The photos and descriptions below comprise Photo Set 2000-A, which shows some aspects of the human rights situation in Karen areas of Burma. This set consists of photos taken and gathered by KHRG since the publication of Photo Set 99-B in August 1999. The photos in this set were taken in Papun, Nyaunglebin, Toungoo, Thaton, Pa’an and Dooplaya Districts of Karen State and eastern Pegu Division. The photos have been divided under 7 headings (‘Village Destruction and Relocation’, ‘Detention, Torture, Shootings and Killings’, ‘Forced Labour and Extortion’, ‘Internal Displacement and Refugees’, ‘Landmines’, ‘SPDC Deserters’, and ‘Abuses in Thailand’), and by region within these headings. Brief synopses are provided below for each heading and region. More detailed information on all of the regions mentioned is available in KHRG documentary reports, many of which are referenced (with links provided) in the text below.

Most of the photos in the set have been taken by KHRG human rights researchers in the field; where photos have been taken by other organisations this is noted. The photos have been chosen as a sampling, intended to show as many aspects of the situation as possible. Some details of people and places have been deliberately omitted from the photo descriptions where necessary to protect the villagers involved. While looking at the photos, please remember that they have been taken under difficult and often dangerous circumstances with low budget equipment, and quality is as incoming. In the photos of the dead, note that bodies decompose very rapidly in the tropical conditions present in Burma, so within a few weeks often all that remain are a few bones and some clothing.  Note also that when houses or rice storage barns built of bamboo are burned, they burn quickly with an intense heat that can melt glass and bend metal, and leave nothing in the end but a black square of ash. In contrast, when wooden houses are burned the pillars and other parts of the structure often remain. Karen houses are raised above the ground on posts and are often quite large, housing an entire extended family. They usually have leaf roofing, and the troops often set this alight and then walk away, resulting in many houses with the roofs burned off but the walls intact, particularly in the dampness of rainy season.

Copies of the photo prints or digital copies scanned at higher resolution can be obtained upon approval from KHRG, by specifying which photo set and which photos and paying the costs involved. Organisations may download the images from the KHRG web site or use the prints for publication on a not-for-profit basis, provided they are properly credited; any publication for commercial purposes requires permission of the copyright holders. This can be obtained by contacting KHRG, or by contacting the copyright holders for those photos not taken by KHRG.  Photos shown on this page (from top left): Photo #1-01 (credit: KHRG), Photo #4-50 (FBR), Photo #2-16 (KHRG), and Photo #4-09 (KHRG).