Burmese Government Troops Use Villagers as Human Shields After Attacks Against Ceasefire Group in Central Shan State

On October 13, 2013, Burmese government troops forced 18 villagers to walk between them as human shields while returning to their base, after attacking a Shan ceasefire group in Kunhing, close to the Salween River, in central Shan State.

About 80 Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 150, based at Mong Zarng, 30 miles north of Kunhing, had attacked the Shan State Army-South during October 10 to 12, firing mortar shells and causing over 100 people from the village of Paeng Ner, southeast of Kunhing, to flee their homes […]

Shan Community Groups Fear Signs of Premature Refugee Repatriation

Shan community groups are concerned at signs that Burmese authorities are preparing to repatriate Shan refugees from a camp in northern Thailand, even though there is no guarantee for their safety.

Last month, Burmese policemen from Tachilek visited Koung Jor camp in Wiang Haeng district, northern Chiang Mai province, asking whether the refugees wanted to return back to Burma […]

Burma Army Shows Contempt of Buddhism During Latest Attacks in Shan State

During attacks last week violating the ceasefire with the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), the Burma Army shelled a Buddhist temple in central Shan State, displacing dozens of monks, and turned the temple into a military base […]

Thein Sein Government Must be Held Accountable for Fresh Burma Army Atrocities in Shan State

The Shan Human Rights Foundation is gravely concerned at fresh widespread atrocities by the Burma Army against civilians in Tangy an, northern Shan State, and is calling on the international community to hold the Burmese government accountable for these abuses […]

Urgent Update on Human Rights Situation in Northern Shan State

Over 1,000 flee Burma Army abuses in new operations against Shan State Army-North

Atrocities by Burmese troops in a new military operation against the Shan State Army North (SSA-N) have caused over 1,000 villagers, from 16 villages in Tangyan, to flee from their homes during the past two weeks […]

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 […]

Over 30,000 Displaced by Burma Army Attacks Face Humanitarian Crisis in Northern Shan State

Numbers of villagers fleeing Burma Army atrocities have soared to over 30,000 during recent intensified attacks against the Shan State Army North (SSA-N), causing a dire humanitarian crisis in northern Shan State […]

Burma Army gives rapists free rein in northern Shan State offensive

The Burma Army is clearly authorizing rape as a terror tactic in its offensive against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), according to information documented by the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) […]

Community Groups denounce Widespread Atrocities against Civilians as Burmese Regime Breaks Ceasefire in Northern Shan State

Shan community groups strongly denounce the current Burma Army offensive against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) and atrocities against civilians, including shelling of Buddhist temples, gang-rape and using women as cannon fodder […]

New Rail Link to Eastern Shan State Spells War Escalation

Shan rights groups today launched a campaign against the new Mong Nai-Kengtung railway, denouncing it an expansion of the Burmese regime’s war apparatus in Shan State. In recent months the regime has accelerated construction of the planned 361-km railway, the first rail link across the Salween River to eastern Shan State. The Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) have documented how thousands of acres of farmlands have been confiscated along the route. Farmers complaining have been told the railroad is an “army project” and threatened with prison[…]