Karen (Kayin) State
Websites/Multiple Documents
Description:
"The internal conflict in Myanmar refers to a series of ongoing insurgencies within Myanmar that began shortly after the country, then known as Burma, became independent from the United Kingdom in 1948. The conflict has been labeled as the world?s longest running civil war....."Main fronts:
Kachin State...
Kayah State...
Kayin State...
Rakhine State...
Shan State..."
Source/publisher:
Wikipedia
Date of entry/update:
2018-01-02
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Shan State, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Karen (Kayin) State, Karenni (Kayah) State, Armed conflict in Burma -- offensives
Language:
English
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Description:
"The term ?Karen? actually refers to a number of ethnic groups with Tibetan-Central Asian origins who speak 12 related but mutually unintelligible languages (?Karenic languages?) that are part of the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan family. Around 85 per cent of Karen belong either to the S?ghaw language branch, and are mostly Christian and animist living in the hills, or the Pwo section and are mostly Buddhists. The vast majority of Karen are Buddhists (probably over two-thirds), although large numbers converted to Christianity during British rule and are thought to constitute about 30 per cent among the Karen. The group encompasses a great variety of ethnic groups, such as the Karenni, Padaung (also known by some as ?long-necks? because of the brass coils worn by women that appear to result in the elongation of their necks), Bghai, Brek, etc.
There are no reliable population figures available regarding their total numbers in Burma: a US State Department estimate for 2007 suggests there may be over 3.2 million living in the eastern border region of the country, especially in Karen State, Tenasserim Division, eastern Pegu Division, Mon State and the Irrawaddy Division..."
Source/publisher:
Minority Rights Group
Date of entry/update:
2014-08-21
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
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Individual Documents
Description:
"Abstract:
The Leke script is a writing system designed for Eastern Pwo Karen. It is primarily used by the
followers of the Leke religion. Owing to its distinctive shapes, it is also called the “chicken
scratch” script. Created in the mid-19th century, the script reflects the Eastern Pwo Karen
phonological system of the time. This article elucidates the system of the Leke script by
demonstrating its correspondence with the Eastern Pwo Karen phonological system of the 19th
century. The analysis reveals that the Leke script is capable of accurately representing the
phonological system of both 19th-century Eastern Pwo Karen and contemporary Eastern Pwo
Karen..."
Source/publisher:
Reports of the Keio Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies
Date of entry/update:
2026-03-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf (48 pages)
Size:
649.97 KB
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Description:
"This Short Update describes events that occurred in Kruh Tuh (Kyonedoe) Township, Dooplaya District, in January and March 2023. On January 21st 2023, the SAC military indiscriminately fired mortar shells into villages in Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District, injuring two villagers. On March 25th 2023, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and People Defense Force (PDF) attacked the SAC police office in Kruh Tuh Town, and the SAC police force and SAC Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #546 indiscriminately fired 120mm mortar shells in Kruh Tuh Township. A 15-year-old boy was killed by the shelling in Z--- village, Kaw Wah Leh village tract, Kruh Tuh Township. Mortar shells that landed into Kruh Tuh Town damaged 39 civilian houses and injured 16 civilians, including two children. On the same day at 8:30 am, the SAC shot and killed Saw A---, who had gone to the town to distribute drinking water to people who were trapped there by the shelling and fighting. On March 26th 2023, the same SAC soldiers indiscriminately fired mortar shells again into Kruh Tuh Town, killing a 67-year-old woman named Daw B---.[1]
January 2023: SAC shelling caused civilian casualties in Kruh Tuh Township
On January 21st 2023, at about 12 am, the State Administration Council (SAC)[2] Infantry Battalion (IB)[3] #97, and Artillery Unit #321, under Military Operations Command (MOC)[4] #12, indiscriminately fired mortar shells into Y--- village, Raw Keh village tract[5], Kruh Tuh Township injuring two villagers. Saw[6] C--- (19 years old) was injured on his leg. U[7] D--- (87 years old) was also injured on his leg. Since U D--- sustained serious injuries by shrapnel from mortar shells, he was sent to Aa--- clinic, Wa Ka village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, for treatment.
March 2023: SAC shelling and killing in Kruh Tuh Township
On March 25th 2023, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[8] and People Defense Force (PDF)[9] attacked the SAC police office in Kruh Tuh Town, Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District. Due to the fighting that broke out [after the office was attacked], civilians in Kruh Tuh Town were trapped in their homes, and were afraid to go out.
