Burmese Language
Crimes against the Karen must end
The way the United Nations and most governments act, I sometimes wonder if Karen State is in Burma. Certainly they don’t treat us like we are in Burma. There is considerable irony in this. Often the Karen National Union (KNU) is accused of fighting for an independent separate state. In fact we changed our policy towards federalism as far back as 1956, and now support a federal democratic Burma.
The international community seems to think we are not part of Burma. That is the only reason I can think of for why they make policy on Burma whilst ignoring what happens in Karen State.
Just look at the recent record. In 2006 the Burmese Army launched a major offensive in Karen State. They deliberately targeted Karen villages, walking miles to avoid the bases of our Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), to deliberately target civilians in this way is a war crime. But not one government said so.
They didn’t just attack villages, Burmese Army soldiers raped women, executed and tortured people. Unarmed villagers were thrown alive into their burning homes. People were beheaded and crucified. More than 80,000 people fled their homes, hiding in the jungle. The dictatorship blocked aid, babies died from disease, children went hungry. These are crimes against humanity. We cried out to the United Nations for help. It didn’t come.
Later that year, a new UN Envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, went to Burma. We hoped he would persuade the generals to end the attacks and allow aid to reach our people.
But he didn’t even mention what was happening. Instead he gave a press conference praising the regime for promising to make reforms. He talked about how they had turned a new page with the international community. He said not one word about the slaughter of my people.
It was the same before, and it has been the same since. In February, 2010, a petition from 84,000 civilians in Karen State was delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The petition called on Ban Ki-moon to take action to stop the Burmese Army attacking them. It represented a desperate appeal from people who have lived in fear for their whole lives, as have their parents and grandparents before them. Karen communities worldwide also delivered copies of the petition to Presidents and Prime Ministers across the world, calling on them to also take action.
We asked them to use their influence to support Ban Ki-moon to secure a nationwide ceasefire as a top priority, leading to meaningful and inclusive dialogue to achieve genuine national reconciliation and a federal Burma. We also called on them to pressure the regime to enter into dialogue with the Karen National Union, and other ethnic political parties, together with the rest of the democracy movement in Burma.
The response? There wasn’t one. No reply.
For so many decades the Karen and other ethnic civilians of Burma have been suffering from various crimes committed by the ruling Burmese government. Every year, tens of thousands of people are forced to flee their homes simply because of the attacks by the Burmese Army, and tens of thousands more are used as slave labour. All this is ignored by the international community, which focuses on events in Rangoon and Naypyidaw.
The shocking behaviour of the UN Envoy back in 2006 is now being repeated on a greater scale. Attacks have increased in Karen State and Shan State, with the dictatorship breaking ceasefire agreements. Burmese Army attacks have spread to Kachin State, as well. The Burmese Army has unleashed its soldiers against civilians, driving a total of around 100,000 from their homes since November. Soldiers gang-rape and execute ethnic women, and use villagers as slave labour and human minesweepers.
Given this appalling and deteriorating situation, you would expect action to install a ceasefire, to get aid to people, and punish the regime for these horrific abuses. At the very least you would expect a grouping like the European Union to be supporting the recommendation of the UN’s own human rights expert on Burma, that a UN Commission of Inquiry be set up to investigate these abuses.
Not only has the EU not supported an Inquiry, it hasn’t even commented on the serious increase in abuses taking place. EU governments instead focus on a speech made four months ago by Thein Sein, the new President of Burma. This week, the dictatorship even got praised for not attacking Aung San Suu Kyi when she travelled out of Rangoon. The EU and UN seem happy to wait and see what the ‘new’ government does, as if there is no urgency, as if women are being not raped every day, villages burned, people used as slaves.
The Burmese Army can commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Karen State and other ethnic states, it doesn’t seem to matter. The generals know this, which is why they carry on killing. They know all they need to do is make nice speeches in Naypyidaw, and agree to let diplomats visit now and again, they can literally get away with murder. The UN and EU ignore war crimes and crimes against humanity in Karen State, which is just the way the generals like it.
Nant Bwa Bwa Phan is the representative of the Karen National Union in the United Kingdom.
