From Madeleine Blu of the Bwetee Pe lulu Team:
I have been reading various USA’s newspapers on line. Over a period of time I have read posts, comments and articles from the USA on line. Most recent has been the Fort Wayne discussions on the Refugee Resettlement Watch Web Site. I was perturbed to read of the confusion regarding just what ‘Burmese’ means. I have written the short comment below to attempt to clarify who was who in Burma. I am most fortunate in the Refugee Resettlement Watch’s impartiality in this matter. I have been unable to get this information on Fox News, BBC TV and Radio, other TV stations in the USA and the U. K. Ditto with the newspapers. Given the daily horror of innocent lives lost by bullet, by torture, or by landmine there should be a News Bulletin every night.
GREAT AMERICANS AND THE KAREN AND KACHIN OF BURMA (Myanmar)
Prior to and during the 2nd World War the various ethnic groups were addressed and known by their ethnic names, there was no confusion. The Karen were known as the Karen, whose homeland was in the Hills (Karen State) and the Delta, then there is the Kachin in the north, Kachin State, then there is the Shan, the Wa, the Naga, the Burman and so on. It is only sometime after the War that the word ‘Burmese’ came more and more into use to mean all the people who lived in Burma. Yet this is against the expressed will of the Karen and the Kachin.
During the 2nd World War, a Burman, Aung San, led most Burmans and the majority of other ethnic groups to fight for NAZI Germany and Imperialist Japan. Aung San established the Burma Independence Army (BIA) in 1941, which grew out of the Burma National League (the Dobama Asi-Ayon or The Thakin Party) which Aung San joined in 1938. The British, American and Allied Soldiers referred to them either as fifth columnists or as the Burma Traitor Army. Along with the ever present danger of the fifth columnists were other ethnic groups and the Japanese. The Allies had to traverse the immense difficulties, which we can only guess at, of jungle terrain with its blood-sucking insects and deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
This is what the American forces, known affectionately as MERRILL’S MARAUDERS, were up against; fortunately, they could depend on the Kachin, our Allies. One of the well-known battles was at and around the Kachin capital city called ’Myitkyina’. Merrill’s Marauders were to know the great loss of many, many brave and fine men, who fought with great courage, in much pain and distress. These men and all like them in the 2nd World War are a great loss to the world.
The Karen were not only regular soldiers but played such a vital role volunteering in levies that it has been said that without them it is possible that Burma could not have been re-taken from the Japanese and Aung San’s BIA. Aung San was and still is regarded as the ‘Father of modern Burma‘. He is also the father of Aung San Suu Kyi. The modern roots of the present day horror for the Karen and Kachin dates from this War.
Going further back into history, the Burman grossly subjugated the Karen, despised and debased them. If caught they would be killed, enslaved or tortured by the Burman. When the British arrived the relationship that developed between them and the Karen, was that the British protected them from the Burman. The Karen, no longer having to be wary were able to settle and build homes and villages for themselves. Although it is said that during the reign of the British they favoured the Karens, colonial documents show that the British still gave sway to the Burman Court and gave far more favours to the Burman than the Karen; although they thought greatly of the Karen person and their ‘plucky little nation’.
It was the arrival of the Americans, in particular that great American, Adoniram Judson, (Dr.) the Baptist missionary, which brought the true renaissance and well-being for the Karen. He was not the first missionary to arrive in Burma, indeed, there have been reports of the Roman Catholics and other missionaries before him, but it was to Pastor Adoniram Judson that the key was given to discovering a gem, indeed a treasure trove of precious gems in the Karen.
Pastor Judson had been in Rangoon for some time enduring hardships and imprisonment for his Faith, completely unaware that to the east, in the Hills, were a race of people whose own spiritual tradition was not only Biblical but also Christian. The Karen would walk by the British and Pastor Judson singing of the God of the Holy Bible and the awaited Holy One in their own language which neither the British nor Pastor Judson understood.
I need to take a few moments to explain the word ‘missionary’. It is often misunderstood or used negatively by people of different religions or of no religion, to accuse the missionary or the country where the missionary is from of some sort of wrongdoing. So I emphasize that the Karen were never converted to Christianity, they were already Christian and Pastor Judson’s mission (meaning ’a task’) with the Karens was over when Ko Tha Byu was hired by him as a water-carrier. Pastor Judson had been translating the whole of the Holy Bible into Burmese and compiling a grammar.
Ko Tha Byu had seen part of what had been written and although he had great difficulty in understanding Burmese he read enough to realise that it was very similar to the God traditions of his own people. He took this message (his mission) to his people and the response from them was immediate too. The Karen were fired with joy and relief that their God traditions had been validated.
Ko Tha Byu was Baptised in 1828 and started immediately as the Karen Apostle, teaching his own people. It has been said that this was the most remarkable Christian event in modern times. Several suffered for their Faith at the hands of the Burman authorities and were even crucified. Pastor Judson went on to form a way to write down the Karen language; he used the Burman alphabet, adding more letters and translated the Holy Bible into both Karen dialects of Sgaw and Pwo. This most remarkable man did many, many other things.
Endnote:
Technically, all the other ethnic groups in Burma (Myanmar) are entering America on the definition of the UN’s refugee statement. Meaning that all people in other ethnic groups are fleeing the Military Junta … on political, religious and ethical grounds. Therefore, as they are all ‘pro democracy’ they should get hap hap happy along together. However, this is not true, there are ‘economic refugees’, false refugees, fraudulent claiming refugees and people who have bribed, stolen or impersonated the identity of another group. Many of the very old Karen’s (over 70) are preyed upon by other ethnic groups who harass, intimidate or threaten the Karen to cough up his identity. There have been murders. There are also the Burman ‘spies’, people, usually young student looking types, hired by the Junta to enter the camps and find out what is going on, or to further harass the Karen (by rape, by thieving their identity), or to go America/UK etc as a refugee and spy directly on the American/UK etc governments – as well as on what the Karen are up to.