Articles

The 63rd Karen State Day annual ceremony was held in Hpa-An on 7 November. The event, which was run by the Karen State Government, was opened by U Aye Thar Aung, vice-chairman of the National Parliament. U Aye Thar Aung also made an inaugural speech at the ceremony. Present at the ceremony were Nai Thet Lwin (the Union Minister for…

The Karen National Union (KNU) has been starting its 6th Central Standing Committee’s emergency meeting after the 16th Karen National Union Congress in Lay Wah (Law Khee Lar), Pa-an district, Karen State. The meeting which will be held from 6 to 10 November has planned to discuss mainly about the stoppages while implementing the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) process between…

November 3rd by-election expressed good perspective in the ethnic constituencies where ethnic political parties gained seats, responsible persons from Karen People’s Party (KPP) and the Karen National Party (KNP) told Karen News. “People’s trust gradually falls back upon the two major parties. The ethnic peoples understand well that they must take hold of their opportunities as well as their rights.…

Sayadaw U Thuzana, the controversial monk accused of helping the Burma military regime of engineering the devastating split that broke and caused irreparable damage to the Karen National Union in 1994, died in a Bangkok Hospital on Saturday. Saw Naung Bee, an associate and care giver to the Abbot told Karen News that the monk died on Saturday at 9:12am…

Three journalists from the Yangon base Eleven Media Group were arrested today, and could be charged under Section 505(b) and face up to two years in jail. Reuters report that Section 505(b) is a colonial-era law used to stop “publishing information that could cause fear or alarm to the public, cause someone to commit an offense or disrupt public tranquility.”…

Four Karen armed organizations will cooperate in holding the 70th anniversary of the Karen National Resistance Day ceremony with a military parade on January 31, the officials said to Karen News. The leaders of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army – Peace Council (KNU/KNLA – PC), and…

The death this week of Dr. Frank Green has left a massive void on the Thai Burma border, but Dr. Frank’s work in providing eye care to people from Burma lives on. Dr. Frank and his ophthalmologist colleague, Dr. Phillip Ambler, first came to the border region in 1990 to offer free eye care to refugees and displaced people from…

The Karen National Union (KNU) has not permitted the construction of a proposed cement plant in Hlaingbwe Township under its controlled area, according to Gen. Saw Johnny, chief of staff of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) under the KNU. Yadanar Sai Kaung Myat Kyaw Company has earmarked the construction of the cement plant near Hnget Pyaw Taw Village under…

The frontline humanitarian organization, Free Burma Rangers have reported that the Burma Army is continuing to attack civilians and reinforce its troops in Karen State. The Free Burma Rangers said the “Burma Army’s continued occupation, troop reinforcement and aggressive actions against civilians, in clear violation of the National Ceasefire Agreement, is preventing displaced villagers still in hiding from receiving aid.”…

The Australian Karen Organization (AKO) said it supports the efforts to urge the UN to refer the Tatmadaw to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the alleged genocide of ethnic tribes in Burma including the Karen. The AKO chair Saw Lwin Oo said this in his opening remarks at the organization’s 10th General Meeting held in Perth, Australia on September…