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The Nation (22-8-99)




Against all odds, Karen fight junta
VALEY KEE, Burma -- On the banks of a small river that separates Thailand's
Tak
province from Burma's Karen State, a group of rebel troops chat among
themselves and exchange jokes as they wait for the arrival of their greying
yet
burly leader Gen Bo Mya. 
In a wooden shack, Karen women prepare food for troops returning from the
front
line. Exhausted from the long walk, the soldiers of the Karen National Union
slowly unfasten their heavy loads, down their rucksacks and head for a small
creek to wash for the upcoming ceremony to commemorate their fallen leaders
and
comrades. The KNU is the largest armed ethnic group that has refused to
surrender to Rangoon. 
A few minutes later Bo Mya, the fourth highest leader of the KNU, makes his
way
down a hill to greet his men. Attired in a pair of blue jeans and a candy-pink
T-shirt-like national costume, the beefy 72-year-old commander takes a load
off
his feat to catch his breath. 
He told reporters that he was in good shape and vowed to fight on for the
freedom of the Karen people. 
''It's safe here,'' said a soft-spoken teenage rebel soldier. ''Our troops
have
secured the perimeter. The closest Burmese base is six kilometres away.'' 
The gathering on Aug 12 marked the 47th anniversary of KNU Martyr's Day.
Similar events took place at other KNU camps, most of which are situated along
the rugged Thai-Burmese border. 
Despite numerous setbacks in the past five years, Bo Mya and his men said they
still had the will and the means to continue their struggle for autonomy. 
''A people living under the domination of another people can never escape from
persecution and exploitation,'' said Bo Mya. 
''We, the patriots, must build up our courage and determination and continue
our struggle in order to free our people from oppression, tyranny, injustice
and domination,'' he added. 
But the war for a free and autonomous homeland has not come without a price.
Some 100,000 Burmese refugees, mostly Karen, have fled to Thailand in the past
years to escape what they say is an ethnic-cleansing campaign by the Burmese
junta. 
Since the armed struggle started just over 50 years ago, the group has carried
on against the odds. Until just four years ago the KNU could stake a claim
to a
large area in Karen State. But a breakaway faction, the Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army, together with Burmese government soldiers, ousted the KNU from
its long-time headquarters at Manerplaw, forcing the group to turn to
guerrilla
warfare. 
BY DON PATHAN 
The Nation

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