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It`s not the first time that Un ignore the war crimes
whenever i read news…i was sad, there’s never been a good news for us…just raps, abuses, oppression, or flee all the time
I myself have always believed that the Karen and all the ethnic groups are a part of Burma. The Union of Burma came into existence in 1947 after the constitution was passed into law, and no jumped up little dictator like Thitsaphout Than Shwe can change anything.
Thank you Nant Bwa Bwa Phan for this informative article, & thank you DVB for publishing the piece.
I look forward to seeing comments by the many urban/expat Burmese who have been calling for trust in the current regime to solve issues such as the persecution, extortion, & terrorization of Burmese ethnic minority citizens.
It is more likely that they will remain silent on the issue, just as they have for half a century.
They call on the Burmese people to avoid the type of bloodshed & destruction as the world has seen in the various Arab protests, yet they completely ignore the death & destruction waged by the Burma army against innocent civilians.
What really is astonishing is that the Burman majority citizens who are not subjected to ethnic persecution don’t see the connection between the persecution of the Burmese ethnic minorities, & their own poverty & political oppression. The fact that their Buddhist sons have trained for decades to kill/oppress innocent civilians only becomes apparent when they slaughter urban protestors in the streets like dogs, whether the media is watching or not.
Just imagine what the Burma army shock-troops are capable of when the media is NOT watching.
Unfortunately, when the world looks at Burma, all they see is the cities & tourist venues, & everyone they come into contact with will only be interested in making their stay enjoyable, & of course getting their share of the tourist’s cash, not killing their Burma buzz with stories of goverment sanctioned rape, forced labour, torture, extortion, persecution, & destruction of homes and crops. If the urban Burmese don’t stand up for their ethnic minority countrymen, they are giving their tacit support to the regime to continue its policies of ethnic persecution.
And what of the tourists who live like Kings & Queens enjoying the “great value” of vacationing in Burma while nearby their hosts are carrying out some of the worst human rights atrocities in modern history?
I do have sympathy for those suffering from plight of war anywhere in the world. I wish peace and prosperity all the times at best.
However, in the case of Kayin (Karen) state in Myanmar(Burma), both sides are to blame. What is happening there is not only because of government. KNU soldiers are mixed with villagers and you never know who is civilian or solider. One day they might be villagers and another day they fight as KNU soldiers. Both sides use landmines, both sides are known to use child soldiers.
The point is these conflicts are going on not just because of government alone only. For example, look at the ethic states such as Rakhine or Chin, there is no such wartime conflicts going on unlike in Karen state. Why? Because there is such strong force fighting against the government. Of course, there can be other means of oppression but that is common place everywhere in Myanmar, not just in ethnic areas.
The point is to be fair in our judgment without bias. Another thing I would like add is why these ethnic armies fail or even why Burmese government cannot completely defeat rebels. I believe both sides are not raging a justice war. For ethnic group, their cause is very narrow-minded only fighting under the name of their small group of people. Burma would have been liberated long time ago if people fight together without strong affiliation to race and ethnicity but to liberate suffering of all people in Myanmar. Burmese government should not use such brute force method of fighting rebels, that can lead to collateral damage to civilians.
In western world, they often talk about separation of church from state. In Burma, what we need is separation of ethnicity from state. We may be different ethnically in somewhat degree but we are all united under the same nation. We will work hard together for prosperity of all people living inside the country. That is the kind of spirit we need.
Of course by the comment above, I am not commending the Burmese government. Burma still needs genuine change to a fair and democratic country. A long way to go. We all need to push towards that goal, a time where the citizens of the country can exercise their rights to full extent for doing good for themselves and their society.
Kevin Thant wrote:
“The point is to be fair in our judgment without bias.”
With all of your lies & contradictions you don’t sound like a fair person to be judging the Karen people, in fact you sound like you are disgustingly prejudiced as regards the Karen people.
Karen State (Kawthoolei) is the traditional home of the Karen people, not the Burma Army shock-troops, yet you make it seem like the KNLA don’t belong in the villages of Kawthoolei, nor do they have the right to defend innocent villagers from government attacks. Do you actually believe that the Burma army would AVOID attacking, looting, & destroying villages they KNEW contained no KNLA troops?
