Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Websites/Multiple Documents
Description:
Our Policies:
"The Burmese military dictatorship spreads lies and misinformation about the KNU.
We don?t recruit child soldiers, we don?t attack civilians and we are not trying to break up Burma.
Read the truth about our policies here..."...Objectives:
"The KNU Mission Statement is to establish a genuine Federal Union in cooperation with all the Karen and all the ethnic peoples in the country for harmony, peace, stability and prosperity for all.
Read more here..."...Our Fallen Heroes:
"Many brave Karen have given their lives in our struggle for freeedom. Find out more about them here..."...Our Leaders:
"KNU leaders are democratically elected. Find out more here..."...Structure:
"The KNU has a democratic structure, with regular elections. We also provide local services and administration in Karen State.
Find out more about our structure and our democracy here..."...KNU History:
"The Karen National Union is the leading political organisation representing the aspirations of the Karen people.
The KNU was founded in 1947, its predecessor organisations date back to 1881..."
Source/publisher:
Karen National Union
Date of entry/update:
2011-03-28
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, Karen National Union (KNU), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
more
Description:
"On March 4th, the Burma Army began the largest and most coordinated deployment of troops into Karen State?s Mutraw (Hpapun) district since 2008. More than 1,500 Burma Army troops have now crossed into Karen National Union (KNU) controlled areas of Mutraw?s Luthaw township, breaching the terms of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and provoking multiple clashes with the Karen National Liberation Army?s (KNLA) 5th Brigade. Troops serving under the Burma Army?s Southern Command have indiscriminately targeted civilians while more than 2,400 villagers have been forced to flee their land and homes. The majority of those displaced by the Burma Army?s current operations had only recently returned to rebuild their villages, farms, and livelihoods following decades of widespread armed conflict.
On April 5th, Burma Army troops shot and killed 42-yr-old Saw O Moo in the Ler Mu Plaw area of northwestern Luthaw. Saw O Moo was a local villager and Indigenous Karen leader. At the time of his death he was travelling home from a community meeting to coordinate humanitarian assistance for villagers displaced by the Burma Army?s military operations...."
Source/publisher:
Kesan
Date of publication:
2018-04-02
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.59 MB
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Description:
Home | About us | Departments | Peace Process | Statements | Human Rights | Karen Unity | Contact...Departments:
Agriculture Department;
Alliance Affairs Department;
Breeding & Fishery Department;
Defense Department;
Education & Culture Department;
Finance & Revenue Department;
Foreign Affairs Department;
Forestry Department;
Health & Welfare Department;
Interior & Religious Department;
Organising & Information Department;
Justice Department;
Mining Department;
Transportation & Communication Department.
Source/publisher:
Karen National Union (KNU)
Date of entry/update:
2013-09-22
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Language:
English
more
Individual Documents
Summary:
"The Karen revolutionary struggle is not over, as the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and the political dialogue it calls for have yet to be implemented, Karen National Union chairman General...
Description:
"The Karen revolutionary struggle is not over, as the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and the political dialogue it calls for have yet to be implemented, Karen National Union chairman General Mutu Say Poe said in an address to his fellow Karen to commemorate the annual Karen Revolution Day.
Friday marked the 71st anniversary of the beginning of the ethnic Karen revolutionary movement in 1949 following the central government’s denunciation of the group as an unlawful organization after months of protests demanding equality for the Karen people. “Currently, we are still in the mode of revolutionary resistance,” the chairman said in his address on Friday, citing a lack of progress in the peace process.
The Karen resistance movement has long demanded basic rights, equality and self-determination. The KNU is the most senior of Myanmar’s various ethnic armed groups, having resisted central government control for seven decades.
Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, the vice chairman of the KNU, said the group had waged a 63-year campaign of armed resistance because previous governments had ignored its call to resolve the Karen people’s political demands peacefully, through political dialogue. He said the previous governments and junta had only agreed to discuss a ceasefire, not to hold political dialogue..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"IT'S a scenic drive of about 30 miles (48 kilometres) up through the hills from Taungoo to Thandaung Gyi, a former British hill station in Kayin State just over the border with Bago Region that is enjoying a revival as a tourist destination.
The outskirts of Taungoo give way to palm and banana trees, betel nut plantations and paddy fields. The road is reduced to one-way traffic as it climbs through tea and coffee growing country to the little town.
The British established Thandaung Gyi as a hill station in the 1850s. It is about 4,000 feet (1,220 metres) above sea level and its cool, clean air and attractive setting offering panoramic views has helped it to benefit, via a grassroots tourism initiative, from a “peace dividend” following the signing of a ceasefire between the Karen National Union and the government in January 2012, which suspended more than 60 years of hostilities.
