NEW MALDEN, SURREY (ANS) -- Soldiers from the Burmese Army attacked Tha Dah Der village in Karen State, Eastern Burma.

The attack occurred on July 23, burning 50 homes, a school and a church.

According to a news release from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), over 600 villagers fled as the army advanced. They joined 300 more from neighboring areas whose villages have not yet been attacked, but who have abandoned their homes in fear to seek refuge in the jungle.

CSW said no casualties have been reported, as most of the residents fled in advance of the attack by the army. Burma Army soldiers shelled Tha Dah Der village with mortar rounds before burning the village to the ground.

The displaced villagers left most of their possessions behind, escaping with what little food they could carry with them into the jungle. CSW said it is the rainy season in Eastern Burma and those in hiding are in desperate need of shelter, food, medicine and security. Lack of clean water and the prevalence of disease-carrying insects in the jungle are of particular concern.

Hundreds more civilians are fleeing towards the Thai-Burma border, and some have already crossed the border to seek refuge in Thailand.

CSW said it appears that the Burmese Army and troops from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), which is allied to the dictatorship, are preparing for a new offensive against ethnic Karen civilians in Eastern Burma. That is occurring in the run-up to what CSW called the regime's "sham elections" expected at the end of the year.

Benedict Rogers, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's East Asia Team Leader, said in a news release, "These attacks are the latest in a long litany of offensives against Karen civilians, which amount to crimes against humanity. The regime's record is one of widespread and systematic rape as a weapon of war, forced labor, attacks on civilians, murder, and destruction of over 3,500 villages in Eastern Burma alone since 1996."

He added, "The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma has concluded that these may amount to crimes against humanity, and has urged the UN to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate these crimes."

Rogers concluded, "Australia, the Czech Republic, Canada, Slovakia and the United Kingdom have expressed support for this in principle, so now it is time for these countries to work proactively to build an international coalition to establish a UN inquiry. The junta cannot be allowed to continue these attacks with impunity."

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

For further information, visit www.csw.org.uk.