Good News!!! KNU ready to welcome

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Good News!!!  KNU ready to welcome returnees

Rebel forces need support. All able men and women should serious
consider this appeal from the senior Karen general. Help him build up
his forces now. Go to him and his forces. Its time again, the regime is
cracking. Defend your freedom and use your freedom to help the democrats
in Rangoon achieve their political non violent victory.

dawn star 

TIN KYI wrote:
> 
> The Nation Nov - 16, 1999.
> Headlines
> KNU ready to welcome returnees
> 
> TAK -- Burma's largest armed ethnic rebel group, the Karen National
> Union, said yesterday it was willing to offer accommodation for all
> Burmese nationals being deported by Thai officials in a crackdown on
> illegal foreign workers.
> 
> Gen Bo Mya, leader of the KNU, said that all Burmese nationals,
> regardless of ethnicity, will be welcome in the the rebel's territory.
> 
> Bo Mya was leading a group of journalists to an area opposite Tak
> province in Burma's Karen State to show off areas the group has set up
> to facilitate all the returnees.
> 
> The general said he was concerned that government troops would punish
> the returnees because many of them are ethnic Karens and have
> relatives fighting in the KNU army.
> 
> He also voiced concern that some of the returnees could be Burmese
> government agents.
> 
> Bo Mya insisted that the area where the returnees will be residing,
> opposite Tak province, is safe as KNU troops and landmines have been
> positioned to secure the area.
> 
> However, he did not rule out the possibility of attacks by government
> troops.
> 
> Meanwhile, a KNU field commander Maj Ner Dah has condemned the rival
> Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a pro-Rangoon splinter group, for
> exploiting their own people by demanding payments from Burmese workers
> upon their landing on Burmese shores off the Moei River, which serves
> as the natural boundary between the two countries.
> 
> KNU is the largest Burmese ethnic army fighting for independence from
> the military government of Rangoon.
> 
> Three years ago before the economic crisis, Thailand played hosts to
> about one million foreign workers, most of whom took up back-breaking
> jobs for wages much below what their Thai counterparts received.
> 
> Since the economic downturn, about 300,000 have been pushed out of the
> country as the government tries to make jobs available for unemployed
> Thai nationals.
> 
> On Nov 4, the government relaunched a second massive crackdown on
> them.
> 
> About 70,000 Burmese are believed to be working in Tak province alone.
> 
> The Nation