Myanmar - Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)

The largest insurgent group is the Karen National Liberation Army of the Karen National Union (KNU), headed by 70-year-old Saw Bo Mya and based in Manerplaw before the brutal SLORC crusher offensives of the mid-1990s, which dispersed the remaining rebels to the jungle. Converted to Christianity by missionaries at the turn of the century and allied with the British during World War II, they have been fighting for their own independence since Burma was granted its independence without provision for a Karen homeland. The Karen battle for sovereignty has been ongoing since 1948, one of the longest struggles for freedom in Asia. They are funded through their control of the smuggling routes between Myanmar and Thailand. About 100,000 government troops, supported by ethnic Wa militia and the Buddhist DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army), are squeezing the life out of the Karen rebels. By reaching at least temporary peace agreements with most of the other factions battling Yangon, SLORC can now direct its full attention to the KNU.

The Karens are divided by religion, with Buddhist and Christian factions. The Buddhist faction (DKBA) has aligned itself with the Myanmar government and has been brutalizing and razing KNU refugee camps inside the Thai border. Meanwhile, aging and soon-to-retire Bo Mya continues to direct strikes against Burmese troops from a mobile base camp inside Myanmar. The rebels' strength, however, has been decimated to fewer than 2,500 fighters.

http://www.Karen.org