At about 7:30 am, SAC Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[10] #546, under MOC #12, based in Kyone K’Lay military camp, indiscriminately fired 120mm mortar shells into villages [in Kruh Tuh Township], and some mortar shells landed in Z--- village, Kaw Wah Leh village tract, Kruh Tuh Township. From this shelling, a 15-year-old boy, Saw E---, was hit by the shrapnel on his neck and he was killed immediately.
At 8:30 am, a civilian named Saw A--- (23 years old), with ‘the heart of a humanitarian’ [someone willing to help], voluntarily went to [Kruh Tuh] Town and provided drinking water as a donation for civilians who were trapped in their homes in the town. While he was providing drinking water to civilians who were trapped by the fighting, a SAC soldier shot at him, and he was killed immediately.
Due to the attack [on the office of the SAC police], SAC LIB #546, under MOC #12, based in Kyone K’Lay camp, also shelled mortar rounds to Kruh Tuh Town in order to help defend it against KNLA and PDF soldiers. As a result of this shelling, 39 civilian houses were damaged and many civilians in Kruh Tuh Town were injured by the shrapnel of mortar shells.
In Section #2 of Kruh Tuh Town, Kruh Tuh Township, six civilians were injured by shrapnel from mortar shells:
In Section #3 of Kruh Tuh Town, Kruh Tuh Township, one civilian was injured by shrapnel from mortar shells
In Section #4 of Kruh Tuh Town, Kruh Tuh Township, 9 civilians were injured by shrapnel from mortar shells:
On March 26th 2023, at about 10 am, SAC LIB #546, under #12, based in Kyone K’Lay camp, indiscriminately shelled mortar shells 120mm [again] into Kruh Tuh Town, [fatally] injuring Daw B--- (67 years old). As soon as she was injured by shrapnel from mortar shells, she was sent to Kruh Tuh hospital for treatment. However, since Daw B--- was a person living with heart disease, and was [severely] injured, she passed away in the hospital.
[In total,] from March 25th to 26th 2023, 16 villagers were injured and two villagers were killed by SAC shelling in Kruh Tuh Tonwhsip; and one villager was shot dead by the SAC in Kruh Tuh Town.
Further background reading on the human rights situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma can be found in the following KHRG reports:
“Dooplaya District Incident Report: SAC shelling into a village injured two villagers, including a 15-year-old, in Kruh Tuh Township, May 2023”, June 2024.
Photo Set: SAC indiscriminate shelling in Southeast Burma, and its impacts on villagers, January 2023 to February 2024, June 2024.
“Dooplaya District Incident Report: SAC shot and injured a villager in Noh T’Kaw Township, October 2023”, May 2024.
Undeniable: War crimes, crimes against humanity and 30 years of villagers’ testimonies in rural Southeast Burma,December 2022.
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in February and April 2023. It was provided by a community member in Dooplaya District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG.
[2] The State Administration Council (SAC) is the executive governing body created in the aftermath of the February 1st 2021 military coup. It was established by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 2nd 2021, and is composed of eight military officers and eight civilians. The chairperson serves as the de facto head of government of Burma/Myanmar and leads the Military Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the government. Min Aung Hlaing assumed the role of SAC chairperson following the coup.
[3] An Infantry Battalion (IB) comprises 500 soldiers. However, most Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw are under-strength with less than 200 soldiers. Yet up to date information regarding the size of battalions is hard to come by, particularly following the signing of the NCA. They are primarily used for garrison duty but are sometimes used in offensive operations.
[4] Military Operations Command (MOC) is comprised of ten battalions for offensive operations. Most MOCs have three Tactical Operations Commands (TOCs) made up of three battalions each.
[5] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.
[6] ‘Saw’ is a S’gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[7] ‘U’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[8] The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Karen National Union. The Karen National Union (KNU) is the main Karen political organisation. It was established in 1947 and has been in conflict with the government since 1949. The KNU wields power across large areas of Southeast Myanmar and has been calling for the creation of a democratic federal system since 1976. Although it signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, relations with the government remain tense.
[9] The People’s Defence Force (PDF) is an armed resistance established independently as local civilian militias operating across the country. Following the February 1st 2021 military coup and the ongoing brutal violence enacted by the junta, the majority of these groups began working with the National Unity Government (NUG), a body claiming to be the legitimate government of Burma/Myanmar, which then formalized the PDF on May 5th 2021 as a precursor to a federal army.
[10] A Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) comprises 500 soldiers. However, most Light Infantry Battalions in the Burma military are under-strength with less than 200 soldiers. Yet up-to-date information regarding the size of battalions is hard to come by, particularly following the signing of the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). LIBs are primarily used for offensive operations, but they are sometimes used for garrison duties.
