Myanmar army displaces thousands of Shan people from their homes

John Yettaw returned home today.  He´s the American activist sentenced to forced labor in Myanmar after swimming across a lake to the guarded compound of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Television cameras captured images of Yettaw as he was transported by wheelchair through Chicago´s O´Hare International Airport. Wearing a facemask and looking away from the cameras, Yettaw didn´t say much to reporters, but told the AP he didn´t regret his actions.

Yettaw is a diabetic and he was released on humanitarian grounds following a visit to Burma by Senator Jim Webb last week.  Webb also made an unsuccessful attempt to convince the military to release Suu Kyi from house arrest.

Hundreds of political activists are currently jailed in Burma.  And the human rights situation is also complicated for civilians who are not involved in politics.

A recent report by Human Rights Watch says some 10,000 villagers have been forced from their homes in Burma´s northeastern Shan state over the past several weeks,  as the Myanmar army fights insurgents who want greater  autonomy or in some cases independence for Burma´s Shan minority.

FSRN spoke with Cham Tong, a Burmese citizen and a member of the Shan minority.  Tong works for the Shan Women´s Action Network in the Thailand-Burma border, where thousands of Shan people are seeking refuge.