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Karen Armed Forces Statement on Reunification (ကရင္အမ်ဳိးသား လက္နက္ကိုင္ ေတာ္လွန္ေရး တပ္ဖြဲ႔ မ်ား ျပန္လည္ေပါင္းစည္းျခင္း သေဘာတူညီခ်က္)

Posted by: Ka Shee Posted date: 10:05 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , ,



1. In accordance with the wishes of the Karen people, we, the forces of KNLA, KNDO, DKBA and KNU/KNLA-PC have unanimously reunified as the (Kawthoolei Armed Forces – KAF).

2. The Burma military (Tatmadaw) troops have been intimidating, disarming and attacking, on flimsy excuses, the ethnic armed organizations, which have signed ceasefire agreement with the government, and arresting the personnel of the ethnic armed organizations and the innocent civilians, on a wide scale.

3. Though the peace process has been going on for over three years, instead of achieving the expected progress, we plainly see that the Burma Army has been doing trustwrecking activities.

4. In addition to intensifying military offensives in the Kachin and Shan States, the Burma Army has started military attacks in the Mon and Karen States.

5. Increasing military activities by the Burma Army like this, have caused much concern to us for the nationwide ceasefire negotiation and peace building process.

6. For that reason, in order to be able to protect the long suffering people, we have to reunify the Karen national armed resistance forces.

7. The Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF) is an army for the protection of the Karen nationals and the entire people, and it will carry on the struggle in cooperation with the alliance of ethnic armed organizations, until the establishment of a democratic federal system, in which there is full self-determination for the Karen people to manage their own destiny.

8. The Four Principles of Karen national leader Saw Ba U Gyi’s will be firmly adhered to and practiced.

9. We, the KAF, declare by this statement that we will carry on the struggle in cooperation with forces at home and abroad, until the emergence of lasting peace and a democratic federal union, and the achievement of victory.
For further information – Contact: (+66) 9 0147 9893

Joint Statement of Karen Women’s Groups in Support of the Reunification of the Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF)

Posted by: Ka Shee Posted date: 10:02 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , ,

The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), Karen Women’s Empowerment Group (KWEG) and Karen Women’s Union (KWU) welcome the announcement, on October 13th, 2014, of the Karen armed resistance groups coming together under the name of “Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF)”. The alliance of 4 Karen armed forces meets the long held desire of Karen people everywhere, especially of Karen women. We believe this is an opportunity for both peace building, and improved co-operation which can help reduce violence against women.

“The KAF was originally formed on July 5, 1949. At that time the KAF combined different Karen armed groups but over the years the alliance has split up. We are pleased to see that the Karen armed groups have reunified under the KAF and hope it will increase cooperation and understanding. We believe this unity will help to bring the genuine peace we all seek.” said Nan Dah Eh Kler, KWO Chairperson.

Our community has been hoping for the reunification of different Karen armed groups for a long time. “We, the Karen people are not afraid of unity among the armed groups. Rather, we are afraid of splits and disunity which have a serious impact on the daily lives of local people. I am both encouraged by and fully support the unification of Karen organizations by the forming of KAF. This is right time to show our unity.” said Naw Ohn Hla from the Karen Women’s Union (KWU).

The 4 Karen armed forces who are now members of the KAF are the KNLA, KNDO, DKBA, and KNU/KNLA-PC.
Karen Women’s Groups support the reunification of the KAF and we would like to see further action taken by the newly unified KAF. We wish to recommend:
  • that the KAF, as a group, works to seek political solutions through dialogue and the support of the KNU and political bodies of other armed groups, while negotiating for peace with the Government of Burma.
  • that the KAF develop and enforce a military code of conduct for its members to abide by, with the aim of containing the escalation of confrontations with the Tatmadaw.
  • that the KAF avoid any practices which infringe on the human rights of civilians and work actively to respect, protect and promote human rights, rule of law and civilian security.
  • that the members and officers of KAF refrain from personal involvement in corrupt business activities and abuse of power.
  • that all members of KAF sign, as the KNU has done already, the two Geneva Call Deeds of Commitment, on the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict and the Prohibition of Sexual Violence.
“I never believe there is danger in unity. It is the lack of unity which can destroy our chances for sustainable peace in our country. This unification can help lead to more unity throughout the Karen community.” Susanna Hla Hla Soe, Director, Karen Women’s Empowerment Group (KWEG).

