KAREN NEWS (r)

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
             KAREN NATIONAL UNION
                    KAWTHOOLEI

       KNU Press Release No. 44/97
Regarding SLORC offensive against KNU
                                                          August 6,1997

The onslaught of SLORC against the Karen civillians living in Thaton,
Nyaunglebin, Pa-pun and Taungoo Districts begining from 11,2,97 to
31-7-97
are as follows:

Killing and Destruction in Thaton district.
* (9) villages totaling (196) houses were burnt and destroyed.
* (882) villagers becames homeless.
* (55) villages consisting of (1926) families with the population of
(19649) forced to relocate.
* (11) villagers, so far were killed.

Killing and Destruction in Pa-pun District.

* (88) villages with (3000) houses were burnt and destroyed.
* (369) rice barns with (60000) baskets of paddy were burnt and
destroyed.
* (20,000) civilians became homeless without food.
* (4) churches and (60)schools were burnt down.
* (33) villagers so far, were killed.

Taungoo District.

* (14) villages with (350) houses were burnt and destroyed.
* (1993) civilians became homeless.
* (50) rice barns with (149) baskets of rice and (580) baskets of paddy
were burnt to ashes.
* (57) villages having (2761) houses with the population of (14374) were
forced to relocate.
* (14) churches and (14) schools destroyed.

Nyaunglebin District.

* (67) villages consisting of (669) houses were burnt and destroyed.
* (4679) civilians became homeless.
* (227) families from (3) villages were driven out from their place in
Mone
Towhship.
                    * (Detail from Kyauk-kyi and Shwe-gyin are not yet
known.)
* (162) rice barns with (7870) baskets of paddy were burnt and
destroyed.
* (39) civillinas, so far, were killed.
        The total number of villages that had been burnt and destroyed
was (178),
in other words, (4218) houses destroyed and many thousands Karen
population
became homeless.
        If the onslaught of SLORC against the population in Pa-an,
Kaw-Kereik,
Moulmein, Mergui, Tavoy and Boke-pyin were added, this will be enormous.