Living in Worry and Fear: Everyday life for villagers in Karen State

By Saw Gaw Say

Villagers in Karen State live life in a constant state of fear and worry. They know from experience that the SPDC can come at anytime and steal their crops, confiscate their land and violate their basic human rights. This is made worse by increased militarization and development of rural areas. Grassroots communities face difficulties in educating their children and accessing the most basic health services. This articles looks in detail at the life of one Karen villager, Naw Htoo Say, and her story represents the similar experiences faced by thousands of grassroots people in Burma, living under the Burmese military junta.

By F Barthassat

Over the past month inflation rates have risen dramatically in Burma. Recently, fuel prices increased by at least 100 per cent overnight, driving up other commodity and transportation prices. Overnight it became to expensive for people to take public transportation to and from work, and so workers had to walk. The main reason for the alarming inflation rates is the junta’s economic policy of printing more money to finance the deficit in the State’s budget. The hardest hit by this policy is the Burmese population, who are already struggling to make ends meet, and are being pushed even further into poverty by their own “government”. To read more please click here.