Karen National Union

Myanmar’s COVID Response Is Collapsing

As Myanmar’s national COVID-19 response collapses following a 1 February military coup, one ethnic armed organisation in the country’s north has quietly vaccinated 20,000 people in areas it governs, with support from across the border in China.The vaccines, produced by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech, were supplied and administered with assistance from the Red Cross Society of China, a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Kachin Inde

13 May 2021
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Myanmar Junta Launches Fresh Air Raids

Myanmar's military launched air assaults for the second day in a row into rebel-held territory after gunfire was heard from neighbouring Thailand, a Thai official said Wednesday, as fighting escalates along the border.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a 1 February coup, its power grab angering much of its population.The anti-junta movement has also garnered some support from some ethnic rebel groups, which control territory along Myanm

29 April 2021
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Myanmar At The Brink Of State Failure

Reports emerged Saturday of more than 80 killed in the latest bloodletting by Myanmar's military, as the country's own ambassador to the United Nations (UN) called for "strong action" against the junta.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February, with protesters refusing to submit to the junta and demanding a return to democracy. After over two months of military rule, efforts to verify deaths and confirm news

11 April 2021
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KNU: Suu Kyi’s Efforts Have Failed

The Karen National Union (KNU) is one of the ethnic armed organisations that has attacked Myanmar’s military since its February coup.KNU Brigade 5 seized two military outposts in Papun District in Karen State and blocked food deliveries to military troops based in Papun, prompting the military to carry out airstrikes, which killed several people and forced thousands to flee their homes.Besides military action, the KNU is negotiating with the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hlut

7 April 2021
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Myanmar Rebel Groups Condemn Junta Crackdown

10 of Myanmar's major rebel groups threw their support behind the country's anti-coup movement Saturday, fanning fears that a broader conflict could erupt in a country long plagued by fighting between the military and the ethnic armies.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power on 1 February, triggering an uprising that the junta has sought to quell with deadly crackdowns.According to a local monitoring group, more than 550 peop

4 April 2021
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Myanmar Conflict Keeps Thai Village On Edge

A sleepy village in remote northern Thailand became a hub of activity this week when it received refugees fleeing Myanmar – a sight that brought back vivid memories for its ethnic Karen residents.Hkara, 70, said she had spent roughly 30 years crisscrossing the Salween river, which marks the frontier, to flee military attacks on ethnic rebel armies in Myanmar's eastern Karen state.She decided to settle in the Thai village of Mae Sam Laep village two decades ago – a safer bet than Myanmar,

3 April 2021
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Tensions growing along the Tanintharyi River

The lack of transparency surrounding plans to construct dams on the Tanintharyi River in southern Myanmar, and the impact it will have on the livelihoods of the Karen – the area’s indigenous people – is set to add more tension to an area already filled with strife.While there are 18 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) for dams on the Tanintharyi River – one of southern Myanmar’s largest free-flowing waterways – local communities have received no information on their location, size or status ac

15 August 2019
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