Karen people

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:Ethnic group
Template:Population |rels=Buddhism, Christianity, Animism |langs=Karen |related=Padaung }} The Karen (Burmese: Image:Bscript kayinlumyo.png or Kayin), also known in Thailand as the Kariang (Thai: กะเหรี่ยง) or Yang , are an ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand.

The Karen have fought for autonomy from Myanmar for decades; January 31 is considered "Karen Revolutionary Day" among the Karen.

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Distribution

The Karen live mostly in the hilly eastern border region of Myanmar, primarily in Kayin State, with some in Kayah State (Karenni State), southern Shan State, Ayeyarwady Division (Irrawaddy Division) and in western Thailand.

The total number of Karen is difficult to estimate; a 2006 VOA article cites an estimate of seven million in Myanmar. There is another 400,000 Template:Fact Karen in Thailand, where they are by far the largest of the hill tribes.

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History

The Karen aided the British during World War II, when the Japanese occupied the region.

After the war ended, Burma was granted independence in 1948, and the Karen, led by the Karen National Union (KNU), soon became the largest of 20 minority groups participating in an insurgency against the military dictatorship in Yangon. During the 1980s, the KNU fighting force numbered approximately 20,000; in 2006, that number has shrank to less than 4,000, opposing what's grown to a 400,000-member army.

The conflict continues as of 2006, with KNU headquarters in Mu Aye Pu, on the Burmese/Thai border. In 2004, BBC cited aid agencies estimates that up to 200,000 Karen have been driven from their homes during decades of war, with 120,000 more refugees from Burma, mostly Karen, living in refugee camps on the Thai side of the border.

Many Karen Template:Fact accuse the government of Myanmar of ethnic cleansing. The U.S. State Department has also cited the Burmese government for suppression of religious freedom[1], a source of particular trouble to the Karen as between thirty and forty percent of them are Christians[2][3] and among the Burmese religious minority.

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