Table of Contents
Who were the Karen rebels?
The Karen people are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Myanmar. They constitute a population of five to seven million. There are more than twenty different dialects spoken by Karen (Dialect is a language which is peculiar to a specific group). Pwo and Sgaw are the most widely spoken.
Who is the leader of the Karens?
| Karen National Liberation Army | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Saw Mutu Say Poe Saw Tamlabaw (2000–2008) Bo Mya (1976–2000) Saw Ba U Gyi † (1949–1950) |
| Dates of operation | 1949 – present |
| Headquarters | Lay Wah Manerplaw (until 1995) |
| Active regions | Kayah State Kayin State Tanintharyi Region Bago Region Mon State |
Who are the Karen refugees?
The Karen are a minority group of more than 3 million people and have fought for independent recognition as an ethnic group within Burma. They have been under attack in their homeland valleys and jungle villages by Burmese government forces since shortly after World War II.
What caused the Karen conflict?
The first Karen started to cross the border with Thailand in 1984 as a result from a major Four Cuts offensive by the Tatmadaw which lasted up to 1990. By the mid-1990s tens of thousands of Karen refugees were living in camps along the Thai border.
What is Karen religion?
The Karen have five known religious beliefs: Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, the Lehkai, and Telahkon. Of these five, the majority of Karen are Animist, Buddhist, or Christian. There are many Karen refugees who are Christian in the United States.
Is there still civil war in Burma?
The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw, for self-determination. The conflict is the world’s longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades.
How many Karens are in the world?
Karen people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Myanmar | 3,604,000 |
| Thailand | 1,000,000 |
| United States | 215,000 (2018) |
| Australia | 11,000+ |
What do you think of Karen tribe tradition?
It is said the neck rings prevented bites from tigers and the women themselves say it is to distinguish their cultural identity. Traditionally in Burma the Long Neck Karen worked in the fields and rice paddies, but as refugees here in Thailand they weave beautiful scarves and sell other trinkets to earn a living.
What is the Karen flag?
The Karen national flag consists of three main colors: red, blue, and white. The three colors denote a certain meaning; red is for bravery, white for purity/sincerity, and blue for honesty. The nine rays of light streaming from the rising sun indicate the nine regions from which Karen people trace their origins.
Where did Karen come from?
A more pointed explanation, which involves race, is the expression originates among Black people to refer to unreasonable white women. The term was popularized on Black Twitter as a meme used to describe white women who “tattle on Black kids’ lemonade stands” or who unleash the “violent history of white womanhood”.
Why are the Karen and Burmese fighting?
Since then, the Karen have been in conflict with the central government over calls for independence and for a federal system to be implemented. Decades of animosity have endured between various ethnic groups, including the Karen, and the Bamar people, also called Burmans, the dominant ethnic group in Myanmar.
Who are the Karen rebels and what do they want?
They also want the provision of basic services to their underdeveloped region and land reform. The Karen are the last of Burma’s ethnic rebels to agree a ceasefire with the authorities. But fighting continues to flare further north, along the Chinese border, between the army and ethnic Kachin rebels.
Who are the Karens in Burma?
The Karen have been one of the strongest of the many ethnic groups battling for self-rule in Burma. At one time they boasted an army of 14,000 men and controlled much territory along the border. But they steadily lost ground and have in recent years been reduced to relatively small-scale guerrilla attacks on army troops.
Who are the Karens and where do they live?
Large numbers of Karen villagers have fled their homes, in one of the world’s least reported refugee crises, and about 100,000 still live in rudimentary camps on the Thai side of the border. The Karen appear to have achieved little during their six decades of fighting – but some now see a chance of peaceful coexistence.