[11] ‘Daw’ is a Burmese female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[12] ‘Maung’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[13] ‘Ma’ is a Burmese female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[14] ‘Ko’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name..."
Source/publisher:
"Karen Human Rights Group"
Date of entry/update:
2024-07-31
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Karen (Kayin) State, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
498.82 KB
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Description:
"This Short Update describes events occurring in Htaw Ta Htoo (Htantabin) Township, Taw Oo (Toungoo) District, in May 2024. On May 22nd 2024, State Administration Council (SAC) soldiers from Infantry Battalion (IB) #39 shot at two villagers (including a 17-year-old) on a road in front of their army camp after curfew in A--- village, G--- village tract, Htaw Ta Htoo Township, while they were travelling on their motorbikes. The 17-year-old villager was hit and died immediately. The SAC soldiers arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured the other villager. During his arrest and detention in IB #39 army camp, the villager was burned, punched, and denied food, water, and medical treatment. He was released the next day. Since the incident, the villager has been afraid to leave home and has been unable to work or travel. The victim and the victims’ families have felt afraid to speak about the incident due to fears of retaliation by the SAC. [1]
SAC soldiers shot at villagers
Ko[2] C--- is a villager who lives in B--- village, G--- village tract[3], Htaw Ta Htoo (Htantabin) Township, Taw Oo (Toungoo) District. He rents a building, where he opened a motorbike repair shop to support his livelihood. This building is located in A--- village, G--- village tract. The building is owned by a villager named D---, who lives beside it. Every day, Ko C--- goes to work in his motorbike repair shop in the morning and he comes back to his house in the evening. His house is a half mile away from his shop.
On May 22nd 2024, Maung[4] E--- went to Ko C---’s motorbike repair shop in order to fix his motorbike. Maung E--- (17 years old) is friends with Ko C---. Maung E--- lives in F--- Section, I--- village, G--- village tract. After Maung E---’s motorbike was repaired, Ko C--- asked him to wait for him to go back home together in the evening. In the evening, Ko C--- and Maung E--- went home together on their motorbikes.
When they were passing a place [a road] in front of the State Administration Council (SAC)[5] Infantry Battalion (IB)[6] #39 army camp [in A--- village] at around 7 pm, SAC soldiers from IB #39 shot at them while they [continued to] drive on their motorbikes. [The SAC soldier shot at them from behind, as they had just passed the gate next to the army camp]. One of the bullets hit Maung E--- [on his back]. As he was hit by the bullet, he fell off from his motorbike on a road which is in front of a barber shop. The name of the barbershop is ‘H--- Shop’, next to IB #39 army camp. Maung E--- died on the spot in the place where he fell off. [Villagers from A--- village heard the sound of multiple gunshots. The SAC took the dead body of Maung E--- away, as witnessed by local villagers close to the army camp.]
There is a signboard set up at SAC checkpoint in B--- village that states that no one is allowed to go out during the period between 6 pm and 6 am. There was also a rumour that when these two villagers arrived in front of IB #39 army camp, the SAC soldiers told them to stop but they did not stop. Then, the SAC soldiers shot at these two villagers. [As explained by Ko C---’s friend to KHRG, the villagers had previously travelled outside the curfew on a number of occasions before, so they did not believe there would be any repercussions. There is no checkpoint outside the army base.]
Torture, arrest and detention
[When Maung E--- was shot, Ko C--- stopped his motorbike.] The SAC then arrested Ko C---. Ko C--- was detained in [SAC] IB #39 army camp for one night. He was released the next day [without explanation]. Villagers [from A--- village] saw that his face was bruised and it looked a dark brown colour from being tortured.
Update received by KHRG in the last week of May 2024, a few days after the incident, regarding the arrest of Ko C---:
When the SAC soldiers arrested Ko C---, they asked him ‘do you have petrol in your motorbike?’. He said, ‘yes’. Then, they took out the petrol from his motorbike and poured it on Ko C---’s legs and set fire to it. His legs burned and layers of skin came off. After he was arrested, while the villager was detained, SAC soldiers humiliated and tortured him. They offered him a cigarette and when he accepted, they burned his face with lit cigarettes and punched him in the face. He also did not receive any food, water or medical care during his detention.
As of July 2024, Ko C--- has been afraid to leave his home after the incident and did not feel safe to go to work or travel. He did not receive any medical treatment or support following the incident. Ko C--- informed his close friends and family about the incident, and they are afraid to share information about it due to fears of retaliation by the SAC, who control the area. No investigation or action has been taken against the perpetrators.
