The Story of the Karen
As part of our trip to Thailand this past summer, half of our team traveled to a refugee camp near Mae Sot on the Thai-Burmese border and stayed there for a few days. During their time there they taught Bible studies, sang with the people, played with the children, prayed for them, and generally built relationships with them.
The thing is, these people are refugees because of a political and military situation that is kept extremely quiet. I’d heard of the troubles in Sudan, and Tears of the Sun had enlightened me to ethnic cleansing in Nigeria, and obviously I knew about Iraq and Afghanistan. But it surprised me to hear the stories our team members told us about these people living just outside of Burma, running from a conflict I had never heard of.
Not that you can’t find information about it, but the facts are few and far between. It made me wonder just how many atrocities occur around the world on a daily basis that I am completely unaware of.
At Coast a couple of Sundays ago we had a brief Thailand video from our trip as well as a couple of testimonies, and I was reminded that the story of the Karen (pronounced like “You’re in!”) needs to be told and this weblog is one such place to tell it. Please spread the story below as far as you can.
The pictures were taken by Jess Haughton, who also visited the camp. You can see more pictures of the refugee camp here. And of course click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.
The following is part of Brian Heller’s post-trip testimony:
Reflections on Life with Karen Brothers and Sisters
There are 205,000 Karen refugees living outside their home country of Burma as a result of the 54-year civil war in Burma between the ethnic Burmese military junta and almost every other ethnic group in the country (Chin, Karenni, Shan, Mon, Kachin, Rakhine peoples). Not only is this the longest running civil war, it is also the most unknown and under recognized by the international community (both Thailand and Burma deny the ongoing conflict).
The Karen people are among these people groups who have taken up arms against the Burmese military to defend themselves against systematic ethnic cleansing, political suppression, and the burning of villages, churches, and rice storage areas. Countless human rights organizations have documented the Burmese military engaging not only in the above, but also using children and prisoners for human land-mine sweeping, forced conscription of labor and of villagers into labor camps, and abuse of women. We saw videos, documents, and pictures and heard testimonies while we were in the camps (as well as from resources online… links below) that confirm these happenings.
So that’s the depressing context.
What we encountered in our three days with the Karen at the Ma Lai camp (47,000 refugees) was a people who had built their entire society around the Gospel and the study of the Bible. We were awoken each morning (at 5:30!) by children singing hymns (much better than the mortar fire on the other side of the mountain we would hear at 3 AM!). The Bible school in the main camp served 300 students who study theology, practical ministry, do weekly evangelism in the other camps, and who have multi-level choirs that sing with the voices of angels! They thank God for the way He has provided for them through the international community, pray DAILY for the Burmese military who kills and oppresses their people, and view these “trials” even as something God can use to refine their faith and to bring good out of. They work in study groups late into the night studying the Bible and preparing their work for the next day of classes.
They are not bitter. They don’t hate their enemies, although there is a Karen volunteer army (legendary for their courage and stealth in the jungles) that defends the villages in Burma against the military attacks. They have very developed medical clinics, sewage systems, well water pumps and provide primary, secondary, and college-level education to their youth (some students even have their Masters in Theology or Divinity from a seminary in Nagaland, India). Their camps, churches, and army brigades are organized by groups of 7 because that is the Lord’s number of perfection!!
What they are (some of them) is bored, and frustrated that they can neither enter Thailand (no visa’s given) nor can they return to their home of Burma because of the danger they face there (there are another 200,000 internally displaced Karen hiding out from the Burmese military in the jungles of Burma). I spoke to one young man who wants to get further education and travel to see other parts of the world, but he can never leave the camps. Because the Thai government won’t acknowledge to the UN and the rest of the international communities that these refugees exist within their borders, the Thai police has checkpoints to make sure no Karen leave (but they don’t protect the Karen either when the Burmese military frequently comes into SOVEREIGN Thai territory to attack and burn the camps!!) Aaarrgh!!
In conclusion, we made fast friends with the Karen. They loved having us come, LOVED the inductive Bible Studies we did with them on aspects of Christian leadership (from InterVarsity Leading Edge material), and opened up their lives and hearts to us in a very short period of time. My heart hurts deeply for them! I miss them and think about our time with them almost every day.
I miss my friend Gladdy who takes medical supplies on his back (between Burmese army positions) to the internally displaced Karen in Burma. He encourages the Christians just like Paul in his missionary travels, and testifies about the goodness of God to the Buddhist Karen. He has endless stories of God saving and protecting the Karen villagers from the Burmese military, and of Karen freedom fighters holding off Burmese army when they were outnumbered as much as 30 to 1 . . . “God helped us” he says with a twinkle in his eye, and then quotes me a scripture from Isaiah 60:12, “Any nation that does not serve the Lord will fall, it will be completely ruined”. He has no high school education because he was hiding in the jungle with his mom during his teens. He simply reads the Bible, believes it and does what it says. “You want to know Karen history” he says, “look in the Bible!”. We stayed up late each night sharing Bible verses with each other, telling our stories, and praying for each other. I miss my friend Gladdy.
The Karen have a ferocious faith; a deep DEEP love for one and other and for foreigners such as us; and a perseverance to outlast the enemies that come against them. I want that faith, that love, and that perseverance! Lord, protect the Karen. Give strength and wisdom to their leaders. Provide for their every need. And give me even an ounce of their faith!
In the Name of our NEAR GOD,
Brian Heller
Coast Vineyard Christian Fellowship
San Diego, CA
For more information on the Karen people and their situation:
Missionary history to the Karen:
http://www.christianityandrenewal.com/archjun2004d.htm
History of the Karen written by Karen scholars:
http://www.rainbowends.org/karen/history.htm
Documented Human Rights abuses against the Karen:
http://karen.org/refugees/humanrights/
Christianity Today article on Burmese conflict and Karen resistance:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/003/7.52.html
Karen and Globalization (.pdf file):
http://isrc.payap.ac.th/document/panel/panel10.pdf
Facts on Burma, religious freedom, government contacts, supply kit ideas:
http://www.csw.org.uk/Burmaprofile.htm
BBC article on the Karen:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/720490.stm
Ways to pray for the Karen and for Burma:
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/ghendry/NEPChurch/actioninfo/burma.html
In between writing this post and actually publishing it, I’ve been informed of these recent (in the last week) news stories on Burma and the Karen:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/10/19/myanmar.politics/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3762402.stm
I think your site is very interesting in the portraying the more current events that are occuring with Karan refugees. I have met a Karen friend who lives in the US and has gone back to visit. I find his stories fascinating as I have never heard of Karen people before. It’s a real tragedy the people must go through.
how are you?my name is saw hti mu. i living in pathein.
i what to 20 years old.