Karen

The participation of the Karen people in the decision-making process at the national level is key in preventing the Karen from being subjected to on-going forms of oppression and exploitation by the military dominated Burma government. The Karen National Union (KNU) and the Burmese government’s decision to sign the ceasefire agreement are hopeful first steps towards finding a solution to…

The Karen Women’s Organisation released a statement today to say they had formed a peace committee, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Recommendation 1325, to ensure women are represented during the peace process with the Burma Government. The Karen Women Organization statement was issued as a result of discussions held during its 2nd Central Standing Committee’s meeting after…

Karen people in Theyetchaung Township, Tavoy, in southern Burma, claim they will be forcibly evicted from their homes by government authorities to make way for the construction of a dam. Htee Ler Klay (also known as Da Thway Kyauk) villagers say that on November 18, 2011, a Burmese construction company named, Tha Ba Wa Shwa Ain Lain and its senior…

Karen National Union delegates at last week’s ceasefire talks with the Burma government in Pa-an claim they were given assurances that the jailed KNU central committee member P’doh Mahn Nyein Maung would be released. The KNU says the Home Minister, Lt-Gen Ko Ko, contradicted the government’s promise when he briefed reporters last Saturday on the outcome of the ‘peacetalks’. “Legal…

Last week’s accord with the government brought the feeling that times are really changing in Burma, but bitter experiences of the past are prompting questions of why the KNU left the table without firm guarantees. It was a heart-pounding moment for many Karen around the world waiting to hear the outcomes of Thursday’s peace talks between the Karen National Union…

A network of Karen community–based-organisations on the Thai Burma border on the eve of official ceasefire talks between the Karen National Union and the Burma government have issued a media statement calling for third party observers to be involved. The group calling itself the Karen Community Based Organisations (KCBO) issued a media statement today that said. “There must be third-party…

A Karen student organization has come out in support of the Karen National Union and the Burma government ‘ceasefire talks’ and urges the government to establish genuine peace. The KNU and the government plan to officially meet in Pa-an Town on 12th January to negotiate a solution to the 60-year civil war. The Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) said in…

Recent political changes in Burma by the government suggest it is slowly moving away from the military dictatorship that controlled the country for more than 60-years. However, while the Burma Army continues to forcibly displace and abuse villagers in ethnic areas, skepticism and concern about the government’s motives remain. Ethnic and political opposition groups have spoken out against the government’s…

The Karen National Union have appealed for Karen civil society groups based inside Burma and oversea to voice their thoughts before the official ‘peace talks’ between the KNU and the Burma government takes place on January 12. Naw Zipporah Sein, general secretary of KNU told Karen News that the KNU meeting with the government is critically important to all Karen…

The Pa’an Town based Karen Peace Committee has come under government scrutiny under after they met with Karen National Union leaders about ceasefire talks held at the Thai Burma border in early December according to local sources. A member from a Pa’an based charity told Karen News. “U Aung Thaung (former Minister of Industrial No.1) asked questions of one of…