union and Burma government representatives, in what is a historic first, attended a literature and culture training ceremony at Koh Koh village in Myawaddy Township. Padoh Saw Ah Toe, head of the KNU Forestry Department, gave the closing ceremony speech and said that new generation had an important role in maintaining Karen literature and culture as well as…

The DKBA’s political wing, Klohtoobaw Karen Organization (KKO), has declared all areas in Myawaddy Township under their control as drug free zones. The KKO met with 25 village heads and as many as 50 village representatives at their headquarter, Kaw Thu Mwe Kee, to discussed anti-drug activities and announce the drug free zones. Saw Gon Aung, KKO general secretary told…

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Mae Sot told refugees at Umpiem Mai camp their registration depends on permission from the Thai government even if the UN agency is willing to grant UN refugee status to people. Staff from the UNHCR Mae Sot office were in Umpiem Mai refugee camp on May 16 to explain the refugee…

The Burmese Association of Thailand along with Thai authorities rescued 80 Burmese migrant workers that were being illegally held by their employer at the San Tit shrimp factory in Maha Chai near Bangkok. According to a member of the BAT team the abused workers were confused about the identity of their rescuers. “We weren’t there to arrest them. We had…

The Burma Army is accused of ongoing human rights violations –including the use of violent torture- according to a report by a grassroots humanitarian organization, the Karen Human Rights Group. The human rights violations come amidst recent ceasefire agreements signed between Burma’s government and the two separate branches of Karen armed resistance – the Karen National Liberation Army, and the…