Statement by Kawthoolei Armed Forces on signing NCA

THE QUESTION IS: ‘WHO IS THE OUTLAW AND REAL REBEL?’

1. Our First Karen President in history never signed to be a part of Burma, or a part of a Union to gain the Independence of Burma from the British. (Neither did the Arakan, Mon or Karenni). We were following the procedure of the British government before the handing over of Independence to Burma, to grant those, who did not sign to be a part of Burma, their own autonomous country.
2. Our Karen leaders have never bowed to be under the rule of Military Dictatorship. History shows over 400,000 Karen civilians peacefully demonstrated in Rangoon, during the term of Prime Minister U Nu, however his response was a challenge: “You will have to fight for it”.
3. We Karen public, by requesting with peaceful demonstration to have justice, equality and autonomy were we to join the union, does not entail that we are rebels or causing disruption or instability in the
4. Defending the freedom of our people and the sovereignty of our land from Burmese Military invaders (Myanmar) doesn’t make us rebels or terrorists. It was the Burma Army under U Nu who initiated the first military offensive against the Karen. This resulted in our Karen having no choice other than to take up arms to defend and protect the freedom of our people and the sovereignty of our Karen
5. Karen already had their own military officially formed under the British rule and was active as allies with the British during the 2nd World War fighting against the Japanese Invasion to protect the whole of Burma and our own Karen. The Karen Army was formed legitimately under the British rule, even before Burma became independent. We are not a rebel army as the Burmese Regime have accused
6. The ones who are terrorising the Karen and Ethnic States and their peoples, causing disturbance of peaceful living, for nearly 70 years, is the Burmese Regime and their

7. They call us ‘outlaws’ and ‘rebels’ all because we never signed to be under their Nor have we ever been in agreement with the present Regime’s unjust laws under their 2008 military constitution.
8. The real outlaw is the Regime itself, who live above the law both internal and external, who have a record of committing war crime activities and Human Rights abuses against all who stand up for justice. They also bribe International Countries with natural resources to get their approval or ‘blind eye’ on what the Regime is doing within the country even to this
9. The true Rebel is the Regime that cunningly twists and turns their so-called laws to prolong their power grip and to expand their military might to overrun all the Ethnic States and

We are living in the day where “Right is Wrong, and Might is Right”.
It is sad to see the International Community’s ignorance in their support of the Burmese Regime as a ‘legitimate government’ despite the outcry of all citizens in Burma in their struggle for Democracy and true Peace for the Ethnics. Every ‘Reform Program’ under the Burmese 2008 Military Constitution is a sham, including the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement of October 15, 2015. It is shameful to see all the Foreign Diplomats showing testimony of support to the Regime in front of all the people in Burma.

The evidence we see by the International Community’s support to this Regime, reveals to us that no foreign country has any concern or show of sympathy and sincerity for the will of all the citizens in Burma for Democracy, who are struggling against the violence and shackling of a notorious criminal Regime. Instead they are making the majority of Burmese citizens slave-laborers to their big Corporations and Companies who collaborate with the Myanmar Trade Union which is an instrument of the Military Regime – all due to either their personal interests, interests of their own nation’s economy, or regional interests with the bribes of natural resources from the Regime.

These natural resources belong to the citizens of Burma and the Ethnics. This will not only bring a future political mess in Burma and block the hope of the existence of true Democracy, but will also prolong the long-suffering of all the citizens of Burma.
The standoff is between a handful of Regime Authoritarians and their Military against the will of 58 million people who want Freedom and Democracy in Burma.

All people in Burma are sick and tired of this ‘magic’ word so-called ‘Reform’ that the Burmese Regime and International Community have been promoting for 5 years with no foreseeable result of improvement for the benefit of the people. It is only enabling the Regime to strengthen their military power.

The Obama Administration and other countries of the International Community know full well that Democracy is never birthed from Dictatorship. It is birthed from the will of the people.

Ever since the overwhelming majority vote of the people in the 1990 Election, the will of the people of Burma has been and still remains Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD Party and the 88 Generation Leaders in their stand for Democracy.

Seeing the various leaders and representatives of the International Community paying visits to Lady Aung San Suu Kyi’s home to hug, kissing her cheek, and shake hands with her as their ‘show of support for Democracy’ with hidden agendas of their self-interests, is not what the people of Burma want to see. She, and the citizens, deserve more than that. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD Party should be given the respect of full legitimacy of government, not this Regime. May not all the lives of the Generation 88 student leaders that were laid down for the sake of Democracy be in vain, who pioneered and inspired the country towards Democracy.

If the International Community continues to collaborate with Thein Sein and his Military to carry on the never-ending ‘Reform’ process after 2015, and the Regime’s continuation of war crimes and atrocities towards the Ethnic States and Ethnic peoples, then their actions are not only a continuance of hindering true Democracy in Burma, it is a violation of the International Community’s own moral standard of Human Rights.

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