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UPDATED ON June 6, 2003

Background Information

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For over half a century, civil war in Burma has uprooted many Ethnic/Indigenous communities. The Burmese military regime (SPDC) have focused their military offensives upon Ethnic groups living in the border areas of Burma. Numerous Ethnic Peoples have fled Burma to escape forced labour, re-location, rape, murder, theft and many other human rights abuses.

We, the Karen are one of the Ethnic groups from Burma. There are over 90,000 Karen living in refugee camps in Thailand. The majority of Karen live in Karen State, Burma where they continue to suffer greatly at the hands of the Burmese military regime (SPDC). There are over 100,000 internally displaced Karen persons living in Karen State, Burma. (Burma Ethnic Research Group: April 1998)

Although the conditions are less than ideal, basic human needs for those Karen living in refugee camps in Thailand are being met by the international NGOs that have access to them. Food rations are distributed; homes built; blankets and mosquito nets distributed; and medical support provided. Also, camp residents have established schools with some provisions for student materials and teacher allowances.

However, the majority of our brothers and sisters continue to live in Karen State where they suffer from massive human rights abuses and environmental disasters. Their livelihoods depend on annual crops which are often, destroyed by SPDC forces, drought and flooding. Communities are repeatedly forced to flee to the mountains to take refuge from SPDC military offensives. The Karen living in Karen State need our immediate support.

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