After the ceasefire, PeaceNexus, an NGO, with help from Germany’s Hanns Seidel Foundation, consulted the government, KNU and community members about a livelihoods-based initiative that could best support the peace process. The outcome was the creation by residents of the Thandaung Gyi Tourism Development Working Group, which has supported the establishment of about a dozen guesthouses offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Thandaung Gyi is the only community in Myanmar where residents have been permitted to provide bed and breakfast accommodation.
We stayed at the I-Wish guesthouse, which was built in 1912 and has been run by the same Karen family for three generations. There are two large rooms at the front of the original building and simpler rooms in a new block at the back, all of which have hot showers.
The service is friendly, the breakfast hearty and guests can enjoy outstanding views across a valley to the nearby Bayintnaung military training base. One of the biggest in Myanmar, it looks weirdly picturesque in the distance.
I had travelled to Thandaung Gyi with my family to escape the first days of Thingyan in Yangon, before returning to the commercial capital for the finale. The other reason for the trip was to attend an event celebrating the life and death of a Karen princess and the sacred mountain connected to her violent demise. The annual celebrations were launched 24 years ago.
During the long years of fighting between the KNU and the government, Thandaung Gyi was a secure Tatmadaw garrison town. There was much fear in the community then but after the ceasefire in 2012 a more relaxed atmosphere prevailed because of the improvement, if only superficial, in relations between the KNU, Tatmadaw and Thandaung Gyi Township administration..."
Ashley South
Source/publisher:
Frontier Myanmar
Date of publication:
2019-06-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
"The inaugural Salween Peace Park General Assembly was unlike any gathering that has occurred in Mutraw District, Karen State. From 3 to 5 April 2019, about 100 participants congregated in Day Bu Noh village for the event, including representatives of the district-level Karen National Union (KNU), leaders of Karen civil society organisations active in Mutraw, and two elected representatives from each of the 26 village tracts designated as part of the Peace Park area.
I have heard the General Assembly described as a “congress” or a “parliament”. In some ways it is: the assembly is a forum for discussion, dialogue, and negotiation among leaders that act in the interests of the area’s 38,000 inhabitants. Yet instead of statesmen, the General Assembly puts experienced leaders from the KNU and civil society into dialogue with community members who are being recognised as active participants in district-wide negotiations about peace, self-determination, and natural resource management for the first time. By creating a space for leaders and community members to converse on equal footing, the Salween Peace Park tests a new approach to peace in the heart of war-torn Kawthoolei—the “Karen homeland” claimed by the KNU.
I visited the Peace Park to witness the General Assembly as part of my PhD research on civil society, development, and governance in Karen areas. There are many aspects of the Peace Park that I do not feel equipped to write about—the indigenous ontology that guides its formation, for example, or its approach to natural resource governance, land issues, and wildlife conservation—even as these aspects are no less integral to the overall vision. Instead, I strive to map the Peace Park’s novel approach to governance and peacebuilding, a testament to my interest in how people relate to each another, and the profound changes that occur as a result..."
SHONA LOONG
Source/publisher:
New Mandala
Date of publication:
2019-05-27
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
''This Short Update describes a skirmish that took place between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA in February 2019. It took place after three incidents of Tatmadaw soldiers firing artillery shells indiscriminately into civilian villages. The local communities have fled into the forest, and are afraid to return to their homes and plantations.
In the first week of February, the Tatmadaw transported soldiers and rations to bases in Lu Thaw Township. On February 1st, 60 Tatmadaw soldiers from LIB #593 were sent to military camps in Sha Law Kyoh area, Hkay Poo village tract. They are still present in the area.
On February 4th, at 6 PM, Tatmadaw soldiers transported food rations to their camp in the Sho Kyoh Daw Hkoh area, Saw Muh Plaw village tract. At 7:30 PM, KNLA soldiers led by Bo Pa Leh and a local home guard from Company #1 ambushed two military trucks transporting rations. The KNU prohibits Tatmadaw soldiers from entering into areas under their control without receiving prior permission. This incident was one of a series of skirmishes that occurred between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA in early February in Hpapun District.
On February 5th, 2019, Tatmadaw soldiers transported food rations to their temporary army camp in Shoh Hpoh Kyoh area and transported food rations and 216 soldiers to their army bases in Wah Klay Tuh area.
The increase in military activities is worrying local communities in Lu Thaw Township, who fear that the increase in troop rotations and food rations could indicate a return to violent conflict. These skirmishes occurred just a few weeks after the Tatmadaw fired artillery shells into civilian villages in Lu Thaw Township...''
