I

Images from Karen State

Richard Humpheries

Traditional Dancing

(Black and White)

Jason Miller

Karen New Year 2003

 Shwe Koako, Karen State

Sylvia Murcfeld

Karen State

Photographs

 Jean de La Tour

Manerplaw

Richard Humphries

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Version Date

June 2004

12/01/2005

Website: Designed, Built and written  by Paul Keenan

A Call for 'Karenland'

 As Burma entered the 20^th Century the colonial government rocked by a number of protests in India began to rethink its position regarding administration in its Asian colonies. In 1917 the Chelmsford-Montague hearings were held in India to discuss giving more self-governance to the colony.

  The Young Monks Buddhist Association (YMBA), which had been formed in 1908 by Maung Maung Gyi, Maung Ba Pe and number of others, sent a delegation to the hearing to ask for separation from Burma. Similarly a Daw K'lu delegation comprising amongst others San C Po, who had by then studied under the missionary Charles Nichols and had completed part of his education in America, also found themselves at the meeting, but in contrast to the YMBA, had reported, ever fearful of Burman domination, that Burma was not ready for self-determination, and instead should remain under the British Government, an opinion which found no support amongst the Burmans in attendance.

Colonial officials started making plans to introduce separate constitutions for India and Burma. Regardless of the decisions made during the earlier meeting the British Government did not implement anything until 1921 when they organized the Whyte committee to discuss political reform. The committee chaired by the then President of the Indian Legislative Assembly, Sir Frederick Whyte, also included two Burmans, one India and representing the Karens, San C Po.

Sir San C Po, a member of the Legislative Council, also became president of the Daw K'lu in 1925, was still maintaining the idea that the British government should exercise authority over Burma. In 1928 he traveled to London to argue that Burma was not ready for self-rule, and aired his fears that should this happen then the Karens would be once again victims of the prejudices of the Burmans. The Karens were already victims of Burman assimilation and should the administration be turned over to them they would be victims of yet more discrimination in regards to education, and the justice system.

Aware that should the Burmans be given that control he requested that the Karens be given their own territory with the right of self-governance. He believed that Tenneserim, which had amongst the many other nationalities living there, including Mons and Burmans, a sizable Karen community, would be the best place to choose.

As debate went on Burman nationalists, began to be increasingly frustrated by the colonial presence in their country, demonstrations and rebellions ignited across the country.

 In order to be recognized, Buddhist Karens under the guidance of Sayadaw U Panda Wuntha and Saw Ba Than Shwe formed the Burma Karen National Association (BKNA) and opened a number of branches throughout the country including Bassein, Insein, and Pegu to represent Buddhist Karen views.

 On December the 22^nd, 1930 a peasant rebellion, with over ten thousand farmers, led by former monk Saya San broke out in Tharawaddy, with Karens from Tharawaddy and Insein joining in the attack against colonial power. The uprising was finally quelled with the help of Karen volunteers. Shortly after in the same year racial tension was fuelled between the Burmese and Indian communities throughout the country.

 The British organized a round table to discuss the plans to write a new constitution and to separate Burma from India. San C Po and Sidney Loo Nee attended with the latter requesting a federation of the different races of Burma and a provision there would be no racial or religious discrimination, that a Karen representative be elected for every district in lower Burma, and that armed Karen force be included in the Burma army.

 Burmese students became restless and continued to speak out and organize demonstrations against imperialism. In 1936 a student strike was called by the Students United Front (SUF) including Karens Saw Sankey who had become a member of the 'Do Bamar Asi-ayone' , Saw Way Thaw and 14 others from Papun.

 India and Burma was separated in 1937 and a new constitution was introduced. The British instituted a House of Representatives and a Upper House, half of whose members were elected. The Burmans were once again incensed by the British Governments insistence that a number of seats in the House of Representatives, 12 for the Karens, be reserved for ethnic nationalities.

 San C Po, became an elected member of Parliament under the new constitution and a draft law recognizing the first day of the month of 'Pyatho' as Karen New Years Day was approved and recognized by the British government December 21^st, 1938 with the first celebrations commencing in 1939. Karen members of Parliament by the end the year included San C Po, Sydney Loo Nee, Mahn Shwe Bar, U Hla Pe, and Saw Pe Tha.

Burman sentiment still continued to boil under the surface and a number of students still yearned for total self-rule. A number of student nationalists, who saw the only way to the end of colonial rule was to throw out the British and liberate their country, made plans to contact the Japanese dreaming that they would return and rule their country, it would be a long and bloody path for the Karens