The Karen National League, as a non-armed Karen organization, seeks to uplift the lot of the Karen people and bring about the rule of law and true democracy to Burma. It engages in any and all lawful activities incidental to the foregoing purposes.

INTERVIEW with NAW MAY OO from the Cho Lin Pya No 1/99 Vol. 4 January

Q. Could you please give me your view on the ethnic issues in Burma? Do you have any idea to solve this political problem?

A. First, I strongly believe that something has been terribly wrong between the ethnic nationalities and the Burmese as well as the Burmese dominated government. The reason I believe so is that neither the Burmese soldiers nor the Burmese government never really distinguish themselves when it comes to oppression toward the ethnic nationalities. Whenever the Burmese soldiers came to my village, they never really called us 'Naw Thoo' or 'Saw Wah,' but they called us 'Kayin' [Karen] and they called themselves 'Burma' while torturing the villagers. Even though some understanding Karen have been trying to explain to the Karen populace that it is the Burmese soldiers and the Burmese government and not the Burmese, it is evidently obvious that that trust and understanding between the Burmese and the ethnic Karen never comes to significant. This is true, as far as I have learned, among other ethnic nationalities - Shan, Kachin, Karenni, etc... What I think would help solve this un-mythical problem is that the active participation of our fellow Burmans in educating themselves and integrating with the ethnic nationalities.

I absolutely have every intention to help solve that saddens all of our hearts. However, it is not one person's or a Karen's responsibility. I t is the responsibility of every concerned person. I personally think that we, the ethnic nationalities and the Burmese, sould communicate more with basic respect to the differences we might have within our cultures, religious and political beliefs. It is too sad to learn that all a typical city-Burman know about the Karen or the Shan is that she or he is a hill tribe person. I would like to call for all fellow Burmese to try and get to know us better - our culture, our tradition, and our history - as much as we know about Nat Shin Naung and Da du Kalya, Mahaw Thata and the ten Zat Taw Gyi, and so forth.

Q. Do you believe in Democracy and if so why?

A. I do not think system is a matter here when we talk of peace and justice. However, given the past and present situation of Burma as the fact, I believe "democracy" is the best and most appropriate political system to accomodate the diversity - culture, political and social ideas, ethnic - we have in our country. We have learned that through our experience already that suppression only results in violence and can brake a nation into pieces. We must learn to practice that culture of tolerance and I believe it is what "democracy" has to offer.

Q. Please tell me your brief biography and your current political activities.

A. I was born in 1972 in Kyauk Kyi township (Brigade 3 area of the Karen National Union) and was raised in Toungoo where I went to school up to high school in 1988. Both of my parents were my first teacher. My mother was my Burmese and English teacher whereas my father was my Math teacher. I was sixteen when I left Toungoo in 1988 and I finished high school in one of the high schools run by the KNU on the Thai-Burmese border.

I grew up with all Burman friends and was basically trained by all Burman teachers until 1988, and it was my first intergration with my own people, the Karen, when I fled to the liberated area. I as also an epiphany to learn in details about the Karens as well as the reality of my country, Burma. I came to the United States in 1993 as a refugee and it was my first chance after five years to re-start schooling in 1994 at Bakersfield College. In 1996 summer and throughout the year, I was an intern at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Then, I came back to California to continue my school at San Francisco State University as a Speech and Communication Studies major. I hope to graduate in May 1999 with my first bechlor degree.

I started involved in political activities ever since I came to the States with our Karen Youth Organization-USA, and I joined the Free Burma Coalition in 1996 as a member of its Speaker Bureau. I advocate about Burma and its struggle for human rights, peace with justice, and human dignity at the American universities and colleges. In doing so, I also have a chance to educate many people with the reality of Burma, and ethnic equality.

I was also the first Karen as well as the first Burmese student to do a volunteer work in Central America and to study first-hand the situation of post revolution countries - Nicaragua and El Salvador - in Summer 1997.

In December 1997, we had our Second Annual Conference of International Karen Youth in Ottawa, Canada. A unified body of Karen organizations - Karen National League - was born in 1997 in Canada as a result of the Conference. I was elected as the president for the Karen National League and was responsible to coordinate with other democratic organizations working for a free Burma. In April 1998, I participated as member of NCGUB delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. I also engage in lobbying for the internally displaced Karen people in order to obtain some humanitarian assistance. I lobbied at the British Parliament in order for the European Commission to comne out with a stronger resolution on the situation of Burma. Then, in June 1998, I participated as one of the two women delegation at the UN Commission Against Women meeting in New York. My activities and time ahve been divided between my schooling here in California, annual trip back to the border and other international campaigning.

Q. How do you feel on the current situation of the women and women rights in Burma?

A. First, I am never in doubt about the women of Burma - be the Shan or Burman, or Karen. We are the most cultured population in the country, and so much that exclusively male dominant military has been taking advantage over it for years. Despite the age, women of Burma provide motherly love at all time to everyone including our male counterparts - soldier or civilians, and enemies or friends. However, the intelligence of women of Burma has been either impeded or exploited always by the exclusively male dominated military.

I am especially and always in defense of the ethnic women of Burma - namely Shan, Mon, Karennie, Karen, and etc. - who sem to be victims over victims because of their gender and ethnic backgrounds. This is not to deny the situation of the women population in general. As a woman who had lived and traveled through Burma up North from Kachin State to down South Tenasserim Division, I cannot help seeing how differently women have been treated while it is actually badly for all of them. Fortunately, I had also traveled to upper Burma - Maguay and Mandalay Divisions - from experience I learned women have been treated differently because of their ethnic backgrounds, too. Based on my experience and what I had witnessed to the particular situation of the ethnic women, I strongly believe that the solidarity should come firs tfrom our fellow women - be they Burman or anything else.

As far as rights are concerned, Constitutional rights such as political and social rights for the women of Burma are far beyond reality, I think. In my opinion, we are not even in a stage fighting for equal rights, but we are still fighting for our women?s human rights. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a living symbol of the women of Burma whose rights are either lost or severely violated - not only as a woman, but also as a person. (If I may say, I think whenever it comes down to gender issues in Burma, culture plays an important role, and I really think that Burmese culture toward women is too oppressive as well as manipulative.) My participation in the movement for democracy in Burma is meant for my people - the people of Burma - and for my country. I was not born as a slave, and if I find myself being a slave, it is my responsibility to fight against it and to free myself. I strongly believe that every human being is entitled to have a peace-of-mind, and every citizen is entitled to hve peace of body and soul while living. It is sad that we have to fight for it, but that?s what we are fighting for.

 

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