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2019-02-18
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-24
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Discrimination against the Karen, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
''On a misty January morning, several thousand ethnic Karen people gathered near a mountaintop at Law Khee Lar, a rural part of their home state in Myanmar near the Thailand border.
Law Khee Lar is located in territory controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), a political organization with an armed wing that has been fighting against state forces for seven decades, in one of the world’s longest running civil wars.
On this particular day, Karen people gathered to celebrate the 70th Karen Revolution Day, an annual commemoration of the beginning of the KNU’s Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) long armed struggle for self-determination and rights...''
Oliver Slow
Source/publisher:
Asia Times
Date of publication:
2019-02-16
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - the human rights situation
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
''In 2016, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) returned to their 11 villages in the lowland areas of Moo Township. They had been displaced since 1975, when they were forced to leave by Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #48, commanded by Bo Min Thein. In 2012, the KNU and the Myanmar government signed a preliminary ceasefire agreement that provided for the right of IDPs to return to their lands. Community leaders went to IDP camps to establish how many of them would come back. However, fewer people returned than originally expected.
Overall, only one-fourth of the IDPs went back to their lands. According to community leaders, this could be explained by the fact that returnees did not benefit from any kind of support, apart from the CIDKP digging wells and providing animal husbandry. In addition, there are no schools, hospitals and clinics in these areas. The closest clinic can only be reached through a bumpy road, and it is not easy to travel during the rainy season. Some IDPs are afraid to return because the Tatmadaw is still operating in the Hpapun area. Others also think that the political situation is not stable yet.
Since their return, there are a lot of land dispute problems. Some returnees saw their livelihoods threatened when their family lands were usurped by richer villagers. These villagers took advantage of the fact that the rightful owners did not have official land ownership documents, and went to the Myanmar Land Administration Department to register the disputed lands in their names. The people who lost their lands are now experiencing serious economic difficulties, as they were deprived of their main source of income...''
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2019-01-30
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies)
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
319.07 KB
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Description:
''Units from the Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #5, stationed in the Nat Ta Lin area in 2018, rotated with Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #84. They placed landmines near Htee Hkuh area, where KNLA military units are stationed. [Article 5 of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement states that all signatories should cease the laying of mines. Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #5 is in violation of the NCA.]
Landmines continue to be a problem in Toungoo District. The NGO Committee of Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) is running a Mine Risks Education (MRE) program to help local communities avoid the dangers of landmines, supported by Danish Church Aid. The landmines are located in Buh Has Hkee area and Maw Hkee road, starting from Th’ay Hta to Pluh Mee Hkoh area. The landmines were laid by the Tatmadaw and the KNLA prior to the ceasefire. So far, demining has not started in this area...''
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2019-01-29
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
219.61 KB
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Description:
''The Karen National Union (KNU) has denied allegations by the Myanmar military that it is extorting money from civilians, and rejected the Army’s characterization of clashes between it and government troops as an effort to expand its area of control. Separately, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) issued its own rebuttal of the military’s recent claims against EAOs, saying it did not accept the terms of the military’s four-month truce.
The Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) included its complaints against the KNU in a statement released Friday in which it accused ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) of burdening the public by continuing to recruit and extort civilians and expand their territories. In addition to the KNU, it mentioned all of the EAOs based in northeast Myanmar, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta’ang Nationalities Liberation Army, Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army North, Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army South and Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization. It accused them of destabilizing the region and violating the terms of the truce...''
Nyein Nyein
Source/publisher:
The Irrawaddy
Date of publication:
2019-01-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Various groups
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
''This Situation Update describes events that occurred in Lu Thaw Township, Hpapun District, between March and May 2018.[1] Tatmadaw soldiers entered areas under KNU control in Lu Thaw Township with the intention of building a road. This led to skirmishes with the KNLA. The Tatmadaw occupied and fired mortars in several villages, which caused the displacement of 3,088 persons. This situation threatened the livelihood of local people, as well as their access to education, food and healthcare...''
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2019-01-23
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-24
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Discrimination against the Karen, Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
97.03 KB
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Description:
''The Burma Army 44th Division, Battalion 2, under the command of Ko Ko Win, launched attacks against the Karen of Papun District, Karen State on 30 and 31 August and 1 September, displacing over 200 Karen people from Kan Nyi Now Village in Dwe Lo Township, Papun (Muthraw) District, Karen State, Burma. In the initial attack on 30 August, the Burma Army fired five rounds of 81 mm mortar into the village and hundreds of rounds of rifle and machine-gun fire. On 31 August they patrolled further out from the village, firing into the jungle. On 1 September, the Karen responded to halt the advance of the Burma Army and fighting continues as of this report.
