Karen conflict


The Karen conflict is an armed conflict in Kayin State, Myanmar. It is part of the wider internal conflict in Myanmar between the military government and various minority groups. Karen nationalists have been fighting for an independent state, known as Kawthoolei, since 1949. The Karen National Union and its Karen National Liberation Army are the most prominent Karen rebel groups. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the conflict, many of whom fled to neighbouring Thailand and survive in refugee camps.
Tensions between the Karen and the Bamar ethnic majority in Myanmar have existed since the British colonial era, based on the British 'direct and indirect rule' policy and Karen soldiers' roles in putting down Burmese rebellions in the late 19th century. Around the time of Burmese independence, the Karen National Defence Organisation was formed as an armed wing of the Karen National Union to put down a communist rebellion. After the Burmese government settled for peace and allowed communist back into national politics, a series of tensions, escalations and battles led to the KNU declaring formally war on the Burmese government on 31 January 1949.

Karen people

The Karen people are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Myanmar, with a population of 5 to 7 million. They speak around 20 different dialects, of which Sgaw and Pwo are the most common. Karen languages are among the Tibeto-Burman languages, which are a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages.
Karen people began to arrive in what became Myanmar around 500 BC. They are believed to have come from the Mongolian region, traveling south through the Mekong Valley, the Irrawaddy Valley and the Salween Valley.
The Karen are not homogenous, and are religiously, linguistically, culturally, and geographically separated. The various groups do not share history within the kingdoms of pre-colonial Burma or the British empire. Some became ministers in urbanized kingdoms such as the 16th century Pegu kingdom. Others lived in the forests bordering Thailand. Around 20% are Christian, while 75% are Buddhist. A small percentage practice animism, and in the lowland river delta the so-called 'black Karen', a small minority, are Muslim. The mainly Buddhist Sgaw-speaking population constitutes around 80% of the total.
Speakers of Pwo Karen live in the plains of central and lower Myanmar and were assimilated into the dominant Mon social system. These 'Mon-Karen' or Talaing Kayin had a special status and were an essential part of Mon court life. The Bama Kayin were either absorbed into Burmese society or pushed towards the mountains bordering Thailand in the east and Southeast by the Burman population. Karen living in the eastern hills named the Dawna Range and the Tenasserim Hills bordering Thailand developed a distinct society, history, and a subsistence lifestyle.
Today, about 2 million Karen live in the Irrawaddy river delta. They developed an urbanised society based on rice agriculture.

Colonial era

The Karen conflict's roots were planted in the British colonial era. In the 19th century, certain Karen hill tribes were Christianized by American missionaries. During the 19th century conquest of Burma, the British made use of the hostility between Burmans and Karen. Karen assisted British armies in the Anglo-Burmese wars. During this era, American missionaries Christianized Sgaw Karen and helped them rise in Burmese society.
Christian Karen developed relationships with the British regime. Christian education taught the Karen how to speak, read, and write English. The British ended up 'Karenized'. Exclusion of Burmans from the army and other colonial bodies increased their resistance to the colonial state.

Conversion to Christianity

The first American missionary arrived in 1813. On 16 May 1828, the first Karen was recorded converting to Christianity. American Baptists discovered that Sgaw Karen were easier to convert than Pwo, as Pwo Karen had only recently converted to Buddhism before the missionaries' arrival.
The acceptance of Christianity by Sgaw Karen provided a way to distinguish themselves from Burman Buddhists. To convert more Karen, the missionaries learned their language and developed a Burmese alphabet transcription for the Karen languages. Jonathan Wade was involved in producing dictionaries and establishing grammar rules for the Pwo and Sgaw Karen dialects. In 1853, Francis Mason published the first Bible in the Sgaw Karen Language. A Pwo Karen Bible was published by D. L Brayton.
Between 1860 and 1890, many Karen converted to Christianity. In 1875, a Baptist college opened in Rangoon, later known as Karen College. Schools were built and the Christian Karen learned English. They used this to improve their economic, educational and social situation.In 1922, H. Marshall wrote:
The growth in literacy among Sgaw Karen led to secular Karen literature and journals. In 1842, the Baptist Mission began to publish a Sgaw Karen monthly magazine called The Morning Star that continued until its takeover by General Ne Win in 1962. The missionaries taught them group pride and dignity, helping to forge a Karen consciousness.
The missionaries focused on the hill tribes. The relationship that developed between the British and these groups stemmed from the Karen position in Burmese history. Never before had these groups gained political or economic influence. Aligning with the British presented an opportunity to improve their lives. At some point, the "thirst for Christian education", as written by a missionary, was so big that the "Eastern Karen" demanded a permanent teacher.
The relationship between Karen and British created resentment among the Burman population. The Burmese state pushed Karen towards the British. Britain did not control the whole of Burma before 1886. In Burman-controlled territory Karen were not allowed to study at Baptist schools. Many were tortured/killed. Karen who allied to the British helped them cement their control of Burma in 1886.
Literacy, English, and Christianity gave the Sgaw Karen an advantage over Buddhist Karen. Missionaries taught them to be Karen rather than Burman, and to enhance their influence over other Karen groups. Sgaw Karen were the first to articulate the concept of a Karen nation. They created the first Karen political organisations and dominated the Karen nationalist movement.