There’s a big difference between the Karen forces deploying landmines to defend villages, giving the villagers a chance to flee surprise attacks, & the Burma army which places landmines around schools, clinics, churches, & ricefields in villages after an attack.
The child soldier comparison is equally flawed considering how many Burmese child soldiers have surrendered to Karen forces over the years in order to escape the beatings, torture, & mistreatment they had suffered since being kidnapped off the streets of Rangoon and other urban cities.
Most Karen “child soldiers” are non-combatants, who are usually orphans whose families have been killed or died of disease and/or starvation, or boys who had otherwise become separated from their families during an attack.
In some cases they want to remain with the KNLA soldiers, so they can feel they are fighting for their people, & trying to save other Karen boys from their own fate by helping defend their families so that they never become orphans.
As with the Burma army child soldiers who defect, boys taken in by the KNLA soldiers are usually placed in orphanages or foster homes or cared for until they can be placed with relatives. They are then encouraged to wait until they reach a more appropriate age to decide whether to become KNLA freedom fighters.
Thanks for the comment Kevin. You got the point. We still have to find out who bomb the Rangon water festival? That was terroist threat to the Burmese people.
I guess war is due to human right violation in the country. Where there is human right violation,there is war. People would support to anyone who protect their rights. In fact, does the military government ever support ever support human rights? This is just the point. Instead of seeing people becoming soldiers and then citizens again in the other day, why don’t we look at how these ethnic people are treated, understand them.
Every ethnics want to have their identity and culture. We just do not want to assimilate and disappear. Why don’t you see that Karen or other ethnics are only some people who wants to protect their identity. And when this is in jeopardy,they have to engage with war with the ever brutal military regime. Everybody want peace I guess. Nobody thinks that war in a good thing.
I do think that unity is most crucially important to fight against the military government.Now is the time to come together from all ethnics, NLD, and other opposition groups. But with all those propaganda continuing, I don’t know what Aung San Su Kyi mean by ‘satisfied’ with her meeting with the government. This is actually the crucial time to come to all senses together for unity which is not yet happening in near future.
I was going to comment that ty’s comment was inappropriate in a thread discussing crimes of humanity waged against innocent BURMESE ethnic minority citizens, but then again THIS IS a thread discussing government terrorist acts against BURMESE people, so why not include their urban victims?
However, I’m not sure what rock ty has been living under, because the general concensus is that the bombings were carried out either by the regime in order to give them the impetus to beef-up security prior to the planned sham elections, or by rivals of regime terrorist kingpin Than Shwe’s grandson Nay Shwe Thway Aung, terrorist kingpin in training.
The government did say that they found and disarmed a fourth bomb, yet there doesn’t seem to be any reports of what they found when they inspected that device.
Perhaps they found that all of the parts of the device were standard Burma army issue? Many of Nay Shwe Thway Aung’s foes ARE related to high ranking Burma army officers.
Ah well,… I wondered what the urban/expat Burmese commentators would have to say about regime crimes against the ethnic minorities, and now I know.
If we have Arab Spring in Burma, I think we already have armed people of ethnic armies to march towards Rangoon or Naypyiday from all sides of border areas. All we need first is defiant urban uprisings in major cities like those Arab brave people did in their countries. Could it be happened? I don’t know. At this stage it seems to be that we don’t have a impulsive brewing point such as fuel price hike yet.
law by law … formula old with the system
If Kevin Thank is the one ethnic group in Burma and grow up in ethnic area, he will clear know about the ethnic situation. The ethnic groups would like to build federal union in Burma. The ethnic should have freedom and self-determination. They should have the rights of learning their language, rights of to promote their culture, rights of economic etc. But the military government ignores this. But especially for the Karen ethnic leaders try to solve this political problem in peace way, but the military government rejects it. In later the Karen leaders called the meeting discussion, they don’t want to fight. They knew there are no way that our Karen people to get freedom and self-determination. There is only one way that our people to get freedom that we will took arms and defense our people. If we do not use this way one day our Karen people will lose, like General Maung Aye said “one day if you want to see the Karen people you have to go and watch at the museum”
Any way Kevin should be know the ethnic situation and have sympathy on the ethnic people. We are the Karen people we don’t want to fight, we hate war, but if we are not surely one day we will fill up General Maung Aye speech. So I hope you should learning more about the rights of the human.