So far in the current attack, one Karen soldier has been wounded and the villagers are in hiding as the attacks continue. At the same time Burma Army troops of Battalion 1, commanded by Min Min Htun, also of the 44th Division, are attacking in the No Hta and Hte Mae K’La area. Casualties are unknown at this time...''
Source/publisher:
Free Burma Rangers
Date of publication:
2018-09-01
Date of entry/update:
2018-12-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Discrimination against the Karen, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Following the Burma Army’s attacks against Karen villagers on Aug. 30, 31, and Sept. 1, the military spent the first half of September building up troops in southern Butho Township, Karen State.
The Burma Army’s continued occupation, troop reinforcement and aggressive actions against civilians, in clear violation of the National Ceasefire Agreement, is preventing displaced villagers still in hiding from receiving aid.
On those dates, Light Infantry Division (LID) 44 troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 2 advanced into Ka Yie Naw Village firing mortars and small arms weapons, causing 340 villagers to flee; these families remain displaced more than two weeks later..."
Source/publisher:
Free Burma Rangers
Date of publication:
2018-09-18
Date of entry/update:
2018-12-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Discrimination against the Karen
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Since early 2018, Tatmadaw has extended the area under their control and trespassed into territory controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU). They built a military road without prior permission from KNU authority and local civilians.
In this context, Tatmadaw soldiers murdered the indigenous defender Saw O Moo on April 5th 2018 when he was on his way back home after a meeting to coordinate humanitarian aid for internally displaced people (IDPs). The location of Saw O Moo?s body is unknown. His family has been unable to hold a funeral according to their animist tradition.
Naw K--- is calling for peace. She urges the Tatmadaw to withdraw all of their troops from her area in order for her family and other local civilians to live in peace..."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2018-09-28
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-24
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
179.01 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"This Incident Report describes the fighting that broke out between Tatmadaw and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) on April 6th 2018 after Tatmadaw Light Infantry Division (LID) #22 trespassed the Karen National Union (KNU) controlled area. Armed LID #22 personnel entered Hm--- village right after the fighting took place and intimidated villagers by firing guns and making explicit oral threats. The village head was ordered to purchase a chicken for a Tatmadaw soldier. However, no remuneration was provided in return..."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2018-09-28
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
255.1 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"This Incident Report describes how the Border Guard Forces (BGF) Battalion #1014 ordered civilians to serve as forced porters on the front line. When local villagers refused to serve as porters, they were asked to hand over 180,000 kyat (US $ 112) as payment from each village. This incident took place in October 2017, in a number of village tracts located Bu Tho Township and Dwe Lo Township, Hpapun District..."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2018-09-28
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
396.94 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
THE KAREN STRUGGLE IN BURMA: "At a critical stage in Asia?s least reported but long-running
separatist war,
Martin Smith
assesses the most recent offensive
of Burmese government troops against the Karen rebels, and
speculates on a possible outcome and on the implications for
other ethnic minority rebel forces in Burma."
Source/publisher:
"Inside Asia" June-August 1985
Date of publication:
1985-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2018-02-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.01 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
"U Than Nyunt is a 57-year-old Karen refugee and the chief of a small rural village on the riverbanks of Moei. He grew up in a village near Belin in Mon State and was chosen to become the village chief during a time when Burmese military was employing Four Cuts policy. U Than Nyunt eventually couldn?t stand the military abuse anymore and fled to the Thailand-Burma border in 2003. He was again appointed the chief and led his villagers to build a thriving new village on the Burmese side of the border. Five years later, armed conflict forced them to abandon the village and flee across the river to Thailand. The villagers were scattered all over the border but U Than Nyunt was determined to bring them back together. He spent a year locating and collecting the villagers, finally able to bring them back to live in the same village. While U Than Nyunt speaks of their village on the Burmese side with great fondness and sorrow of a lost home, he doesn?t want to go back until there is genuine peace in the country."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"U Soe Myint is a 60-year-old Karen refugee who has struggled his whole life just to survive. Amidst deep-seated poverty, armed conflict and Burma Army abuse, U Soe Myint has had everything but an easy life. He had to work in a farm throughout his childhood, frequently hide from Burmese soldiers in the trees and the jungle in his adulthood, and finally flee to Thailand. U Soe Myint walked to Thailand through the jungle, knowing that he might step on a landmine any moment. For nearly 30 years, he was forced to live away from his wife and three children. While U Soe Myint was at last able to reunite with his family in Mae La refugee camp in 2006, his close family members are now scattered around the world, uncertain if they will ever be able to reunite. This is his story."