Colonial policy implications

The British gradually conquered Burma between 1826 and 1886 with military support from Karen. In the first Anglo-Burmese war Karen provided guidance to British armies. Burmese authorities tried to punish them. Some Karen fled to areas then occupied by the British or resisted the government.
After the conquest, Burmese continued to resist. The Burmese capital Mandalay was conquered in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885 with help from Karen.
Burman in the southern delta then rebelled, leaving the British to proclaim martial law. Missionaries successfully lobbied to recruit more Karen as auxiliaries to put down these rebellions.
Colonial policy was driven by the quest for resources. The Burmese river plains were used for agricultural products, while the surrounding hills were of much less economic value. Central Burma was governed through direct rule, while the frontier area where most minorities lived was governed indirectly.
Indian, Karen and other ethnic minorities helped to pacify the country. The 'direct and indirect rule' policy continued to influence political developments.
From 1930 to 1932, Burman again rebelled against the colonial state in what became known as the Saya San Rebellion. Karen helped to repress this rebellion. Karen helped to suppress the 1936 student strike and the general strike of 1938.
In 1937 Burma achieved the status of a colony separate from India. Burmese were incorporated into administrative and military bodies. The Burman nationalist movement began in the 1920s and by 1937 viewed entering the colonial army as 'collaborating' with the British. Thus the 'Burmese' army continued to be composed of ethnic minorities.
Ethnic GroupNo. in ArmyProportion of ArmyProportion of Population
Burman47212.3075.11
Karen1,44837.749.34
Chin86822.622.38
Kachin88122.961.05
Others1684.3812.12
Total3,837100100

Political organizations

Karen were the first ethnic group to establish political organizations. In 1840, the Karen Baptist Convention was established. This Christian organization trained Karen at conferences attended by Karen who had rarely before left their villages. The first Karen political organisation was established in 1881 and carried the name Karen National Association. The KNA sought to represent all Karen. From the beginning, however, it was dominated by Christians.
In the 1920s, the Karen and Burmese nationalist movements gained momentum. Dr. San C. Po, a western-educated lawyer and ethnic Karen made the first public announcement of the Karen aim to create a state in 1928. That same year a KNA member, Saw Tha Aye Gyi, wrote the Karen national anthem.
In 1937 a Karen flag was created. The British marked its inauguration as a public holiday. The British thus endorsed the Karen view of their history. The Karen identified themselves as Burma's first inhabitants, a claim that has had a variety of political consequences.
The Buddhist Karen National Association was established in 1939. KNA stuck with the British while BKNA established relations with the Burman. Pwo Buddhists resisted the efforts of Christian Karen to represent them in any political organization, although some Pwo Karen joined KNA.
The KNA evolved into the Karen National Union in February 1947, one year before independence. The 1947 KNU charter, like the 1881 KNA charter, included all Karen. In 1947 the KNU formed an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army. The KNU-KNLA functioned as a government thereafter, including levying taxes in regions they controlled.
The majority of Karen never supported armed conflict and never affiliated with the armed struggle of the KNU-KNLA. KNU-controlled areas rarely included a Karen majority. Most Karen lived outside KNU-dominated territory. This fact has stalled Karen unification.
The KNU's organisational structure has been copied by other insurgent groups in Burma. Each KNU unit was self-supporting. Armed units, hospitals, and schools were self-supporting. The strength of this strategy is that it is hard to erase a movement that lacks a centre. However, KNU units had trouble getting help from each other.