Retrieval of the body of Maung E---
In the morning of May 23rd 2024, Maung E---’s parents went to IB #39 army camp in order to request the retrieval of the dead body of their son [that was being kept at Toungoo hospital] but the SAC did not allow for the return of his body to them. [The SAC did not provide any reasons for their refusal to retrieve Maung E---’s body.] On May 24th 2024, Maung E---’s parents, local monks and elder villagers from G--- village tract went to request [permission to retrieve] the dead body of Maung E--- from the SAC [again]. This time, the SAC asked all of them to sign an agreement paper [absolving the SAC of responsibility for his death] to have the body returned. The villagers only received the dead body of Maung E--- after they signed the agreement paper.
[As explained by Ko C---’s friend, the bullet holes on the victim’s body showed that he was diagonally hit by a bullet in the side of his back and through the front side of his chest. Ko C---’s friend was informed by a witness that brought back the body from Toungoo hospital.]
Further background reading on the situation on torture, detention and extrajudicial killings in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
Permanent Scars: Torture of villagers under arbitrary detention by State Administration Council in Southeast Burma (January – December 2023), April 2024.
“Mergui-Tavoy District Incident Report: Arbitray arrest and killing of a villager by the SAC in K’Ser Doh Township, October 2023”, March 2024.
“Doo Tha Htoo District Incident Report: A male villager was arrested, tortured and killed by the SAC in Kyeh Htoh Township, in July 2023”, January 2024.
“Mu Traw District Situation Update: SAC air strikes, arrest of villagers, and indiscriminate shelling causing casualties, and landmine explosion, March 2022 to February 2023”. January 2024.
“Mergui-Tavoy District Short Update: SAC indiscriminate shelling, killing, arrests, torture, house burning, and villagers’ displacement in K’Ser Doh Township, June 2023”, November 2023.
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in May 2024. It was provided by a community member in Taw Oo District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG.
[2] ‘Ko’ is a Burmese title meaning older brother. It can be used for relatives as well as non-relatives.
[3] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.
[4] ‘Maung’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[5] The State Administration Council (SAC) is the executive governing body created in the aftermath of the February 1st 2021 military coup. It was established by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 2nd 2021, and is composed of eight military officers and eight civilians. The chairperson serves as the de facto head of government of Myanmar and leads the Military Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the government. Min Aung Hlaing assumed the role of SAC chairperson following the coup.
[6] An Infantry Battalion (IB) comprises 500 soldiers. However, most Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw are under-strength with less than 200 soldiers. Yet up to date information regarding the size of battalions is hard to come by, particularly following the signing of the NCA. They are primarily used for garrison duty but are sometimes used in offensive operations..."
Source/publisher:
"Karen Human Rights Group"
Date of entry/update:
2024-07-31
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"This Short Update describes events occurring in Daw Hpa Hkoh (Thandaunggyi) Township, Taw Oo (Toungoo) District, in February and March 2024. On February 10th 2024, a skirmish broke out between State Administration Council (SAC) troops and local People’s Defence Force (PDF) and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) forces near A--- village, Htee Day area, Daw Hpa Hkoh Township. During the skirmish, two cows were killed, and villagers fled to nearby areas. After the skirmish, the SAC troops looted several houses and villager’s properties, including cars and motorbikes, and burned down 64 houses. One villager was arrested when he tried to obtain his car back. The SAC also made threats to burn the entire village if fighting occurred again. On March 21st 2024, two children from A--- village were killed by an unexploded ordnance (UXO). Local villagers believe that this UXO was one of the mortars that the SAC troops fired during the skirmish on February 10th 2024.[1]
Skirmish and house burning in A--- village, Htee Day area
On February 10th 2024, at around 3 pm, a skirmish occurred between State Administration Council (SAC)[2] Infantry Battalion (IB)[3] #49 combined with other [unknown] SAC battalions, against forces of the People’s Defence Force (PDF)[4] [unknown battalions] combined with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[5] Brigade #2, Battalion #4, near A--- village, Htee Day area, Daw Hpa Hkoh (Thandaunggyi) Township, Taw Oo (Toungoo) District. The fighting lasted three hours. These SAC troops [IB #49 and other SAC unknown battalions] are from Naypyidaw Union Territory [an administrative division under direct control of the SAC]. Before the skirmish, the PDF had set up a temporary base near the village, where they stayed for a few days. When the skirmish happened, some soldiers from KNLA Brigade #2 Battalion #4 were also staying at the temporary PDF base. During the fighting, two cows owned by villagers were hit by bullets and killed, and some local villagers fled from A--- village for their safety to nearby farms, plantations, and the mountain. Villagers could not bring anything with them when they fled.
