Saw Laebwae (Complete)    

Karen is not simply the name of western woman. If you call yourself a Karen, some people wonder, “What is Karen? It is a female name?” When we speak of the Karen, we are speaking about a nation. The Karen settled in Burma known as Myammar 2741 years ago. Presently the Karen is in a racial struggle for their freedom, liberty and to establish a federal democratic state, which is based on Human Rights. This struggle has been ongoing in Burma since the end of World War II.

Before, the arms resistance broke out in January 31, 1949, the Karen had been struggling through non-violent methods and through peaceful demonstration according to the Burmese authority requirement. It was a democratic struggle process. There was no violence, not even any shouting, just marching on the roads with over a hundred thousand of demonstrators who held a banner with four slogans as follows:

             (1)   Give Karen State at once;
             (2)   Show Burman one Kyat (Dollar), Karen one Kyat;
             (3)   We don’t want communal strike;
             (4)   We don’t want civil war.

But the demand failed. Once again, the Burmese authority said, "You Karen, you never had any king or country, therefore, we will not give you even one inch of land. But if you are eager to have your country, there is only one way you have to fight 
for it."

The Burmese troops then attacked Karen headquarters at Insein in the Rangoon area. It was then that the Karen took up arms and fought against the Burmese authority to protect their lives, their properties and their heritage. This has continued for over five decades.

The Karen has always believed that civil war broke out in Burma purely as a political issue. There is only one way of resolving this problem and that is through political means. Realizing this, the Karen sent a delegation four times to the Burmese authority, as each opportunity emerged.

However, the Burmese troops responded by conducting military operations in Karen area and by using the “Scotched Earth” policy to destroy of the very foundation of the Karen nation.

The current situation is that the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) also known as the Burmese Army is violating numerous Human Rights even though Burma is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the Geneva Convention of 1948. Some human rights violations are the use of forced labor, demanding villagers to serve as porters, forcing villages to move to relocation sites, arbitrary arrest, execution, torture, looting properties, raping, burning down villages and demanding money 
and etc.

Because of these violations the villagers are unable to live in their hometowns. Many have abandoned their villages and crossed the Thai-Burma border and have become refugees. The number of refugees has increased to about 100,000. Those villagers who do not cross border have become internally displaced people. The SPDC troops have systematically attempted to wipe out the Karen in Burma by developing on “Ethnic Cleansing” method.

Meanwhile, the SPDC claims that the Karen are insurgents, revolutionaries, terrorists, rebels and a destructive element and accuse the Karen of relying on foreign countries as their common enemy.

Due to all of this the Karen people follow the founder of Karen Nation Union (KNU) president Saw Ba U Gyi’s identified four principles which are cited even as protection. The four principles are:

        (1)   For us surrender is out off question;
(2)   The recognition of Karen State must be completed;
(3)   We shall retain our arms;
(4)   We shall decide our own political destiny.

The culture and characteristics of the Karen is to be calm, easy going with the desire to avoid conflict when it is approached. But according to Saw Ba U Gyi’s speech regarding “The Karen revolution is the first and the last”, therefore, freedom is the only option. And the only way to fulfill that option is to fight for it. It is apparent that this is a long road of Karen struggle before freedom can be realized.