Thanks,
Saw Doo Plot Soe
Kevin Thant,
If you are the one of ethnic people in Burma you don’t view like that and you will know clear about the ethnic situation and have sympathy, that is my hope.
Since 1947, after Burma got independent, who rule this country? Who is response on this country?. OK the military government ruling this country over 60 year and this government have responsibility on this reason. Every one should before the the civil war started, the ethnic group try to solve political problem in political way. but the military government reject it. As for me I am the Karen ethnic people, I suffering the military violation before I have being a human. Because when i was pregnant in my mother stomach I run and hiding in the forest with my mother. So my life loose in human rights till now.
I learnt and know our Karen story, before the Burma got independent at that time, the Burmese leaders and Ethnic leaders work together toward to get independent. Then the Burma got independent. But later some the Burmese leaders took power and formed the Military government system. But the Ethnic leaders try to solve this political problem in peace way, they need to built the federal union in Burma and all Ethnic will have freedom and self-determination. Rights of to learn their language, rights of to rule themself, rights of to promote their culture etc. But the military government rejects it. Especially the Karen leader’s try to meet with meet with the government many time for solving the political problem in peace way, but the military always reject. So in later the Karen leaders made a meeting discussion. There is no way to get freedom for their people, only one to took arm resistance to defense their people and build their people destiny.
Kevin Thant,
If you are the one of ethnic people in Burma you don’t view like that and you will know clear about the ethnic situation and have sympathy, that is my hope.
Since 1947, after Burma got independent, who rule this country? Who is response on this country?. OK the military government ruling this country over 60 year and this government have responsibility on this reason. Every one should before the the civil war started, the ethnic group try to solve political problem in political way. but the military government reject it. As for me I am the Karen ethnic people, I suffering the military violation before I have being a human. Because when i was pregnant in my mother stomach I run and hiding in the forest with my mother. So my life loose in human rights till now.
I learnt and know our Karen story, before the Burma got independent at that time, the Burmese leaders and Ethnic leaders work together toward to get independent. Then the Burma got independent. But later some the Burmese leaders took power and formed the Military government system. But the Ethnic leaders try to solve this political problem in peace way, they need to built the federal union in Burma and all Ethnic will have freedom and self-determination. Rights of to learn their language, rights of to rule themself, rights of to promote their culture etc. But the military government rejects it. Especially the Karen leader’s try to meet with meet with the government many time for solving the political problem in peace way, but the military always reject. So in later the Karen leaders made a meeting discussion. There is no way to get freedom for their people, only one to took arm resistance to defense their people and build their people destiny. We the Karen people do not like fighting, we need freedom and peace.
best,
Doo Plot Soe
Dear Garrett and Saw Kaw Mu
I agree both of you. Garrette opinions against on Kevin and ty are 100% correct and true. I sympathies Saw Kaw Mu and his or her families. Kevin pretends to be a fair person because he does not know ethnic is in the situations of less population,less educated, less sophisticated(in regarding ammunition and military tactics) than bama. But, Kevin thant might want to say it is a fair fight between bama armies and ethics. Kevin does not know who(bama dirty military governments)did it bad thing first? However, Kevin can write in English although he is a bama, bearing thant but why his logical thinking is below the standard like ty.
UN is for Europeans first, American Africans second, Africa Africans and never for Asian. Challenge me if my statement is wrong, and I will prove it. The ambitions of UN founder was to built ever lasting peace and ending human suffering. The new people surving in UN may classified class of people and ignore some human suffering such as Ethnic people from Burma, Karen, Shan, Mon, Kachin, Karenni, Arakan, Chin, Rohingya and many others. UN acted urgently in Bosnia, Kosovo crisis. UN even pursuit for justice in Congo, Sudan, Liberia and many other African countries, however does UN pursuit as urgently as African countries in Cambodia genocide? Does UN acknowledge Chairman Mao killing of million of Chinese people? Does UN paying attention to any of Asia crisis the same way as middle east countries and African countries? The answer will surprisingly be “NO”. I hope UN may have a good answer for my comment. I pretty often called UN as a clown organization and very corrupt one. The very structure of the UN is corrupt by power and individual country interests, especially UN security council, permanent and elected members. Even UN human rights council is laughable, for instance, Libya under Gadhafi was elected member of UN humanrights council. There is much more to write about UN screw up, counterproductive, choosing races and class. UN can change if any other organization can change. However, before that change is comming, in my personal point of view, UN is the largest clown organization, period.
