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A new trading entry between Thailand and Burma was opened this week that links both countries on their southern borders. The new trade crossing links SingKhorn in Thailand’s southern provinces of Prachuap Khiri Khan with Mawhtaung a large town in Burma’s Myeik district. Senior officials from the Karen National Union joined with Burma government ministers and Thai officials at the…

Land confiscation of property belonging to villagers by developers and government officials in Tenasserim Division has become a complicated issue for the Karen National Union (KNU) during its peace-building process with the Burma government. Ber Baw Lor, a Karen village in southern Burma, is an example where the entire population was displaced, and its residents now living in a makeshift…

Karen National Union, Ler Mu Lah Township leaders warn that there is a risk of a division between the local people and the KNU if the organizations district or central leaders allow the construction of the Tenasserim Dam, in Southern Burma. Saw Thein Su, the KNU leader for Ler Mu Lah Township told Karen News. “The KNU’s Ler Mu Lah…

For the first time since 1974 the Burma government has met with the Karen Refugee Committee in Hpa-an Town. The government put forward its plan to KRC that they wanted to ‘trial a pilot project’ to take back about 50 refugees households who are now living in camps on the Thai Burma border. On April 26, over 30 members of…

Along the muddy river bank hundreds of men pack down under small plastic sheets to avoid the direct sun and to take respite from the 38 degree heat. The men cram into the small bamboo shops beside the muddy river. The valley and river littered with generators and large hoses that the miners use in their hunt for gold. It…

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) based at a monastery in Myaing Gyi Ngu village, Hlaing Bwe Township, Karen State, was twice attacked by a the Border Guard Force (BGF) on April 28. A source close to the DKBA, who asked not to be named, told Karen News that fighting was between BGF Battalion 1011 under the command of Major…

International rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Burma Campaign UK, have criticised the EU for lifting its sanctions on Burma, saying that the move “undercuts” the impoverished country’s human rights progress. “The EU’s scrapping of targeted sanctions on Burma is premature and recklessly imperils human rights gains made so far,” said Lotte Leicht, EU director at HRW. On April…

For the first time, Karen people from different regions inside Burma and from the Thai-Burma border got together to discuss current Karen affairs in Hpa-an Town, Karen State. After two days of talks, a Karen Unity and Peace Committee (KUPC) was formed to work towards securing a better future for all Karen people. The meeting held from March 29 to…

Karen News photojournalist Saw Mort spent time with landmine casualty Saw LahKyi, a Karen National Liberation Army soldier, who lost both legs when he stepped on a mine in 2009. The Royal Thai Army estimates that the Thai Burma border is the region’s most heavily landmined and according to the 2012 Landmine Monitor Report, Karen State has the most casualties…

The Karen Refugees Committee has issued a statement outlining its position on the repatriation of Karen refugees on the Thai-Burma border. The KRC said that the recent political reforms in Burma that took place in 2010 “signals a ray of hope for many refugees to be able to return to their homeland.” Figures released by The Border Consortium (TBC), an…