The Karen National Union is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), that claims to represent the Karen people of Myanmar. It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar and has underground networks in other areas of Myanmar where Karen people live as a minority group.
Bogyoke Aung San was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goal was realized. Aung San is considered the founder of modern-day Myanmar and the Tatmadaw, and is commonly referred to by the titles "Father of the Nation", "Father of Independence", and "Father of the Tatmadaw".
The Karen, also known as the Kayin, Kariang or Kawthoolese, are an ethnolinguistic group of Tibeto-Burman language-speaking people. The group as a whole is heterogeneous and disparate as many Karen ethnic groups do not associate or identify with each other culturally or linguistically. These Karen groups reside primarily in Kayin State, southern and southeastern Myanmar. The Karen account for around 6.69% of the Burmese population. Many Karen have migrated to Thailand, having settled mostly on the Myanmar–Thailand border. A few Karen have settled in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, and other Southeast Asian and East Asian countries.
The Burma Independence Army (BIA) was a pro-Japanese and revolutionary army that fought for the end of British rule in Burma by assisting the Japanese in their conquest of the country in 1942 during World War II. It was the first post-colonial army in Burmese history. The BIA was formed from a group known as the Thirty Comrades under the auspices of the Imperial Japanese Army after training the Burmese nationalists in 1941. The BIA's attempts at establishing a government during the invasion led to it being dissolved by the Japanese and the smaller Burma Defence Army (BDA) formed in its place. As Japan guided Burma towards nominal independence, the BDA was expanded into the Burma National Army (BNA) of the State of Burma, a puppet state under Ba Maw, in 1943.
Naw Zipporah Sein was a Burmese Karen political activist who served as Vice-President of the Karen National Union.
The Kachin Independence Army is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a political group of ethnic Kachins in Northern Myanmar. The Kachins are a coalition of six tribes whose homeland encompasses territory in China's Yunnan, Northeast India and Kachin State in Myanmar.
The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army was an insurgent group of Buddhist soldiers and officers in Myanmar that split from the predominantly Christian-led Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), one of the largest rebel factions in Myanmar. Shortly after splitting from the KNLA in December 1994, the DKBA signed a ceasefire agreement with the government of Myanmar in exchange for military and financial assistance; provided that it supported government offensives against the KNU and its allies.
The Arakan League for Democracy is a political party active in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma).
The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party was a political party in Myanmar (Burma), representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party contested 44 seats in the 2010 General Election, of which it won 35. The RNDP was the largest party in the Rakhine State Hluttaw, the sole State or Region Hluttaw whose largest party was not the Union Solidarity and Development Party following the 2010 election. The party was at times accused of stirring up anti-Muslim feelings.
Geba, also known as Eastern Bwe, is a Karen language of Burma.
Louisa Charmaine Benson Craig was a Burmese-born two-time beauty pageant winner and Karen rebel leader of Jewish and Karen ancestry.
Naw Ohn Hla is a Karen democracy activist, politician, human rights defender, environmental rights and land rights activist for decades. She has been active in campaigning against the Letpadaung mining project in northern Myanmar. Naw Ohn Hla is the general secretary of United Nationalities Democracy Party (UNDP).
Shwe Kokko Myaing, commonly known as Shwe Kokko, is a town in Myawaddy Township, Myawaddy District in the Kayin State of south-east Myanmar. Shwe Kokko lies on the left (western) bank of the Moei River, facing Thailand to the east. The town is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Myawaddy. In recent years, Shwe Kokko has evolved into an organized crime and human trafficking hub, due to the Burmese government's limited reach and oversight in this remote area. Chinese-led development projects in Shwe Kokko, including Yatai New City, have been involved in illegal gambling, human trafficking, extortion, and cyber scam operations. As Cambodia intensified its crackdown on illegal online gambling in 2019, Chinese crime syndicates and casino operators have found a new base in Myanmar's peripheral border areas.
Naw K'nyaw Paw is a Karen peace activist who works for women's rights in Myanmar. She is the General secretary of the Karen Women’s Organisation, and won an International Women of Courage Award in 2019.
Miss Burma was the national beauty pageant in Burma from 1947 to 1962. The winner of Miss Burma also represented her country at the Miss Universe.
Kayin Maunghnama are two traditional Karen nats, named San Sae Phoe and Naw Mu Phan, who are believed to live in Mount Zwegabin, Hpa-An, Kayin State.
The Kayah State Democratic Party (KySDP) is a de-registered political party in Myanmar seeking to represent the interests of the Karenni people. It was founded in 2017 as a merger between the All Nationals' Democracy Party and Kayah Unity Democracy Party. The KySDP ran 30 candidates in the 2020 general election and won eight seats. On 28 March 2022, KySDP was officially dissolved by the junta-appointed Union Election Commission, along with 39 other parties.
The Karen New Year, also known as the Kayin New Year, is one of the major holidays celebrated by the Karen people. The Karen New Year falls on the first day of Pyatho, the tenth month in the Burmese calendar, and typically falls in December or January. The timing coincides with the completion of the Southeast Asian rice harvest in the lead-up to Pyatho. Celebrations typically include don dances and bamboo dances, singing, speeches, and the consumption of food and alcohol. The day is a gazetted public holiday in Myanmar.
Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe, or simply Naw Hla Hla Soe, is a Karen zoologist, politician and social activist who mainly focuses on the development of the lives of ethnic Karen women in Burma.