Re: The savage toll from Burma's dirty war

Madeleine Blu — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:10:38 -0000

There is still time to help the Karen's of Burma.

Britain is largely responsible for the atrocities carried out against the Karen’s of Burma, one of the ethnic ‘rebel’ groups mentioned in your article. The majority of the ethnic groups fought for NAZI Germany and Imperialist Japan, led by Aung San (the father of Aung San Suu Kyi), during the 2nd World War. The Karen and Karenni fought for Britain and the Allies. It has been said that Britain and the Allies could not have re-taken Burma without the Intelligence they sent out during the occupation by the Japanese. When Japanese troops entered Burma from Thailand, the Karen stood in their way, fighting them off, with only a crossbow as a weapon. They succeeded and a large number of our Soldiers were given time to escape from the Japanese, guided up over the mountains by the Karen. Had it not been for the Karen, many more of our Soldiers would have been taken to the Japanese POW Camps. During the Japanese occupation, Karen men, women and children were tortured and murdered because of their allegiance to Britain. In the re-taking of Burma, the Karen, again, stood between the lines of the Japanese giving our Soldiers time to land and re-take Rangoon. The Karen were promised that after the war they would be protected from the other ethnic groups who had fought for Japan. However, they were betrayed by Mountbatten and Prime Minister Atlee. The Karen were not even represented in the Independence negotiations. Britain handed over the newly independent government to Aung San. Shortly thereafter, this government opened fire on unarmed Karen men, women and children. The Karen were not ‘rebelling’ they had to defend themselves from the blowing up of their villages, their churches, the rape of women and children, torture, being burnt alive - the horrors go on. Some have likened this appalling suffering as to the horrors suffered by the Jewish people in the 2nd World War. These atrocities began shortly after the end of the 2nd world war and are continuing up to this day. The Karen are not rebels, they are Resistance Fighters.

As to the present, I have recently written to Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, European Union, asking for finance for the Mao Tao Prosthetic Clinic. I asked for dedicated funding to purchase the latest prosthetics which are technically superior and enables a person to work. They would be able to take care of the many orphaned children in the Thailand camps. I did not receive an affirmative from Commissioner Georgieva.

There is still time to help the Karen and it is our duty to do so. Please write to your MP and MEP.
Thank you for your article.

Madeleine Blu
Karen in the UK Team (KUK)

Re: The savage toll from Burma's dirty war

John Hulme — Sun, 01 May 2011 05:44:13 -0000

A note of interest for the author, Liane Wimhurst, attached is an image taken in 2003 at a Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) training camp, an officer demonstrates how to lay a land mine, he has lost a leg himself to a mine.

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Re: The savage toll from Burma's dirty war

Re: The savage toll from Burma's dirty war