reports that the military of Burma is stepping up an ongoing offensive against that group.
"The continuing Burma Army offensive in Karen State has displaced a further 1,450 people in one valley alone," said Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based advocacy group which has been investigating the situation in the region.
"During the last ten days, 700 people have fled from their homes in the area north of the Mon Chaung (river)…More have fled the area south of the river following machine-gun attacks on villages and areas where internally displaced people are in hiding," CSW added.
During an attack on Mawn Ki village, one villager was killed and another seriously injured when the army opened fire, CSW claimed. "There are currently five Burma Army columns based in the area." The latest attacks are reportedly part of an ongoing offensive in Karen State, which has resulted in 20,000 people being displaced from their homes.
INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS
Last week, British Members of Parliament urged the government to raise the human rights situation in Burma with the United Nations Security Council. "These latest attacks form part of a deliberate and fierce offensive against the Karen people. The plight of those suffering at the hands of this brutal regime in Burma demands the immediate attention and intervention of the international community," said CSW Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas.
"We urge the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution on Burma immediately, requiring an end to these atrocities, and to put in place a concrete plan for national reconciliation and a transition to peace and federal democracy," Thomas added.
A crackdown on Christian groups have been linked to anger within the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC about Christianity which it sees as a Western ideology. The SPDC, a group of generals, has denied human rights abuses and reports of a coup attempt against its leadership.
It has ruled Burma without a constitution or legislature since 1988 after suppressing nationwide anti-military protests. The Union of Burma became a sovereign nation in 1948, but democratic rule ended in 1962 with a military coup d’etat. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Burma).
