This document gives descriptions for Photo Set 99-A, which shows some aspects of the human rights situation in the Karen areas of Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, Papun, Pa’an and Dooplaya districts throughout 1998 and the beginning of 1999. The list is divided by district, and included below is a summary of the situation in each district followed by the descriptions of the photos from that district. The numbers in these lists correspond to the numbers written on the photographs in the set. Some details of people and places have been deliberately omitted from the photo descriptions where necessary to protect the villagers.

Most of the photos in the set have been taken by KHRG human rights monitors in the field; where photos have been taken by monitors from other organisations this is noted. The photos have been chosen as a sampling, intended to show as many aspects of the situation as possible. While looking at the photos, please remember that they have been taken under difficult and often dangerous circumstances with whatever equipment is available, 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.

Further Copies of the prints can be obtained by notifying KHRG and paying the costs involved.  Organisations may download the images from the website 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 photos not taken by KHRG.

This list does not attempt to give a comprehensive picture of the human rights situation in these areas; for more information on the situation, see the reports referenced in the summaries for each region below.