Eyewitness Report from Kawthoolei

[So_Nou@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

February 14,1997  Valentines Day

I woke up in my hotel room in Maesot Thailand thankful I could look over at
my husband as he slept peacefully beside me. I immediately thought of the
thousands of Karen women hiding in the jungle, fearing for their lives. Many
had already lost their husbands in this seemingly unending struggle for the
basics freedoms we in America take so much for  granted. Some Karen women do
not even know if their husbands are alive or dead, having been separated of
months or even years. I have talked to countless Karen women who cannot even
live close enough to their husbands to even get secon hand news from them.
One such woman lived for 20 years in Rangoon after her husband joined the
fight for freedom and was  able to join him in Kawthoolei only after their
youngest son was married and had a baby. Now she too has been
forced from the village she was living in as they ran for their lives ahead
of advancing SLORC troops. 65 year old mothers and grandmothers should not
have to live with such fear and hardship. To day my heart is breaking for my
Karen sisters. I walked through a refugee camp 15 minutes out of town on Thai
soil that had been 60% burned by SLORC backed DKBA troops. They stormed the
camp at night while families were sleeping in their split bamboo homes. There
were smoldering ashes everywhere,outlining what used to be "home" for
refugees lucky enough to not have to live in the jungle. I saw the look of
despair on the faces of men and women as they tried to sift through the
ashes, looking for anything salvageable. I spoke to bright young students who
are struggling to make some sense out of the senseless situation they have
been forced into. There were no roses from loving husbands being given to the
women in this camp, yet they all were thankful they escaped to see another
Valentines day dawn.

Eyewitness Report from Kawtholei

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