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Shan Lay is a friendly, compassionate and dedicated young man from the Shan State who has sacrificed everything to fight for the freedom of his people. Growing up in the Shan State with a Karen mother, young Shan Lay was always interested in learning more about his Karen roots. But his mother didn?t speak the language and all he was taught at school was that ?Karen were rebels?. Somewhere deep inside, Shan Lay felt that there was more to the story. He witnessed firsthand the brutality of the government forces: Two of Shan Lay?s family members perished in the 8888 uprising, and when Shan Lay was a teenager, the Burmese military confiscated their family farm. Among other villagers, Shan Lay and his three childhood friends were forced out of their homes and left with nothing. A few years later, Shan Lay and his friends became freedom fighters on the Thailand-Burma border. Today, Shan Lay is the only one of them still alive. Despite the heartache, Shan Lay vows to never give up. Not until the country is free."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Armed conflict in Burma - Impact on village life, including health and education, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Noe Myint is a friendly and kind-hearted 46-year-old Karen man who grew up hiding in the jungle from Burmese military until fleeing to Thailand at the age of 12. Son of a soldier, Noe Myint joined the revolution in 1988 and has spent much of his adult life in the battlefield fighting alongside his school friends and his son. Out of his three children, two are still alive, one of them resettled in Australia and one living in Mae La refugee camp waiting to join her brother and other family in Australia. While their children are registered with the UNHCR, Noe Myint and his wife are not, and thus unable to reunite with their family in Australia. Read more to learn about the life of this soldier who has not only fought for revolution for over 20 years but also looked after a number of orphans who had no one else to turn to. Read more to learn about Noe Myint?s experiences with the UNHCR and resettlement, DKBA?s split from the KNU, Burma Army tactics, and refugee camp attacks. Find out why Noe Myint has great hopes for the future of Karen and how the international community can help the Karen and other ethnic people of Burma in their quest for peace and democracy."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Naw Woo doesn?t know her age exactly but she thinks that she is about 40 years old. She grew up in a small village in the Karen State, helping her parents make a living with hill-side plantations. Conditions were harsh and sometimes the villagers had little more to eat than rice with salt. Other times they had to substitute rice for bamboo shoot or anything else they could find in the jungle. The villagers also regularly fled from Burmese soldiers who came to their village with no warning, demanding porters and torturing and beating anyone who got caught running away from them. Naw Woo and other villagers lived in a constant state of fear, and many villagers lost their lives amidst fighting between Burmese and Karen soldiers. Eventually, Burmese soldiers burnt their whole village to the ground. This is her story of survival and hope."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - Impact on village life, including health and education, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Daw Hla Shin is a 70-year-old Karen woman from Win Tar Pan village in Bilin, Mon State. She grew up amidst Burmese Army abuse that only worsened after she married a Karen soldier. The villagers lived in constant fear of the Burmese soldiers, enduring torture, killings, and burnt homes and belongings. For Daw Hla Shin, things were even worse; the villagers tried to protect her but they were so afraid of the Burmese military that even her own parents refused to live with her, knowing the Burmese soldiers thought she was a spy for the Karen. She couldn?t even live in the village anymore. She had to stay away in the jungle. The villagers knew about that and they tried to protect her but there was not much they could do. Daw Hla Shin had nowhere to go. Having never attended school or had any connection to the outside world, Daw Hla Shin, nor her younger sister, had any idea that there would be any escape or that Thailand even existed. Both sisters lost their first husbands in battle against the Burma Army. What happened to them and where are they now? Read Daw Hla Shin?s story to find out more."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-20
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - military activities and their impact on village life, including livelihood, health, education and land tenure security, Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Mahn Robert Ba Zan is a former Karen freedom fighter and an advisor to the Karen Communities of Minnesota. He served in the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) for more than 30 years, following in the footsteps of his father Mahn Ba Zan, the first commander of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) and a former President of the Karen National Union (KNU). In 2000, Mahn Robert Ba Zan resettled to the United States of America with his family, changing his revolutionary tactics towards raising awareness and educating the Karen and other ethnics. In this interview, Mahn Robert Ba Zan talks about the ceasefire and car permits, ethnic unity, and how the international community can help the Karen in their quest for genuine peace and freedom."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies, Karen (Kayin) State, Dialogue/reform/transition in Burma/Myanmar - analyses and statements
