Saw Ba Thin Sein, the president of the Karen National Union, was born in 1927 in Henzada and educated at the American Baptist Mission High School. After leaving school he got a job as a clerk at the war office in Rangoon which he kept until 1946 when, at the age of 19, he joined the Karen uprising at Insein as a private in the newly formed Karen army.

After the Karen withdrew from Insein he fought with 2nd Division commander General Thackerbaw in the Taungoo-Kawkareik-Hlaingbwe area.  He became a senior member in the socialist leaning Karen National United Party before leaving to become one of the first KNUP members to join General Bo Mya in the Eastern hills.  He became a Central Committee member and in the early seventies he was responsible for setting up a Karen National United Front (earlier incarnation of the KNU) administration at Mawta on the Tenneserim river .

In the seventies and eighties he was head of the KNU’s education department before becoming General Secretary and Prime Minister of Kawthoolei in 1984. Seen as a more flexible and politically astute leader than then President Saw Bo Mya he gained support from the KNU’s Young Turk movement which had emerged after the DKBA split and subsequent fall of the Karen headquarters at Manerplaw in 1995.

Voted President at the KNU’s 12th Congress in January 2000 he was responsible for reshaping an organization that had seen a number of devastating military defeats and growing ideological splits.  Such divisions were not only between different Karen factions but also the political and military branches of the KNU and a strong, yet diplomatic leader would be needed to try and resolve outstanding differences.

On being appointed he declared his main aim to be the solidarity of all Karen factions, enhanced co-operation between anti-regime forces and the well-being and education for all of the Karen people to be achieved through political means. Aware of the problems facing the Karen people and of those vested interests seeking to the use the Karen struggle he cautioned that

‘…we have to not only fight against the Burmese regime but also the capitalists seeking economic colonies…but we will continue to fight for our ideology and homeland. We will continue to fight to the bitter end.’

And realising the many problems that could be faced with a civilian leader at the helm he noted in relation to the Karen National Libearation Army

‘…we are unanimous that, in our Karen revolution solving the political problem takes precedence over military affairs…Because military affairs will be directed along the lines adopted by the political wing. But to achieve our political goal the support of the army is essential. However, military might alone will not get us there.’

As President he presided over a KNU that saw a Bo Mya instigated peace deal or ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ signed in January 2004. The agreement lasted until 2007 when it finally collapsed due to Junta instigated splits within the KNLA and constant offensives in Karen States .

Througout he tenure President Ba Thein demonstrated his abilities as a seasoned politcian having to keep an ever fractious organisation together while also dealing with a duplicitous and paranoid Burmese regime. Although plagued by ill health in the latter years he continued to work resolutely towards freedom for all the peoples of Burma not only as President of the Karen National Union but also Chairman of the Ethnic Nationalities Council.

In one of his last statements as President of the KNU, issued to mark 59th Revolution Day, he urged

‘…let us not be demoralized even though we have struggled for 59 years for freedom. Wherever we are - let us be united, let us uphold patriotism firmly and march on with unity until we become free people again and reach our goal of freedom.’

Saw Ba Thin Sein died of natural causes on the morning of May 22, 2008 at 2 a.m., in the liberated area of Pa-an District. He was 82 and is survived by his wife, one son and three daughters.

Paul Keenan
KHCPS
22-05-08

Images top: Saw Ba Thin in the 80s - KIC/KHCPS Archive, Middle: Than Aung, Saw Ba Thin, and General Bo Mya KIC/KHCPS Archive, Bottom: Saw Ba Thin in Manerplaw watching foreign journalist disembark - Richard Humphries