Position Statement on Peace Talks Between the KNU and the Burmese Government

On 12 January 2012, a 19-member delegation, led by General Mutu Say Poe and Padoh David Taw under the supervision of the KNU Committee for Emergence of Peace, will begin talks in Pa-an with representatives of the Burmese government […]

Violations and Humanitarian Crisis Continues in Eastern Burma According to New Report

Serious violations of human rights continue to be committed by the Burma Army in eastern Burma, while humanitarian conditions deteriorate due to a lack of international funding, according to a new report released today by Christian Solidarity Worldwide […]

Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics

Ethnic people of Burma are having a hard time. Burma Army soldiers are targeting women in Kachin and Shan State for rape. Villagers are used as forced labour. Development projects mean forced relocation and slave labour. Half a million ethnic people are displaced in eastern Burma. Village schools have been burnt, healthcare is non-existent, farmlands are destroyed and more than two million Burmese have left to become economic migrants in Thailand. On top of all this, Thailand is now talking about closing the refugee camps and returning 144,000 people to an unsafe future back in Burma – landmines, little work and mass displacement […]

Statement of 8th Karen Unity Seminar

The 8th Karen Unity Seminar was successfully held from May 24 to 27, 2011, at a certain place in the area of Karen revolutionary resistance. The Seminar was attended by 117 representatives from 42 Karen organizations based at home and abroad.

At the Seminar, discussions were held particularly on the subjects of strengthening unity among the Karen people, current political situations in Burma and the sufferings the entire Karen people have to go through […]

Stop Damming Burma’s Rivers

Burma Rivers Network is calling on foreign investors to immediately stop plans to build large dams on Burma’s major rivers and their tributaries, as these dams will have huge social and environmental impacts across the country, and fuel Burma’s decades-long civil war […]

84,000 Karen Civilians Call on Ban Ki-moon to Help Stop Attacks in Burma

On Monday 28 February 2011, a petition signed by 84,000 Ethnic Karen civilians will be handed in the office of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and other world leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The petition delivery will take place in 8 countries including Japan, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Canada. This petition is endorsed by 30 Karen organizations from 15 countries around the world and it is the first time a Karen petition will be delivered to world leaders […]

Global Day of Action for 34 Resistance Fighters From Burma in Indian Jail

38 organisations in 18 countries are taking part in a global day of action in support of 34 resistance fighters from Burma who are currently being held in an Indian jail. The 34 are threatened with deportation back to Burma, where they would very likely face arrest, torture and imprisonment […]

Karen People in the UK Celebrate Karen New Year and Youth of the Year 2010 Award

Today, Karen community in the United Kingdom celebrates Karen New Year in Sheffield city. On this special day, Karen people around the world celebrate it with joy and happiness. This celebration is organized by the Karen Community Association UK (KCA-UK) with the aim to preserve and promote Karen culture […]

Repression Continues While Observers Naïvely Seek to “Wait and See”

More than six weeks following the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)’s elections to install a superficially civilian government dominated by the military and its allies, the reality on the ground in Burma has not changed for the better. The military regime continues to wage war against armed ethnic groups, the media, and the democratic forces working for progress. This repressive environment will undoubtedly remain in place as the same regime pursues identical oppressive policies from expensive new parliament buildings. Critics of the elections are asked again and again to “wait and see” before condemning the new parliament, but it begs the question: are the “pragmatic” supporters of the elections simply naïve? […]

Civilians in Danger as Election-Related Armed Conflict Continues in Eastern Burma

Since Burma’s fraudulent elections on 7 November, Thailand has seen the largest influx of civilians from Burma fleeing into the country in more than a decade. On 8 November alone, 25,000 civilians fled from fighting in the town of Myawaddy and another 10,000 crossed from Three Pagoda Pass. In the weeks following the initial outbreak of violence, the armed conflict, along with flows of fleeing civilians, has continued. The volatile situation illustrates the damage done by the SPDC’s authoritarian process to entrench military rule through their “Roadmap to Democracy” and their failure to facilitate genuine national reconciliation. Just as democratization in Burma requires global support, a collective, international effort is needed to ensure the protection of civilians under threat in Eastern Burma […]