To author, good luck with your pursuit of justice for Karen people. I have many simpathy for everyone in Burma, especially ethnic minorities. For Ethnic people, I will share Robert Service’s poem.
“When you’re lost in the wild, and you’re scared as a child,
And death looks you bang in the eye.
And you’re sore as a boil; it’s according to Hoyle
To cock your revolver and …die.
But the code of a man, says: “FIGHT ALL YOU CAN,”
And self-dissolution is barred…
In hunger and woe, oh, it’s easy to blow…
It’s the hell-served-for-breakfast that’s hard.
You’re sick of the game! “Well, now, that’s a shame”.
You’re young and you’re brave and you’re bright.
“You’ve had a raw deal!” I know- but don’t squeal.
Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.
It’s the plugging away that will win you the day,
So don’t be a piker, old pard!
Just draw on your grit; it’s so easy to quit:
It’s the keeping-yourchin-up that’s hard.
It’s easy to cry that you’re beaten-and die.
It’s easy to crawfish and crawl;
But to fight and to fight when hope’s out of sight,
Why, that’s the best game of them all!
And though you come out of each grueling bout
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try-it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.
So, that is the poem that I love. Sometime, it seems it is hard to go on, but you have to keep going.
I will welcome this so called the Republic of the Union of Burma with a new name in the future if that is a medication for the disease Burma is suffering now, whatever that disease may be.
Otherwise, a disintergrated Burma in the future is also welcome.
Maple Zaw,
Say it out loud what you want to say! There are many countries run by FEDERALISM and those countries never disintegrated. If those countries can be peaceful and prosperious by Federalism, why not Burma? Are we too stupid to run federalism? Most Burmese people who against federalism don’t have a clue about federalism or equality of political rights of the ethnic minorities. Answer me one question; Why did Burma declare independence from British If the bigger land is what Burmese want? If you say we Burmese don’t like foreigners rule us and our land, think again, do you think ethnic people are the same as Burmese? Luckily ethnic people only ask for federation instead of seperation. Please expand your little mind and discuss if you want to discuss. While British rule Burma, British government rule better than today Burmese military government. British left Burma as the wealthiest country in South East Asia. Still, in the heart of Burmese people, there is some resentment left toward British rulers. Think about these ethnic people who’s house burn down, make them displace people, there is no future for them and constant discrimination, rape, mudder, and torture committed by Burmese regime, shouldn’t they ask for their rights? Hell, yes. They should, either peaceful way or by war. It is definately legitimate. I love Burma. I want to see Burma as whole, but not on the suffering of humanbeing either Bamar or ethnic people. Stop the unjust treatment, and speak the truth.
TT, you must be “too stupid”, as you asked yourself as if you are really stupid I wonder, to compare Burma with those countries with genuine federal systems. Well, if you were just trying to compare Burma with some “so called” federal states then I am sorry.
Answer me: What have you witnessed since Burma’s independence?
Have you ever witnessed any genuine “pyitaungsu” spirit among Bama ( have you ever witnessed Bama ethnic group’s heart-felt willingness to co-exist with other ethnic groups under federalism)?
Did they honor the PinLong Agreement at all signed by General Aung San?
Therefore, I say, TT: Integration or non-disintegration of this Pyitaungsu is never minded.This Burma must be liberated and if necessary its name must be changed in the future if that is the solution.
Therefore, I say, TT: Disntegration or non-disintegration of this Pyitaungsu is never minded.This Burma must be liberated and if necessary its name must be changed in the future if that is the solution.
