Burma: Four killed and hundreds forced to flee Karen State
Hundreds of Karen villagers have been forcibly displaced and three others have been killed along with a Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) soldier, following attacks by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Burma Army in Dooplaya District, Southern Karen State.
This violence comes only one month before UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon is due to visit the country for discussions over the political crisis, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
According to Free Burma Rangers, the DKBA and Burma Army began targeting villagers at the beginning of October in a bid to control the population and gain access to coal, zinc mines, rubber and teak trees. These attacks spilled over from Pa-an District into the Dooplaya District of Karen State at the end of October. Some 250 people have since been forced to flee their villages and set up temporary camps in Thailand, 50 miles south of Mae Sot.
A field researcher from Karen Human Rights Group reported that the DKBA initially issued documents to villagers across the Pa-an District informing them of their intention to attack. These letters outlined plans to target the Karen National Liberation Army after the Karen National Union (KNU) refused to agree to the construction of pagodas in Pa-an District. DKBA forbade villagers from staying in farm field huts during the night and warned them not to contact or support the KNU or KNLA on threat of injury.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Advocacy Officer for Burma, Benedict Rogers said: “CSW strongly condemns these killings and the forcible displacement of so many innocent Karen villagers. We once again welcome the landmark visit planned by Ban Ki-Moon this December and call on the United Nations to set out specific benchmarks for progress, such as the release of political prisoners.
“We call on the UN Security Council to impose a universal arms embargo on the regime in Burma and to refer a case against Burma’s Army Generals to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. It is now time to secure real and lasting change for the Karen people and all the peoples of Burma."