After the fighting ended at around 6 pm, the SAC troops entered the village and burned down 64 houses owned by villagers, causing some villagers to flee to nearby safer areas again. There are more than 100 houses in the village. Before they burned the villagers’ houses, they looted what they wanted from them. They also looted two cars and three motorbikes. One of the cars’ owners is named U[6] B---. The names of the motorbike owners and a second looted car owner are unknown. The SAC demanded that the cars’ owners pay four million kyats [USD 1,905.68][7] for each car if they wanted to get them back. U B--- attempted to redeem his car but was detained by the SAC. [It is unknown to KHRG if U B--- has been released.] Villagers were also threatened by the SAC troops that if any further fighting occurred [between the SAC troops and the PDF/KNLA] the entire village would be burned down.
Most of the villagers have returned to their village at present. Some villagers have not yet returned because they cannot afford to rebuild their houses, so they are staying at their friends or relatives’ houses in other villages. Some villagers whose houses were burned down remained in A--- village and simply built temporary bamboo houses after the burning, with bamboo and trees provided by the KNLA. The Yay Tar Shay Social Service Organisation [from Yay Tar Shay Town in Bago Division, near Daw Hpa Hkoh Township] provided some food support for villagers consisting of one month’s worth of rice and oil. After that, villagers did not receive any other support. No [other] humanitarian organisations provided food assistance or support for rebuilding their houses. Villagers reported they still need assistance to rebuild their homes and restart their lives.
Currently [as of July 2024], there are no PDF temporary bases near A--- village. Instead, the SAC set up a temporary base of their own in its place, which is still active.
UXO explosion in A--- village, Htee Day area
On March 21st 2024, two boys named Wai Yan Lin (5 years old) and Kaung Khet Lwin (8 years old) from A--- village found an unexploded ordnance (UXO) [in A--- village]. [Villagers believe the UXO was a mortar round fired by the SAC during a skirmish between SAC troops and PDF/KNLA forces, likely on February 10th 2024.] Wai Yan Lin and Kaung Khet Lwin started playing with it, and the UXO exploded. The explosion caused extensive injuries to Wai Yan Lin’s head, left arm, left leg, chest and abdomen, killing him instantly. Kaung Khet Lwin was seriously injured; his entire left leg was lacerated, and he sustained injuries to his left arm, hand and chest. Villagers attempted to transport Kaung Khet Lwin to the hospital in Swar Town, in Naypyidaw Union Territory, [located approximately two hours away by motorbike,] but he died right after leaving the village, while being transported to the hospital.
Villagers helped Wai Yan Lin’s and Kaung Khet Lwin’s families with the funeral’s arrangements. No one provided any support to the two children’s family members in the first two weeks after the incident. It is not known whether the families received any other assistance after this date.
Further background reading on the situation on fighting, house burning, looting and UXOs in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
“Taw Oo District Short Update: Shelling, air strikes and house burning by SAC troops, and use of forced navigators by PDF soldiers in Htaw Ta Htoo Township (November to December 2023)”, April 2024;
“Taw Oo District Short Update: House burning, indiscriminate shelling and air strikes by the SAC in Htaw Ta Htoo Township (September to November 2023)”, March 2024;
“Taw Oo District Situation Update: Fighting, shelling, and house burning in Thandaung Town, and air strikes in Htaw Ta Htoo Township (January to July 2023)”, January 2024;
“Taw Oo District Incident Report: Killings, property destruction, and indiscriminate shelling by the SAC in Daw Hpa Hkoh Township (July 2023)”, November 2023..."
Source/publisher:
"Karen Human Rights Group"
Date of entry/update:
2024-07-26
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) reports, Karen (Kayin) State, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
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Size:
2 MB 848.8 KB 791.62 KB
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Description:
"The Myanmar junta-allied Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), rebranded as the Karen National Army (KNA), has built a transnational network of businesses that enriches the militia’s ruling family and their associates, and causes widespread suffering.
A Justice For Myanmar investigation into the Karen BGF/KNA corporate structure and regional network provides new details into the militia’s involvement in illegal and abusive businesses with companies and individuals from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, China and Hong Kong.
These include cyber scam parks, illegal casinos and illegal online gambling as the junta and its allied Karen BGF/KNA continue to commit international crimes with total impunity.
Malaysians play a prominent role in the Yatai New City and Dongmei Park projects, which involve a vast range of criminal activities and human rights violations.
Yatai New City is a mega development with illegal casinos, cyber scam and illegal online gambling operations and is a joint venture between the Karen BGF/KNA and Yatai International Holding Group. In 2022, Yatai’s chairperson, She Zhijiang, was arrested in Thailand on an international warrant and is awaiting extradition to China to answer charges of running illegal gambling operations. The two remaining members of Yatai Group in the company’s Myanmar joint venture were Malaysian citizens.