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Nerdah Bo Mya is a Major General and the Chief of Staff of the Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO), which was founded in 1947 to protect the Karen people and territory, and is under its mother organisation Karen National Union (KNU). Nerdah Bo Mya, 48, was born near Manerplaw—the former headquarters of the KNU as well as other ethnic nationalities and the pro?democracy movement—as the son of the late General Bo Mya who was the President of the KNU from 1976 to 2000. After being educated in Thailand and in the US, where Nerdah Bo Mya spent six years studying a Liberal Arts degree at a university in California, the young graduate turned away from a future in the US and soon returned to the Thailand-Burma border. For over 20 years, he has fought for ?freedom, democracy, and humanity,” against what is undoubtedly one of the most brutal military regimes in the world. This dedicated and empathetic ?rebel” leader emphasizes that it is not just the Karen people but a whole nation of 60 million people who are still suffering and need to be freed. Although the international community has enjoyed what some call a honeymoon with the Burmese government since the country started opening up in 2011, according to Nerdah Bo Mya, the government is still not showing signs of sincerity in peace talks nor genuine willingness to change. ?The government is playing the game,” he says, and the international community too often indirectly participating in ongoing atrocities. In this exclusive interview with Burma Link, Nerdah Bo Mya talks about the struggle, the current state of the ceasefire and the peace process, the role of the international community, and how to build a prosperous Burma for the future generations."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of publication:
2015-04-07
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-17
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (cultural, historical, political), Karen National Union (KNU), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"This Field Report describes events occurring in Toungoo District between December 2013 and December 2014. During this period, KHRG mainly received reports from Thandaunggyi Township and surrounding areas. The report includes information submitted by KHRG community members on a range of human rights abuses and issues of importance to local communities including land confiscation, militarisation, fighting between armed groups, commercial activity carried out by military actors, violent abuse, access to education, access to healthcare, and development projects.
• There have been ongoing cases of land confiscation at the hands of the Tatmadaw, for the purpose of building Burma/Myanmar government offices, establishing military target practice areas and increasingly, for plantations, commercial projects, and sale to private companies.
• Militarisation in Toungoo District has continued, despite the 2012 preliminary ceasefire between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Burma/Myanmar government, with the Tatmadaw rotating troops and replenishing their rations and ammunitions at camps in remote areas.
• A local militia, the Thandaung Special Region Peace Group, have been engaged in several commercial activities, including running gambling areas, logging, and stone mining, in order to raise funds to support their operations. All of these activities have had a disruptive effect on villagers, in particular the school students.
• The Burma/Myanmar government has invested in providing financial support for school students in standards one to four in Toungoo District, however this has not always been effective as in some cases the money does not reach the students.
• There continues to be a lack of access to adequate healthcare in Toungoo District; the Burma/Myanmar government has only built clinics in the village tracts close to main roads, there is a shortage of properly trained healthcare workers and in the case of villagers with lower incomes, treatment is often too expensive.
• Between April and June 2014 there was a meeting that was headed by the Mya Sein Yaung company, with representatives from ten villages, on the subject of the company?s Reducing Poverty project being implemented in Thandaunggyi Township."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2016-02-25
Date of entry/update:
2016-02-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Land confiscation for military, commercial and other purposes, Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Education in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
381.98 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"Education is intimately linked with the concept of
identity and plays a key role in any nation-building
process.
In countries recovering from violent ethno-political conflicts,
education can positively contribute to peace-building
efforts, but it can also negatively affect peace, when it
interacts with the conflict dynamics. Language of instruction,
cultural relevance of the curriculum, teaching methods,
teacher recruitment and placement - all play a role in how
effectively education can contribute to peace-building.
Overall, community acceptance of the education system is
key to ensuring its conflict sensitivity. The Myanmar situation
is particularly complex, as the government is not the only
actor in education provision, with different schools widely
present in the country, due to the long history of civil war.
In Karen State, education services are delivered by ethnic
armed groups, religious organizations, communities, as well
as refugee camps and migrants schools along the Thai-
Myanmar border.
Successive Myanmar governments have focused their nationbuilding
efforts on the culture of the dominant Burman
Buddhist majority. In a country, with some 135 minority
groups, this approach was often perceived as an attempt
of forced assimilation of ethnic minorities into the majority
culture. As part of their self-determination struggle, ethnic
armed opposition groups developed and maintained their
own education systems, which they perceived as key to
preserving their group?s cultural identity. The KNU, the main
Karen ethnic armed group, established the Karen Education
Department (KED) to oversee education provision. The
KED currently provides support to 1,430 schools, paying
stipends to almost 7,911 teachers in areas under full or
partial administration of Karen armed opposition groups.
