Kayin State
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The Kayin State is a administrative division of Myanmar and also known as Karen state. The capital city is Pa-an.
The ethnic Karen group 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 are mostly Christians. This is because the Karen people worked together with the British Empire at a time when Burma was a colony of Britain. At this time, most Karen converted to Christianity. Most of the Karen people are Baptists.
Karenflag.jpg
Because of their religion and their wish for independence, the ruling junta of Myanmar still suppresses the people of the Karen very much today. They don't build schools, hospitals or any kind of infrastructure. They used to fall into the Karen villages, rape women, kill children and use the men as slaves or porter to build streets. They also used to steal food from the villagers, because the junta cannot even support their own soldiers with simple supplies like guns, ammunition or even food.
The Karen are not the only guerrilla army in Burma which fights against the junta. There are many different rebel armies which struggle against the junta and for their freedom. But usually they do not work together, because of their different religious beliefs.
See also
- Kayin (Karen) state: Militarization and human rights - Amnesty International (http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA160121999?open&of=ENG-2S3|The)et:Kareni osariik