Karen State, Burma: 84,000 voices fall on deaf ears.

Nant Bwa Bwa Phan is the representative of Karen National Union in the United Kingdom. We were delighted to have her as a guest speaker at our fundraising dinner in Chichester last year, hosted by the then Mayor Michael Woolley. Bwa Bwa has recently written a brilliant article on the current plight of the Karen people in Burma which has been published on the Democratic Voice of Burma website.

We work with children from Karen State both within Burma at our Nursery Schools and in Thailand in our Children’s Crisis Centre, Boarding Houses and Migrant Schools where many Karen families flee across the border to find safety. 

In her article Bwa Bwa highlights how the international community continue to make policy about Burma whilst ignoring what is happening in Karen State. In 2006 the Burmese Army launched a major offensive in Karen state resulting in the most appalling crimes against humanity with 80,000 Karen people fleeing their homes to hide in the jungle. 

Bwa Bwa notes that the UN made no response to this, even when their envoy visited Burma. Four years later, despite a petition for action from 84,000 Karen people to UN Secretary General Ba Ki-moon and to other Presidents and Prime Ministers across the world, there has still been no reply. 

While the international community continue to focus their attention on events in Rangoon and Naypyidaw, the shocking abuses and atrocities in Karen State continue to be ignored. 

Bwa Bwa says “The generals know this, which is why they carry on killing. They know all they need to do is make nice speeches in Naypyidaw, and agree to let diplomats visit now and again, they can literally get away with murder.”

Please read the full article by Nant Bwa Bwa Phan, find out more about our projects with the Karen people both within Burma and Thailand and consider donating to our work.

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