KWO is a community based organization formed in 1985 with the aim of empowerment of Karen women to be free from oppression, achieving equal status with men and to support the wellbeing of women and children. KWO has more than 45,000 members, including Karen women from refugee camps in Thailand and Karen State. We conduct a wide range of leadership development, advocacy, and provide services to women and children on both sides of the border.

KWEG was formed in March 8, 2003 with the purpose of bringing a brighter future to women and children. KWEG engages with facilitating training to build women’s capacity, a micro-finance program for families, women’s protection and empowerment programs and educational support of poor children and emergency assistance victims of disaster. Moreover, KWEG does advocacy for women rights, protection, and women’s participation in peace building.

KWU was formed in April 2014 with the purpose of supporting and shaping democracy and human rights in Burma. KWU works to promote Karen culture, literature and to encourage peace building and reconciliation in the country.

Media Contact: Naw Siyo Paw: +66 892679617 Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe: +95 9250795258 Naw Ohn Hla: +95 9425308194

Karen Armed Groups to Form United ‘Kawthoolei Armed Forces,’ but Questions Remain

Posted by: Ka Shee Posted date: 9:46 PM / comment : 0 , , ,

A statement released by members of the different Karen armed groups laid out plans for the major Karen armed organisations to form a united Karen force, the Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF).

The statement spoke on behalf of the four major Karen armed organisations, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), and the KNU/KNLA Peace Council.

The agreement was co-signed by General Baw Kyaw Heh, the KNLA’s Vice-Chief of Staff, General Ner Dah Mya, Chief of KNDO, General Saw Lah Pwe, DKBA’s Chief of Staff and Colonel Saw Tiger, Tactical Commander for KNU/KNLA – PC’s border security and development tactical command. 

General Ner Dah Mya, Chief of the KNDO, also acts as a spokesperson for the KAF, spoke to Karen News about the statement.

“At the moment, there are so many Karen armed groups and in the future it would be good if we are under one group – the KAF. We have had a lot of discussion among our groups. We reached an agreement to go under the umbrella of the KAF. Having many groups does not look good in the eye of international community.”

The statement cited recent attacks by government forces as a reason was reached to unite.
“The Burma military troops have been intimidating, disarming and attacking, on flimsy excuses, the ethnic armed organizations, which have signed ceasefire agreement with the government, and arresting the personnel of the ethnic armed organizations and the innocent civilians, on a wide scale,” the KAF statement said.

“For that reason, in order to be able to protect the long suffering people, we have to reunify the Karen national armed resistance forces.”

The KAF statement made a sweeping pledge to follow the four principles of Karen national hero and former head of the KNU, Saw Ba U Gyi, but failed to go into specific details left many questions unanswered. Some questions include who would lead the KAF, what chain of command would be put in place to control the different member organisations, if the KAF had the full backing of each organisation, and what political organisation, if any, they would represent. At the time of writing, Karen News was waiting for responses to these questions.
Gen. Der Nah Mya admitted that although the groups had agreed to go together militarily, it has yet to reach agreement on who will take the political lead and added that there was need for further discussion on among the groups.

Following the KAF statement, the KNU’s Defence Department, that comprises both the KNLA and KNDO, put out a statement on October 14, reaffirming that both organisations still come under the political leadership of the KNU.

The Karen armed force reunification agreement co-signed by KNLA’s Vice Chief of Staff and the KNDO’s Chief was solely out of their individual consent, the KNU said.

The KNU’s Defence Department statement also said that according to its policy laid down in its 15th Congress, the KNU is working toward the reunification of Karen armed forces and the KNLA’s Chief of Staff – General Saw Johnny – is leading the implementation of the reunification.

Similarly, the headqaurters of the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council issued a statement on October 14, sacking Colonel Saw Tiger from its organization. The statement claimed that Tactical Commander Colonel Saw Eh Kaw Htoo, also known as Saw Tiger, had repeatedly broken military rules and failed to follow orders from headquarters.

Members of the KAF have fought each other in the past as bitter foes. The DKBA fought with the KNU/KNLA for more than a decade following a split in 1995, when it joined the government side. A large portion of the government led Border Guard Force (BGF) currently fighting in Karen State against the DKBA are also ethnic Karen.

http://karennews.org/2014/10/karen-armed-groups-to-form-united-kawthoolei-armed-forces-but-questions-remain.html/
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