Latest update: 01/06/2012 

- Burma - unrest


Burma's invisible war

No Flash warning
To take advantage of all the features on FRANCE24.COM, please click here to download the latest version of Flash Player.

Over the last few months, a number of democratic reforms have swept through Burma. These new freedoms, however, are not shared by everyone. One group that continues to live with repression is the Kachin, an ethnic minority based near the border with China. FRANCE 24’s Cyril Payen travelled to Burma to meet them.

REPORTERS
By Cyril PAYEN

The war in Burma’s Kachin region is a war that has largely gone unseen by the rest of the world. Located within Asia’s Golden Triangle, the region is completely cut off to foreigners. To get there, one has to traverse southern China before being smuggled across the border with the help of Kachin’s rebel groups.

Once there, one discovers Laiza, a town that served as a hub for the lucrative jade trade up until a year ago. Today, it’s a capital under siege, where the entire population is faced with the realities of war. The Kachin have one of the most powerful armed forces out of all of Burma’s ethnic groups.

Despite the fact Burma’s government has taken strides toward democratic reform, the country’s army launched a major offensive against the Kachin, effectively ending a 17 year-old ceasefire. Hundreds of people have been killed in the conflict and hundreds of thousands others displaced, with no access to humanitarian aide from the outside world.
 

The right in France: a new generation
07/06/2013 - REPORTERS

The right in France: a new generation

The debate on gay marriage in France has split opinion down the middle. It has forged a new generation of right-wing activists who have grasped an opportunity to defend traditional values. Although the legislation on gay marriage is now law, they are not giving up. We take you to meet the young right-wingers who are setting their sights on the next elections.
Seven Days in Tibet
31/05/2013 - REPORTERS

Seven Days in Tibet

For more than 60 years, the Tibetan people have tried to resist the Chinese steamroller. But how much longer can they hold out in the face of repression, military occupation and deepening cultural assimilation? Our reporter Cyril Payen spent several days undercover in Tibet. This is his exclusive report on a region that is turning into a shadow of its former self.
Rape in DR Congo: victims and torturers
24/05/2013 - REPORTERS

Rape in DR Congo: victims and torturers

We bring you a shocking insight into the horror of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the east of the country, thousands of women, children and even men were raped last November. A crime committed not by the M23 rebels, but by the regular army, supposed to protect the population. Our reporter Fiona Lloyd-Davies went to Minova in South Kivu province, where the rapists are now coming face to face with their victims in court.
Tracking the Italian mafia's powerful 'Ndrangheta'
17/05/2013 - REPORTERS

Tracking the Italian mafia's powerful 'Ndrangheta'

In recent years, the 'Ndrangheta has become the largest and most feared of the four criminal organizations in Italy, alongside the Camorra in the Naples area, Cosa Nostra in Sicily and Sacra Corona Unita in Apulia. Specializing in drug trafficking, the 'Ndrangheta has globalized in recent years. Our reporter investigates in Calabria, the organization's heartland.
Middle East: Munib al-Masri, the godfather of Nablus
10/05/2013 - REPORTERS

Middle East: Munib al-Masri, the godfather of Nablus

In the West Bank, everyone calls him "The Godfather". Munib al-Masri, 80, is not only the richest Palestinian in the Palestinian Territories; he is also one of the most influential. In his final years, he is obsessed by two goals: reconciling the Palestinians, and making peace with Israel. Our reporters met him and followed him on the road in the Middle East.

React to the article
Comment this article typing your message in the above text zone. Please note that this is limited to 1500 characters or less.
(3) Reactions

Burma's Invisible War

by Anonyme - 05/06/2012 - 18:13

Your reporting is sloppy. Check your facts. John Thomas.

PLANE CRASH IN GHANA

by james jerry brown - 03/06/2012 - 22:34

PLANE HAS CRASH IN THE CAPITAL OF GHANA NEAR THE EL-WAK STADIUM....10 PEOPLE ARE REPORTED DEAD...TRANSPORT MINISTER HAS SET UP A COMMITEE TO LOOK INTO THE CRASH

Putin in Europe

by Anonyme - 01/06/2012 - 18:27

France 24 is suggesting in their TV transmissions that wnen it comes to french troop pullout that there is nothing between Afganistan and Russia. in fact there are several nation states who are not part of russia vis-a-vis Uzbwkistan, Turkmenistan Tajikstan, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan, that exist between Afganistan and Russia which have their own opinions about Syria. As opposed to the opinion of France 24 which seems to suggest that only Russia's opinion that counts

Read more
Close