Dongmei Park is a cyber scam park established by former 14K Triad boss Wan Kuok-koi (also known as Broken Tooth) with Malaysian associates that include former deputy minister to the prime minister Dato Dr Mashitah Ibrahim and her husband, Datuk Abdul Shakor bin Abu Bakar, a former diplomat. The couple traveled to Karen State in 2020 with a contingent of prominent Malaysians and Wan Kuok-koi to launch the project. Datuk Abdul Shakor bin Abu Bakar continues to serve as a director and shareholder of Dongmei Group’s US-sanctioned Hong Kong company.
The investigation also exposes new connections between Thai companies and individuals and Karen BGF/KNA businesses, including a trip to Shwe Kokko by representatives of the Thai state-owned EXIM Bank, Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank and Krungthai Bank via an unofficial Karen BGF border crossing to discuss financial support.
The investigation details the central role San Myint (who goes by the pseudonym Saw Chit Thu) and his children play in Karen BGF/KNA companies. By distributing shares between family members, San Myint’s family controls six Karen BGF/KNA business and has a minority stake in two notorious cyber scam parks: Apollo Park and Yulong Bay Park. In both of these businesses, San Myint’s son, Saw Htoo Eh Moo, a Karen BGF/KNA major, is a director and shareholder.
Justice For Myanmar calls for urgent sanctions against the Karen BGF/KNA, its businesses and key individuals, including San Myint and his family.
Justice For Myanmar calls for Malaysia and Thailand in particular, as well as other authorities in the region, to investigate and hold their citizens and residents accountable for their involvement in transnational crimes and human rights violations in Myanmar.
Thailand must block the Karen BGF/KNA and its business associates from operating in its territory.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: “The Karen BGF/KNA is responsible for war crimes and transnational crimes, which it commits with total impunity.
“The illegal junta not only protects these criminal activities but also profits from them as it continues to wage a war of terror against the people of Myanmar.
“The Karen BGF/KNA and junta’s international and transnational crimes have continued amid insufficient international action to resolve the crisis in Myanmar and to hold perpetrators accountable.
“Justice For Myanmar calls for urgent sanctions against the Karen BGF/KNA and its businesses.
“Authorities in the region must do far more to investigate the involvement of their citizens, residents and companies in the transnational and international crimes committed in Myanmar.
“In 2025, Malaysia will become chair of ASEAN and needs to step up and stamp out the involvement of its citizens in criminal activities in Myanmar. Malaysia cannot credibly respond to the crisis in Myanmar if its own citizens can do business with war criminals and cause harm to the people of Myanmar and the region with impunity.
“Thailand remains complicit in the commission of international crimes in Myanmar through its business with the illegal junta, and it has failed to take sufficient action against its citizens and companies enabling and profiting from the Karen BGF/KNA.
“Thailand and Malaysia need to change course now to help resolve the Myanmar crisis, rather than allowing their companies and citizens to cause more harm to the people of Myanmar.”..."
Source/publisher:
Justice For Myanmar
Date of entry/update:
2024-05-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Sanctions, Business and the Military, Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
166.91 KB 219.2 KB
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Description:
"It is saddening to see that it had resorted to armed conflict during a time of political change and that the Karen National Union (KNU) will be looking to seek solutions through dialogue, said the ethnic armed group's chief General Saw Mu Tu Say Poe on May 10, April 2021 via a statement.
The statement and the signature of the KNU chief has been confirmed by other top level officers of the KNU.
"Yes. It is his opinion for the peace of the union," said a top-brass member of the KNU.
The statement urges the rest that are involved to follow the policies as indicated in the National Ceasefire Act (NCA). It also says that the KNU is a group that had, for years, working toward through taking up arms to achieve equality and betterment for the Karen people and that through political dialogues aimed at regional development and peace that it was able to sign on to the NCA.
KNU, together with other ethnic armed groups, signed the NCA on October 15, 2015.
There have been multiple battles between the Tatmadaw (military) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), specifically the KNLA's Division 5. The KNLA is an armed organisation under the KNU and battles against the military had sent many locals in those areas to flee into Thailand..."
