Country: Myanmar

Ethnic Group: Kayin/Karen

Date Finalized: 3/15/2021

Team: Alicia Hernandez (lead), Vianney Mancilla, Zeenat Hammond, Rebekah Kamer

            The Karen ethnic group originates from Tibet-Central Asia (Minority Rights Group, n.d.). During World War II, Burman and Japanese forces committed injustices against the Karen. This led to the development of the Karen National Union (KNU). Even so, the Karen did not achieve freedom from Burma.

The Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) arose after the Sitwundan or political militia attacks on Karen villages and imprisonment of Karen leaders in 1949. The following seventy years involved constant conflict and received the title of the “world’s longest-running civil war” (Kaicome, 2019). Myanmar military forces engaged in a continual offensive that resulted in forced conscription of the Karen People, forced displacement, destroyed villages, and no access to humanitarian assistance (Human Rights Watch, 2006). The government implemented a series of policies that limited Karen’s economic, social, and political power (Wessendorf, 2001). Wessendorf referred to this as “internal colonization and ethnocide” against the Karen (2001). The Myanmar military killed, tortured, and sexually abused the Karen people (“World without Genocide,” n.d.). Additionally, over the decades, more than 200,000 Karen have been displaced (“World without Genocide,” n.d.). The data quality is a 3 due to the evidence supporting the oppressive tactics, policies, and physical displacement of the Karen. There is a sufficient amount of information on the Karen and they have even gained the support of other ethnic groups.

Sources

  1. Human Rights Watch. (2006). Burma: U.N Must Act to End Attacks on Karen. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2006/05/03/burma-un-must-act-end-attacks-karen# on March 15, 2021
  2. Kaicome, J. (2019). Marking 70 Years of War in Myanmar. The Diplomat. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/marking-70-years-of-war-in-myanmar/ on March 15, 2021
  3. Minority Rights Group. (2017) “Karen.” World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved from minorityrights.org/minorities/karen/. on March 15, 2021
  4. World Without Genocide (n.d.). Myanmar – Genocide of the Rohingya. Retrieved from https://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/myanmar
  5. Wessendorf, K. (2001). Challenging Politics: Indigenous Peoples’ Experiences with Political Parties and Elections. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=DWV3uyaMAdgC&pg=PA151&lpg=PA151&dq=Kayin+ethnocide&source=bl&ots=ZxjtWDc2of&sig=ACfU3U0mEkNa1Qk4yxGfb17n9DL1Rb0OVA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjH-paKif_nAhUWj54KHTKnCfoQ6AEwA3oECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Kayin%20ethnocide&f=false on March 16, 2021