Karen

Karen people spread all over the world celebrated Karen New Year Day on January 10, 2016. Karen in Burma, on the border gathered at a wide variety of places to welcome the New Year. Celebration took place in Shwe Kokko, Rangoon and Hpa-an, where the former, President U Thein Sein attended. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League…

A teenage boy, 17 from Mae La camp committed suicide on December 22 at his house in Zone A-2, it was the second suicide case in a month. Saw Ah Kine, the section leader of Zone A confirmed to Karen News that the boy often complained of not wanting to live anymore. “The boy have been telling his grandma for…

Civil Society Organizations responsible for organizing voter education activities and some political parties’ candidates have said that they expect only 20% of Karen voters in today’s election to vote correctly in the seven townships in Karen State. Saw Kyaw Swar from the Karen State Community Network who worked on the voter education activities in Karen State told Karen News that,…

Thelma Gyi, the daughter of the charismatic Karen political leader, Saw Ba U Gyi, has called for the country’s ethnic people to stand up for their rights. “Unite, demand the legal recognition of your state borders. Demand an end to corruption, war crimes, land grabbing, selling and exploiting the land rights for personal gain.” Speaking just before Burma’s national elections…

Despite its concerns about continuing fighting between the Burma Army and Shan and Kachin armed groups the United States released a statement praising the signing of a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement between the government and eight armed groups. The United States in a statement released on 15 October by its spokesperson, John Kirby said that the “signing of the text of…

More than forty Karen organizations issued a statement critical of the Karen National Union after it had decided to sign a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the government that excluded the majority of ethnic armed groups. Seven ethnic armed organizations, including the Karen National Union, decided to go ahead and sign the NCA with the government without the full support of…

Seventy years after World War II ended, withered and mostly impoverished veterans will gather at the graveside of a British officer who almost no one in England remembers. Maj. Hugh Paul Seagrim — or “Grandfather Longlegs” — remains a legend up in the hills of Myanmar, among a beleaguered ethnic minority for whom peace never came. Karen fought courageously behind…

The Karen Affairs Minister from the ruling government party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party from the Tanintharyi region resigned and joined the Kayin People’s Party. Saw Hervy, the current Karen Affairs Minister, told Karen News that he resigned from the USDP and will now contest the November 8 general election as a candidate for the Kayin People’s Party (KPP).…

In early August, 18 young Karen and Karenni teenage refugees who had resettled to the Salt Lake City in the US, returned to the Mae La refugee camps on Thai border where they were born. The boys were on a trip to attend a World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi, Japan and to Thailand and Burma to visit their birthplace. The…

Karen community-based organizations have issued media statements raising concerns about the recent decision of the Karen National Union to sign a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the Burma government. The Karen Peace Support Network (KNSP), a coalition of community based groups and the International Karen Organization (IKO) both sent open letters to KNU expressing their alarm that it had taken the…