If you can accept “Naypitaw” as the new name of Burma’s capital , then why not a new name of Burma?
Cheers……
Maple Zaw,
The value of Union is not just in the name. If you think it is, your way of FEDERALISM is just skin deep. Do you ever read anything about federation? I did a piece of it a few years back. I will share it with you if you like. Name can change if majourity of Burmese people agree. However changing name without offering any just treatment or fair social contract will not change anything, it even unreachable for federalism.
The first Federalism idealogy came from three men, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison and their published name was “The Federalist”. The articles appeared by “Publius” in New York newspapers. The whole series contained 85 articles. But, there is main point for federation. You can find it in wikipedia about Federation. I will share a paragraph which is pretty much the main idea of federalism. Here it is.
“As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other: and the former will be objects to which the letter will attach themselves. The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperableto a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties. THE LATENT CAUSES OF FACTION ARE THUS SOWN IN THE NATURE OF MEN.
The above paragraph was pull out from Federalist 10. Aren’t ethnic people deserve protection for their culture difference if Burmese suppose to have their own culture and their properties?
TT, thanks for the Federalist Papers. It definitely enlightens people like you and me, but almost every high school kid in the States has already read it or at least heard about it.
Let’s get back to the topic, which here is about Burma:
One of the main problems of Burma (if I have to quote some Western educated ethnic friends I talked to, they would say the main problem) is very much linked to the name itself. They said the name itself is really a problem, especially if/when you think as an ethnic person, because Burma/ Myanmar and Bama/Myanma sound just like one which interchangeably represents one anther but none. Bama/Myanma or Burma/Myanmar are exactly the same. For example, the citizenship or nationality of a Shan from Burma (Bama) is Myanmar (Myanma) which sounds just like one, doesn’t it? Or exactly one?
Very few people would argue against that that a federal democratic /democratic federal republic is way better than the name itself, but the name of a country itself in the case of Burma is problematic. Believe it or not does not matter now, TT, until you make impartial inquiries especially when you meet with your ethnic friends.
Some ethnic friends I spoke with even hailed Senior General Than Shwe as a courageous pioneer who, according to those friends, hinted that Burma ( the name itself) needs to be changed by changing the name of the capital of Burma, a move believed to have been done with “good” hidden purposes.
Maple Zaw,
How did the country call Burma gets it’s name? I want to argue that, even the people called Burmese was born, who are they? I am arguying from the facts of the history. Burmese was born out of Pyu, Mon and Pali (Buddhist literature) or Hindu sand script. There has been 3 kingdoms before British rule, Pagan Kingdom, Inn Wa Kingdom and Cone Baung kingdom. How come we are called Burma after British rule? I rather like the name Burma to mock the Burmese regime like Than Shwe. I don’t care what the name is, I care the rights of each citizen in Burma be granted as any other humanbeing in this world. This will be the last I will argue about the name. But, you have your rights to hold on to your believes. One thing though, I am half Ethnic myself from Burma. I see clearly what was Gen. Aung San and some ethnic leaders intention when they sign the Penlong treaty. They are true hero of the country called Burma. They do wish to share the land with equal rights and grant liberty to each citizen. If the name was so important, the ethnic leaders at that time would have argue about the name rather than their rights.
All of what is happening in Burma is the cause of political faction. Professor R.E.Allen wrote in one of his book.
“There are two methods of controlling the mischifs of faction: by removing its cause or by controlling its effects. Its cause can be removed either by destroying liberty, or “by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passion, and the same interests.” The first remedy is worse than the disease; the second, which Plato recommends in the REPUBLIC at least for the rulers, is impracticable and unwise. But Plato did not argue whether it is good or bad for the common citizens. My own personal opinion, it is the best way to balance the power of the government.
TT, thank you for saying this “I don’t care what the name is, I care the rights of each citizen in Burma be granted as any other human being in this world.”
We definitely need more citizens like you, TT. First, we must make sure we have our rights in a federal democracy, then we should be able to easily change the name of this country to, say, the Republic of the Union of Shan. And this time your citizenship/ nationality is Shan, NO MORE MYANMAR. If you wish, you could also change your name to Sai Shan.
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