The division between the movement’s political and military wings often blurs. In January 2004, Bo Mya, then commanding officer of the KNLA and vice-chairman of the KNU, led a 21-man delegation to
More recently, in December 2005, a group of KNLA representatives from Brigade 7 and former KNU executive committee member Mahn Nyein Maung went to
No such agreement was made, and Brigade 7 returned to the fold. But while prominent KNLA officers dismiss the meeting as a mere charade, or “delaying tactics, to avoid fighting,” for others, the
The meeting was orchestrated by Pastor Timothy, a humanitarian worker who is reviled by many in the KNU’s top echelon for his criticism of their leadership and his continued work with the breakaway Karen group the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. The DKBA broke away from the KNU in 1995 following a dispute over bias towards Christians, and was promptly assimilated by government forces.
The DKBA’s inside knowledge allowed the Tatmadaw (armed forces) to breach the KNU base camp at Manerplaw, thus forcing the Karen to retreat into the jungle. The withdrawal from Manerplaw radically altered the way the KNU could operate, and it turned to guerilla tactics as opposed to the positional warfare previously employed.
“The big fights do not happen any more,” says Ner Dah Mya. “Now we only fight for five minutes then withdraw.”
On his return from
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