Source/publisher:
"Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2021-05-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état
Language:
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pdf
Size:
65.24 KB
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Description:
"Burma military airstrikes continue, and schools and homes are being destroyed as Burma soldiers shoot villagers in northern Karen State, with over 25,000 people in hiding. One villager, Saw Paw Chit, 40 yrs, was shot to death on 29 April by Burma Army soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 407, Military Operations Command (MOC) 8, commanded by Maung Kyaw Sein Lin, in Ku Chi Village, south of Papun. Deadly airstrikes using rockets, bombs and strafing cannon began in Karen State on 27 March 2021 and continued to 1 April and then started again on 27 April to now, 3 May 2021.
We walked to the hiding places of the villagers who fled the first strike and met Naw Mu Wah Paw carrying her son in the jungle. He had been wounded by shrapnel to his face and neck on 27 March as he sat on his father’s lap when the first rockets and bombs came. His father was killed and his mother carried him to our medics, who treated him and removed most of the shrapnel.
His mother told the story: “The airstrikes came in at night. There were rockets and bombs. I was outside the house and my son was sitting on my husband’s lap inside the house. There was a huge explosion and I ran to the house as bombs fell. My husband was covered in blood and staggered down the stairs holding our son. He handed our son to me and then fell down and died. Now I am hiding in the jungle here with his father, mother and sister. I miss my husband so much and the airstrikes keep coming to now,” said Naw Mu Wah Paw. We prayed with her husband’s parents as his sister wept silently under a tarp.
Map includes some Burma Army airstrikes, artillery strikes and troop movements from 27 March to 3 May..."
Source/publisher:
Free Burma Rangers
Date of entry/update:
2021-05-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (Kayin) State, Discrimination against the Karen, 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, Armed conflict in Karen State - the human rights situation, Children, Childrens's rights in Karen State - reports of violations
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
The military’s Thaw Le Hta outpost is across the Salween River from Mae Sam Laep, a strategic port on the Thai border that has been used to send aid to IDPs
Description:
"The Karen National Union (KNU) announced on Tuesday morning that they had taken over a base belonging to the Myanmar military on the Thai border; hours later, the regime’s forces launched airstrikes against Karen villages in the area.
Early on Tuesday morning, Brigade 5 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)– the armed wing of the KNU– seized and then destroyed the regime base in the Thaw Le Hta area of Karen State’s Mutraw District, known in Burmese as Hpapun.
The base is located on the Salween River, opposite the Thai village of Mae Sam Laep in Mae Hong Son province.
Around seven Myanmar soldiers were seen fleeing during the raid by Karen forces, the Karen Information Center reported.
By around 1pm, the Myanmar army had launched airstrikes in near Dagwe village (Dagwin in Burmese), some 10 miles north of Thaw Le Hta, according to Padoh Mahn Mahn, the KNLA’s Brigade 5 spokesperson.
“Bombing the area near villages is very concerning for the residents living there,” Padoh Mahn Mahn told Myanmar Now.
There are also reports of Myanmar military airstrikes on the village of Bwa Der, also in Brigade 5.
Further details about the air attacks, including those regarding casualties and the numeber of people displaced, were not available at the time of reporting.
Mae Sam Laep is a strategic point along the Thai-Myanmar border regarding transportation and humanitarian aid delivery, with a river port from which supplies have been sent to internally displaced people (IDPs) in KNU-controlled areas.
In response to the fighting at Thaw Le Hta on Tuesday, Thai authorities evacuated hundreds of Thai villagers from Mae Sam Laep and closed the port.
Prior to the fighting on Tuesday, this stretch of the Thai-Myanmar border area along the Salween River had seen heightened military tension/
On April 23, Myanmar troops stationed across the river from another Thai village– Tha Hta Fung– fired “warning shots” above a civilian boat carrying Thai border patrol officers, the Bangkok Post reported. A Thai government official later described the incident as a “misunderstanding.”
However, another KNLA Brigade 5 spokesperson, Saw Kler Doh, told the Karen Information Center that Tuesday’s attacks on Thaw Le Hta were carried out in response to regime troops shooting at boats along the Salween River.
The offensive against the Thaw Le Hta military outpost marks the second time since the February 1 coup that the KNLA’s Brigade 5 has seized a junta base.
On March 27, they took over the army’s stronghold at Thee Mu Hta, killing at least five soldiers and taking at last eight prisoners.
The junta responded by launching airstrikes at the end of March at Karen villages in Mutraw District (Brigade 5) and in Brigade 3– in Hteepado, Nyaunglebin District, and Maetamat, Shwegyin Township, located in Bago Region.
These air attacks killed an estimated 20 civilians, wounded more than 40, and displaced tens of thousands, according to the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a local relief organisation.
Fighting between the KNU’s Brigade 1 and the regime’s armed forces also broke out in Thaton on the morning of April 23. One junta officer was reportedly killed in the fighting, but the number of total casualties could not be confirmed at the time of reporting.
