KNU

Amid anniversary celebrations of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, the chairperson of the Karen National Union (KNU) bemoaned the lack of progress and lingering weaknesses in the peace process. Speaking at the October 15 commemoration of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement’s two-year anniversary, KNU chair General Mutu Sae Po pointed out lingering weaknesses in the pact, which was signed by just eight…

The Karen National Union held an emergency meeting to try to re-energize current peace talks between Ethnic Armed Organisation and Burma’s government. KNU sources claim the peace talks have become bogged down since the much vaunted second 21st century Pang Long Peace Conference took place in May. The Karen National Union Central Standing Committee held the emergency meeting on the…

The Karen diaspora is showing increasing irritation at the Karen National Union’s ceasefire stance. The International Karen Organization (IKO) issued a statement on September 9 calling for a review of the current peace process in order to achieve a genuine political settlement. The statement was issued following IKO’s first conference in Melbourne, Australia from September 6 to 8. The IKO,…

A leader of the Karen National Liberation Army has called for continuing the fight for ethnic autonomy, but through peaceful, political means. Speaking on the 67th anniversary of Karen National Martyrs’ Day, General Saw Johnny said Karen autonomy has not yet been realized, and the sacrifice made by Karen martyrs has not yet been fulfilled, but he added that violence…

Ethnic health workers have been awarded government recognized certificates after a joint training held by government and Karen health departments in Hlaingbwe Township, Karen State. The 31 trainees who completed the seven-month maternal child and reproductive health course provided by Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) and government Health department were awarded certificates on August 8 at the General…

Amid efforts to entice more ethnic armed groups into the fold of the nationwide ceasefire agreement, the Karen National Union shared its peace process experiences with the Karenni National Progressive Party at a meeting in Thailand last week. The KNU is one of the eight initial signatories to the nationwide ceasefire agreement and has promoted the pact at peace meetings.…

Local Karen National Union officials and aid workers are trying to drum up last-minute support for a shelter of internally displaced persons, before it runs out of funding in September. Over 70 representatives from 10 border-based Karen State civil society groups attended a meeting on July 30 to discuss how to keep the Ei Tu Hta shelter open. “We agreed…

General Saw Ka Sel Doh, a Karen resistance fighter who joined the Karen Nation Union’s armed wing in the first months of its existence in 1947, has passed away. Gen. Saw Ka Sel Doh, 92, died in Mae Sot Hospital, this morning, on July 31, after months of declining health and hospitalization on July 24, according to his grandson Saw…

The US ambassador to Myanmar met with the Karen National Union on July 21 to get input about supporting local health and education projects in a bid to spur peace through development, according to a KNU official present at the gathering. The meeting at the KNU’s liaison office in the Karen State capital lasted over an hour. “The ambassador himself…

A low-cost, subsidized medical clinic reopened last week in Kyaukkyi, Bago Region, expanding the remote area’s health care options, according to local politicians. The Ther Ray Dao Pae Rehabilitation and Development Association, a community-based organization, relaunched the clinic on July 22. It had initially opened in June 2016, but shut soon after due to a lack of certified medical personnel…