Joint Statement of the Kachin Independence Organization and the Myanmar Peace Team

Union Minister U Aung Min and KIO representatives met on 4 February, 2013, beginning at 9:00AM in Shweli (Riuli), Yunnan, China, and concluding at 4:19PM […]

Statement by the United Nationalities Alliance

We, the United Nationalities Alliance, observe Burma’s transition to democracy is not up to the standard yet. We believe that it is still early to lift all the sanctions imposed while in a transition period as hundreds of political prisoners still remain in jail.

We believe that only getting ceasefire agreements with armed groups does not guarantee lasting peace until and unless political problems are solved with political means […]

Steps Towards Peace: Local Participation in the Karen Ceasefire Process

During the ten months since a preliminary ceasefire agreement was reached between representatives of the Government of the Union of Myanmar and the Karen National Union (KNU),[1] negotiators from the two parties have met twice, most recently on September 3rd and 4th, aiming to build trust and progress towards a code of conduct that will set guidelines as to how the armed actors must operate towards each other.[2] As the details of this document have not yet been made public,[3] this moment presents an opportunity to consider what impact the ceasefire has had for villagers in eastern Burma in the last ten months and, based on their perspectives, to suggest further steps that are still needed to ensure sustainable peace.

Burmese Government and Aid Donors Should Not Seek To Divide Karen

Recent developments in Karen State have raised serious questions about the Burmese government’s sincerity in its peace negotiations with the Karen National Union (KNU) […]

Shan Community Groups: Don’t Push Refugees Back into Active War Zone

Shan community groups are gravely concerned about imminent repatriation of over 500 refugees from a camp on the northern Thai border into an area of active conflict.

Today, the Norwegian Refugee Council, contracted under the Norwegian-led “Myanmar Peace Support Initiative,” will begin house-to-house surveys of refugees in Koung Jor camp, northern Chiang Mai province, about their willingness to return […]

Joint Statement on Current Political Situation and Peace Processes

On June 4 and 5, 2012, about 80 people from various community-based organizations, including women’s, youth, environment, community development, media, health, education, literature and culture groups, migrant workers groups, as well as monks and farmers from Shan State held a forum to discuss the current political situation in Shan State, especially the ongoing peace negotiation process […]

Statement on the Current Peace Process and Implementation of Mega-development Projects in Karen Areas of Burma

From June 5-7, 2012, over sixty people, including local democratically-elected development committee leaders, representing about 7,000 villagers from 23 villages in two townships, met at the Karen State-Thai border to discuss the current peace negotiation process between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the government. The purpose of the forum, facilitated by Karen civil society, was to allow input by Karen farmers and other community-based groups into the current peace process and publicly share this with all relevant stakeholders […]

The War in Kachin State: A Year of More Displacement and Human Rights Abuses

In the past year, the Tatmadaw has deployed nearly 25% of its battalions to Kachin State, escalating its war with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and bringing further suffering to civilian populations in Kachin State and Northern Shan State.

Tatmadaw soldiers have constantly targeted civilians in Kachin State and Northern Shan States as part of their military operations against the KIA. Human rights abuses have included extrajudicial killings, rape of women, arbitrary arrests, torture, forced displacement, the use of human shields, forced labor, and the confiscation and destruction of property. All of these systematic abuses would be considered war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law […]

International Community’s Premature Rewards Fail to Address Armed Conflict and Human Rights Violations in Burma

This briefer looks at the April by-elections, new laws that fail to protect the people, ongoing armed conflict, problematic development, sanctions, and offers recommendations to the international community and guidelines for investment in Burma […]

Lessons from the Kachin “Development” Experience

Burma’s government is using the promise of development as a key component in its current peace negotiations with armed ethnic organizations, proposing ceasefire first, then development, and finally a national political agreement. This process has been tried before in Kachin State with disastrous consequences