However, only one third of schools receiving KED support fall
under its full administration, with the majority being mixed or
government schools...".....
Contents:
Acronyms and Glossary...
Executive Summary...
1. Introduction: Defining Conflict Sensitivity in Education...
2. Objectives and Methodology...
3. Background: Conflict and Education in Myanmar:
Origins of conflict in Myanmar;
Conflict, identity and education ;
Present situation...
4. Karen State: Socio-Political Context and Local Governance Structures...
5. Education Providers and Systems in Karen State:
Typology of providers and administration;
Myanmar government schools;
Karen education system (KED);
Community-based education and mixed schools;
Faith-based education providers;
Border-based education providers;
Concluding remarks...
6. Expansion of Government Education Services in Karen State:
Communities lose ownership of schools;
Local teachers replaced by government teachers;
Lack of consultation with local stakeholders;
Teachers? difficulty to integrate into the local context;
Concerns about the quality of education;
Communities have to contribute to teachers? expenses;
Concerns over expansion of government control in contested areas;
Analysis: how do local stakeholders react to government expansion?...
7. Education Provision Outside of the Government System...
Case Studies:
1. Taw Naw High School;
2. War Ler Mu School;
3. K?Paw Htaw High School;
4. Hto Lwi Wah High School;
5. Government Schools in Myang Gyi Ngu..
8. Relevant Initiatives and Steps Forward...
9. Recommendations.
Polina Lenkova
Source/publisher:
Thabyay Education Foundation
Date of publication:
2015-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2016-01-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Education in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1 MB
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Description:
"This News Bulletin describes the displacement of villagers in Kawkareik Township, Dooplaya District as a result of fighting that took place during July 2015 between Tatmadaw and Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) soldiers over control of a recently completed section of the Asian Highway. This information was provided by monk U T---, in whose monastery many of the displaced villagers sought refuge. This News Bulletin also lists several specific incidents of fighting and the implications of these incidents on the surrounding villages.
As a result of the fighting, more than 1,000 villagers from more than five different villages in Kawkareik Township temporarily fled their homes and sought shelter at monasteries in Kawkareik Town. The schools in these villages were forced to close temporarily out of fears over the safety of the students, who were consequently unable to attend their lessons.
The displaced villagers struggled to maintain their farms and plantations, as well as to look after their livestock during the fighting. The villagers slept at the monasteries throughout the night, as they were afraid that they would be ordered to porter for the Tatmadaw soldiers if they had stayed in their villages.
On July 6th 2015, two villagers who were travelling on a path near to where Tatmadaw soldiers had taken up position for fighting were shot dead in Hlaingbwe Township, Hpa-an District, see more at ?Recent fighting between Tatmadaw and DKBA soldiers leads to killing and displacement of villagers in Hpa-an District, July 2015,” KHRG, August 2015.
On July 7th 2015, a primary school building in Kawkareik Town was hit and damaged by a grenade reported to have been fired by two DKBA soldiers. However, no students or teachers were harmed as the incident took place at 7 am before the school had opened for the day.[1]..."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2015-09-03
Date of entry/update:
2015-09-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Format :
Size:
196 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"RANGOON — Fighting last week between the Burma Army and ethnic Karen rebels has brought casualties for both sides as a dispute over illegal taxation along the Asia Highway in Karen State remains unresolved.
State media reported on Monday that four soldiers from the Democratic Karen Benevolence Army (DKBA) were killed and three others detained, and that ?some army officers from the Tatmadaw [Burma Armed Forces] sacrificed their lives for the country” in the course of nearly 40 clashes between the two sides..."
LAWI WENG
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication:
2015-07-13
Date of entry/update:
2015-07-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
General Ner Dah Bo Mya, the head of the Karen National Defence Organisation told Karen News that armed conflict this month in Burma is linked to plans to build hydropower dams on the Salween River. In an exclusive interview General Ner Dah explains to Karen News why he has placed his troops are on high alert.
General Ner Dah said that fighting between the government?s militia, the Border guard Force and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) has sent warning signals to the Karen armed groups that the government is planning to reinforce it military in the region.
?The current situation that we have in our area right now is that we have to be alert because there are fighting between BGF and the DKBA. We have to be alert because we can see that the Burmese [army] are reinforcing their military in most of their base camps that are also close to our base camps.”
General Ner Dah said that his organization is aware that the government intends to clamp down on any opposition to its plans to build ?development projects? in Karen State...
