Karen National Union
Seal of the Karen National Union
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| Abbreviation | KNU |
|---|---|
| Formation | 5 February 1947 |
| Type | Political organisation |
| Headquarters | Lay Wah Law Khee Lar Manerplaw (until 1995) |
| Location | |
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Official language
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Karen |
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Chairperson
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Saw Mutu Sae Poe |
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Vice-President
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Naw Zipporrah Sein |
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General Secretary
|
Saw Kwe Htoo Win |
| Affiliations |
Karen National Liberation Army Karen National Defence Organisation |
| Website | www |
The Karen National Union (Burmese: ကရင် အမျိုးသား အစည်းအရုံး; abbreviated KNU) is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) that represents the Karen people of Burma. It operates in mountainous eastern Burma, and has underground networks in other areas of Burma where Karen people live as a minority group. In the Karen language, this area is called Kawthoolei. Some of the Karen, led primarily by the Karen National Union (KNU), have waged a war against the central government since early 1949. The aim of the KNU at first was independence. Since 1976 the armed group has called for a federal system rather than an independent Karen State.
In January 2012, Burma's military-backed civilian government signed a ceasefire deal with the KNU in Hpa-an, the capital of eastern Kayin State. Aung Min, the Railway Minister, and General Mutu Sae Poe of the KNU led the peace talks.
The KNU was dominated for three decades by its longtime leader Bo Mya, who was president from 1976–2000. The KNU was for many years able to fund its activities by controlling black market trade across the border with Thailand, and through local taxation. After the failed 8888 Uprising of the Burmese people in 1988, the Burmese military government turned to China for help in consolidating its power. Various economic concessions were offered to China in exchange for weapons. The Burmese Army was massively expanded and began to offer deals to groups fighting the government. The groups were offered the choice of co-operating with the military junta or being destroyed.
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Wikipedia