Ongoing Conflict in Burma’s Kachin State

The United States is deeply concerned by ongoing violence in Burma’s Kachin State. Despite the Burmese government’s announcement that a ceasefire was to take effect on January 19, media and NGO reports indicate that the Burmese Army continues a military offensive in the vicinity of the Kachin Independence Army headquarters in Laiza […]

Hastily Introduced World Bank Projects Threaten to Undermine Peace Process in Burma

By Khin Ohmar

In late 2012 the World Bank announced its first lending to Burma (also known as Myanmar) in over 20 years. The $80 million grant, to be implemented by the Ministry of Border Affairs, is for community driven development (CDD) projects that are aiming to provide tangible benefits to communities, including those affected by decades of conflict in Burma. The concern among many grassroots activists, however, is that the areas to which this money will be funnelled are still in the earliest stages of the peace process, and that huge influxes of money will undermine efforts for sustainable peace.

On 22 January the Bank’s board will consider its second round of loans to Burma, through a $440 million development policy loan called the ‘Reengagement and reform support programme’. Its objectives are: “to support Myanmar’s critical reforms for strengthening macroeconomic stability, improving public financial management, and improving the investment climate” and to “facilitate the clearance of Myanmar’s arrears to IDA”. This money will flow through the ministry of finance […]

EU Should Re-Introduce Visa Ban on Military

We, the undersigned members and observers of the European Burma Network, condemn the ongoing attacks on the Kachin people and call on the international community to put pressure on President Thein Sein and the Burmese Army to immediately end the military offensive in Northern Burma and allow access to humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons […]

Statement of Kachin Independence Organization

It has been noted that the Myanmar Government’s Media Department issued a statement on 18th January 2013. In this statement they announced that Government troops would cease their offensive around the Laja Yang area at 6:00am, 19th January 2013 […]

Burma: Halt Indiscriminate Attacks in Kachin State

The Burmese army appears to have indiscriminately shelled the town of Laiza in northern Burma’s Kachin State in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged the government to allow humanitarian agencies access to tens of thousands of ethnic Kachin displaced […]

CFOB Concerned with Kachin Conflicts in Northern Burma

Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) is concerned with escalating conflicts in Kachin State of Burma, especially reports on civilian casualty and the use of heavy artilleries and air forces. We call on the Government of Canada and international community to help stop the conflicts by using its diplomatic channels and to help alleviate the sufferings of 100,00 refugees in the conflict zones by providing emergency humanitarian assistance […]

Statement No. 1/2013 on Humanitarian Assistance for the Conflict Victims of the Kachin State

A four-member team of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) visited Kachin State from 8 to 10 December, 2011 for the first time in order to observe at first hand the civil population who displaced as a result of armed skirmishes […]

Myanmar: Protect Civilians Caught in the Kachin State Conflict, Investigate Attacks

Myanmar must take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties in Kachin state, Amnesty International said after three people were killed in air strikes which were reportedly carried out by the armed forces in the region […]

Kachin Organizations/Civil Society Groups Call for Investigation into Burma Army’s War Crimes in Laiza

We, the undersigned Kachin organisations, wish to express our grave concern over the widespread human rights violations being committed by the Burmese army against Kachin civilians, including the ongoing indiscriminate shelling of residential areas of Laiza, which recently led to the death of three civilians aged between 14 and 65, and injury of four others […]

Kachin Deaths A War Crime – Thousands More In Danger

Burma Campaign UK today called on the British government and United States to adopt a much more robust approach with the government of Burma in order to persuade President Thein Sein to halt Burmese Army attacks against the ethnic Kachin minority in Burma […]