Source/publisher:
Karen News
Date of publication:
2014-10-24
Date of entry/update:
2014-10-30
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Dams and other projects on the Salween and its tributories, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
"A number of international governments, organisations and individuals try to squeeze the current situation of the Karen people into a narrow, restrictive and simplistic narrative that is usually framed like this.
?After more than sixty years of conflict, at last the Karen have peace. There has been a ceasefire for almost two years, the Karen National Union and government of Burma are in dialogue, development projects and aid are coming into Karen State to help the people, and finally refugees can return home.?
If all this is true, why aren?t Karen people celebrating? As a nation, the Karen people have suffered so much. Generation after generation has grown up in fear, facing conflict, displacement and repression. Unknown millions have been forced from their homes, uncounted thousands have been killed, and there has been so much suffering. Surely if there is a real peace, we?d all be happy?
Certainly for several communities in conflict zones the ceasefire makes a big difference. People are not being attacked as they were before, their villages destroyed, their lives taken, and the use of forced labour has fallen. However, even in these communities there is great caution. It?s a caution shared by most Karen people across Burma, in neighbouring Thailand, and those further abroad.
International observers should be trying to understand exactly why people who have suffered so much from conflict and human rights abuses are not celebrating the current peace and reform process. If they fail to do so, they?ll fail to understand what is happening in Burma, and they will never see the lasting peace they claim they want to see in our country..."
Zoya Phan
Source/publisher:
"Karen News"
Date of publication:
2013-10-12
Date of entry/update:
2013-10-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description:
Abstract:
"This thesis investigates the themes and society of displaced Karen identity on the border
between Burma and Thailand. The impact of the authoritarian military rule in Burma
cannot be underestimated. The government exercises tremendous power to shape the
social and economic environment. They determine whether a civil-society is prosperous
and functions in an appropriate manner. Governments are also responsible for societal
support and protection of all its populace. The population of Burma is essentially isolated
from the global society through regime censorship and restrictions. The inter-linking spiral
of humanitarian emergencies and continued to escalate, these include refugee, internally
displaced people, the spread of preventable diseases and the illicit narcotic production.
Recently, the Western governments had solidified their position towards the military junta
resulting in a stalemate of diplomatic interaction, with ultimately the people of Burma
being the victims of such actions. Current realities in the global sphere present the
powerful Western Nations an opportunity for a change in perspective. US policy
recommendations include a greater dialogue with the junta and the outcome of the election
is seen as crucial to fostering better relation. It is imperative that long-essential reforms are
undertaken if Burma if is to achieve lasting peace.
The international community must develop coherent and focused policies towards Burma
and make conflict resolution a priority. Humanitarian aid and displaced refugee support
will play a vital role, and in the 21st Century regional dimensions must be addressed. The
challenges of nation-state building must be made in conjunction with political,
humanitarian, and economic issues."
Source/publisher:
University of Manchester (thesis submitted in 2010)
Date of publication:
2009-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen National Union (KNU), Karen history, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
373.65 KB
more
Description:
In This Report:
* Forced Labor in Doo Tha Htoo and Doo Pla Ya districts...
* Burma Army makes improvements and additions to roads and camps in Karen State...
* Villages in Toungoo district flooded after the construction of the Toe Bo Dam...
* Flooding in Kler Lwee Htoo and Doo Pla Ya districts...
* Improved relationship with Burma Army in Doo Pla Ya district
Source/publisher:
Free Burma Rangers
Date of publication:
2013-04-05
Date of entry/update:
2013-04-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
199.36 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"For more than 60 years, Karen rebels have been fighting a civil war against the government of Myanmar...In February 1949, members of the Karen ethnic minority launched an armed insurrection against Myanmar?s central government.
In pictures: Sixty years of war.
Over 60 years later, the conflict continues, with more than a dozen ethnic rebel groups waging war against the army in their fight for self-rule.
Now, the war is entering a new and bloody stage.
Myanmar is the only regime still regularly planting anti-personnel mines. But it is not only the army that uses them. Rebel groups also regularly use homemade landmines or mines seized from the military.
As the conflict escalates, civilians are trapped in the middle of some of the worst fighting in decades.
101 East travels to Myanmar, home to the world?s longest running civil war."
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera (101 East)
Date of publication:
2011-08-11
Date of entry/update:
2011-12-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Individual videos and films on Burma in English and other non-Asian languages, Karen and other refugees from Burma in Thailand - general reports and articles, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers, Reports and maps covering anti-personnel landmines and Burma/Myanmar, Non-Ceasefire Groups, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English, Karen (English sub-titles)
Local URL:
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