FBR estimated that there were 24,000 IDPs in the territories controlled by the KNU’s Brigades 1, 3, and 5 in mid-April.
In and near the KNU’s Brigade 6 area– Dooplaya District, in Karen State– locals have reported that the junta’s troops have increased interrogation of and extortion of money from civilians on the roads.
Regime soldiers in Dooplaya also violently cracked down on a motorcycle protest on April 24 at Three Pagodas Pass, near the Thai border..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2021-04-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers, 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"...Opium poppy cultivation in Thailand fell from 12,112 hectares in 1961 to 281 hectares in 2015. One outlier exists: Chiang Mai Province’s remote southwestern district, Omkoi. Ninety percent of the district is a national forest reserve where human habitation is illegal. However, an ethnic Karen population has lived there since long before the law that outlawed them was created, unconnected to the state by road, with limited or no access to health, education and other services. Omkoi’s Karen increasingly rely on cash-based markets. Their lack of citizenship precludes them from land tenure that might incentivize them to grow alternative crops, and their statelessness precludes them from services and protections. Nor is the Thai state the singular Leviathan that states are often assumed to be; it is a collection of agencies and networks with divergent interests, of whom one of the most powerful, the Royal Forestry Department, has purposely made Omkoi’s population illegible, and has consistently blocked the attempts of other state actors to complexify Omkoi beyond the simplicity of its forest environment. These factors make the state illegitimate to Omkoi’s Karen just as Omkoi’s Karen are illegitimate to the state, and make the cultivation of short-term, high-yield, high-value, imperishable opium a logical economic choice for poor Karen farmers, especially given the historical lack of law enforcement presence. However, that presence is growing, as Omkoi becomes one of the last areas of Thailand to experience the historical extension of lowland Padi state power into an ungoverned, untallied highland..."
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
PDF
Size:
313.98 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"Women and children lengthen their necks with 22-pound brass rings to 'look like dragons' as part of an ancient tribe in Asia.
It is a tradition in the Kayah state in Myanmar, formerly Burma, and makes the Kayan people distinct across ethnic groups in south east Asia.
Some women felt they were unattractive without the rings and others felt the pressure to wear them for visiting tourists.
The rings were used to protect people from being attacked by tigers and others claim they were a tribute to the group's 'dragon mother'.
Rings have also been traditionally seen as symbols of wealth and reserved for favourite daughters, as a more common theory.
Padung author Pascal Khoo Thwe told Channel New Asia that 'our mother was a dragon' and 'they have the same sort of neck'. He claims to have grown up with his grandmother wearing 14-inch high sets of rings.
Mu Lone, 88, told the Mirror how women felt they 'weren't beautiful without neck-rings' in her time..."
Source/publisher:
"Daily Mail" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen (Kayin) State, Children, Women's rights, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Burma, Padaung (Kayan)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"The world’s biggest jade mines are found in the restive Kachin state in Myanmar.
BBC Burmese gained rare access to area where mountains have been turned into moonscapes.
The industry has been estimated to be valued at a staggering $31bn (£25bn) annually.
Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to the area to scavenger among the rubble left over from the mine – hoping to get find fragments of the stone.
It’s a dangerous job and heroin addiction among the miners and scavengers is epidemic..."
Source/publisher:
"BBC"
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems - mining and trade, Minerals and Mining - Burma (general articles and analyses), Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
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:
more
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:
more
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:
more
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:
more
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:
more
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:
more
Description:
Executive Summary: "This report outlines the results of the Local Governance Mapping research conducted by
UNDP in Kayin State. Based on the perceptions of the people and local governance actors,
the mapping has tried to capture some key aspects of the current dynamics of governance
at the frontline of state-citizen interaction and focuses in its analysis on participation in
public sector planning, access to basic services and accountability in local governance.
In consultation with the Kayin State government, it was agreed that the Local Governance
Mapping would be conducted in three townships, namely,
Hlaingbwe, Kawkareik and Hpa-An
between February and June 2014. Three of the more remote and less populated
townships (Myawaddy, Hpapun and Thandaung) have for a long time been partially under
control of the KNU and have been more unstable than the other four townships in Kayin
State during the 65 years of armed conflict. As a result of their remote character, their
low population density and the years of conflict, the availability of basic services and their
governance situation is most likely to be significantly different from the ones included in
this study."
Source/publisher:
UNDP Myanmar
Date of publication:
2013-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2016-02-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Decentralisation (Decentralization) in Burma/Myanmar, Karen (Kayin) State, Governance in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.21 MB
more