Kayin State
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{{Infobox Burmesestatedivision | englishname = Kayin State | burmesename = ကရင္ပ္ရည္နယ္ | transcription = ka.yang pranynai | flag = kayinstate | capital = Pa-an | region = South | area = 30,383 | population = 1,431,377 | ethnic = Kayin, Padaung, Bamar, Shan, Pa-O, Mon, Rakhine | religious = Buddhism, Christianity, animism | locatormapfile = MyanmarKayin }} Kayin State is an administrative division of Myanmar and also known as Karen State. The capital city is Pa-an.
The ethnic Karen is organised in a political wing, the Karen National Union (KNU), and the army wing, Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
The ethnic group of the Karen people in Myanmar were once predominantly Christian, due to a historical relationship between the Karen people and the British at a time when Burma was a colony of Britain. At that time, most Karen converted to Christianity; today, however, less than 30% of Karens are Christians, the majority of Karen adhering to Buddhism and spirit worship. Most Christian Karens are Baptists.
Because of religious differences and the local independence movement, the ruling junta of Myanmar still suppresses the people of the Karen very much today. It is reported that the junta refuses to build schools, hospitals, or other kind of public infrastructure in the region. It is also reported that the military used to enter Karen villages, raping women, killing children, and using the men as slaves to build streets. They are also reported to steal food from the local villagers, as the junta cannot even support their own soldiers with simple supplies like guns, ammunition or meals.
Many Karen have joined the local guerrilla army to fight the Burmese junta. However, the Karen are not the only ethnic minority fighting the junta; there are many different rebel armies that have been struggling for freedom. These guerrilla armies are not, however, politically or strategically unified, because of different religious beliefs, political stands, social customs, and organisational structures.
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Template:Myanmarca:Karen (Myanmar) es:Kayin et:Kareni osariik nl:Kayin-staat