"This News Bulletin describes an incident in which the Burma/Myanmar government police force and Burma/Myanmar Department of Forest Management destroyed and burnt down 97 villager houses, displacing approximately 500 villagers in B--- village, Hpa-an Township, Thaton District in June 2015. Despite holding Karen National Union (KNU) issued land grants, villagers were ordered by the Burma/Myanmar government to move out of their village since the government demarcated the area as a forest reserve. However, villagers reported that this land was the location of their old village, which they had to leave behind in 1983 during altercations between the Tatmadaw and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The villagers also noted that even though the government demarcated the land as a forest reserve, there are no big teak or ironwood trees there. In addition, businessmen from Hpa-an Town came and planted rubber trees and the Tatmadaw sometimes use the area for target practice. The Chief Minister of Kayin State, U Zaw Min, threatened villagers into signing a document stating they agree to dismantle their houses and would not live on that land anymore. In attempting to prevent the destruction of their village, villagers sought help from Saw P---, who attempted to advocate on their behalf, to no avail. When the villagers refused to dismantle their village, the Burma/Myanmar government police arrested 25 villagers, one monk and one KNU/KNLA-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC) member and continued to raid the village, burning and looting villagers? houses, and planting teak trees. In the aftermath of the raid, approximately 100 villagers fled to Myawaddy with the help of Saw P---, since they do not dare to live in the village any longer. A KHRG researcher also interviewed one of the fleeing villagers and a full interview can be found here.[1] For an in-depth analysis of recent trends in land confiscation in southeast Burma/Myanmar see KHRG?s latest thematic report, ??With only our voices, what can we do??: Land confiscation and local response in southeast Myanmar..."