Thailand: Thailand blocks launch of report on Karen crisis
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Apr 25, 2018
- Event Description
The report, "The Nightmare Returns: Karen hopes for peace and stability dashed", was to be released at the Seven Fountains Centre on Chiang Mai province's Huey Kaew Road, accompanied by an exhibition and panel discussion. Shortly before the event was due to start Wednesday afternoon, local police told the organiser not to go ahead with the activity, a representative of the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) said "They gave no reason They just said we couldn't do it," said a NPSN staff memberLocal police in Chiang Mai could not be immediately reached for comment. n the report, obtained by The Nation, the Karen ethnic community urges the Myanmar military to honour the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement It said more than 15,000 government troops had "invaded" areas controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU)The ethnic group planned to raise awareness about the plight of more than 2,400 Internally Displaced People recently forced from their land and homes in Mutraw's Luthaw township by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) Cynthia Veliko, the regional representative of the UN Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia said her office continued to closely monitor the situation regarding rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and has consistently urged Thailand to fully respect these rights. "We are alarmed by the pressure exerted by security agencies which led to the cancellation of this critical event by the co-organisers This raised worrying concerns on the space available for freedom of expression, academic freedom and the importance of dialogue on this matter," she said A family of Karen is displaced from home after military clashes in Karen state in FebruaryA family of Karen is displaced from home after military clashes in Karen state in February UN concerned as Thailand blocks launch of report on Karen crisis ASEAN+ April 25, 2018 20:02 By THE NATION 6814 THE UNITED Nations human rights body on Wednesday was alarmed by a move by Thai authorities to block the launch of a report revealing the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Myanmar's Karen state. The report, "The Nightmare Returns: Karen hopes for peace and stability dashed", was to be released at the Seven Fountains Centre on Chiang Mai province's Huey Kaew Road, accompanied by an exhibition and panel discussion. Shortly before the event was due to start Wednesday afternoon, local police told the organiser not to go ahead with the activity, a representative of the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) said "They gave no reason They just said we couldn't do it," said a NPSN staff memberLocal police in Chiang Mai could not be immediately reached for comment. In the report, obtained by The Nation, the Karen ethnic community urges the Myanmar military to honour the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement It said more than 15,000 government troops had "invaded" areas controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU)The ethnic group planned to raise awareness about the plight of more than 2,400 Internally Displaced People recently forced from their land and homes in Mutraw's Luthaw township by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) Cynthia Veliko, the regional representative of the UN Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia said her office continued to closely monitor the situation regarding rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and has consistently urged Thailand to fully respect these rights. "We are alarmed by the pressure exerted by security agencies which led to the cancellation of this critical event by the co-organisers This raised worrying concerns on the space available for freedom of expression, academic freedom and the importance of dialogue on this matter," she saidThe KNU has been fighting for autonomy against the Myanmar government since independence from Britain in the middle of the last century. Along with other armed ethnic groups, the KNU signed the National Ceasefire Agreement with Myanmar authorities in 2015 The truce pact called on all parties to prioritise political dialogue instead of force of arms, requiring that they confine their troops within designated areas It stipulates that the movement of armed troops in areas controlled by the other party is allowed only after obtaining prior agreementHowever, the Karen said in the report that the Myanmar government did not honour the agreement, provoking dozens of armed clashes with the armed ethnic in the KNU controlled areas The clashes displaced thousands of people from their farming land and homes. As the Tatmadaw is showing no sign of withdrawing from their offensive positions, the displaced Karen are now facing the spectre of protracted displacement, and severe food and physical insecurity, the NPSN report said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Censorship
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly
- Minority Rights
- HRD
- NGO
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 15.870032000000004
Longitude: 100.992541
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 25 April 2018, a representative of the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) said that local police told them not to go ahead with releasing the report, "The Nightmare Returns: Karen hopes for peace and stability dashed". This was to be released at the Seven Fountains Centre on Chiang Mai province's Huey Kaew Road, accompanied by an exhibition and panel discussion.