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Mizzima: Burmese Child Soldiers (r)



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The article posted on February 9, 2001

                         Burmese Child Soldiers

Winnipeg (Canada), February 9, 2001
Mizzima News Group (www.mizzima.com)

By Kanbawza Win:

        The surrender of the twin brothers Johnny and Luther Htu to the
Thai security forces ended the mystical group of Burmese freedom
fighters that have captured the world?s attention. These Christian child
warriors belonging to the Karen ethnic group and still not yet in their
teens, have fascinated the world?s media for more than two years for
their exploits against the formidable Burmese Army. However, they gain
prominence when they successfully raided the Burmese embassy in Bangkok
in cooperation with the
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW).

Founded on March 3rd 1997 at Hta Ma Pyo village in the Thai-Burma border
area, this
?God?s Army? belongs to a deeply religious Karen Christian group that
has been living
there since the persecution started. The children were barely 7 or 8
years old when they
witnessed with their own eyes the unspeakable atrocities committed by
the Burmese
soldiers on their nearest kith and kin. The local people claimed that
the two brothers saw
a vision in which they were asked to fight, which was the embryo of a
fighting force
named it as ?God?s Army?.

At its height it had 200 fighters and from the start it became a
formidable force because
of its dedication, remarkable endurance and battlefield tactics. Its
fame spread fear among
the Burmese soldiers. Together with the Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors, it
orchestrated the raid on the Junta?s embassy in Bangkok, which
embarrassed both the
Thai and the Burmese governments. ?God?s Army?s? fame spread far and
wide and soon
financial support from overseas come in. This was in fact the beginning
of their downfall.
Not only the squabbling over the resources but also instead it of
concentrating on the
Burmese army it turned its attention to Thailand. These were its
mistakes and it suffered
a set back when both the Burmese and Thai army launched a joint
operation.
 Now all the members of ?God?s Army? have either surrendered to the Thai
security or
some have rejoined back their old KNU comrades.

In a way they demonstrated the plight of child soldiers in Burma, where
both the Burmese
army and the opposition ethnic forces use thousands of child soldiers, a
fact that the
outside world knows little of. The very fact that this so called ?God?s
Army? chose to
surrender to the Thai security forces rather than the Burmese army
painted the picture
that these children do not expect any mercy from the marauding Burmese
army.
 The deeper truth is that the boys were driven to their desperate acts
by the unrelenting
pressure of constant military bombardment by both the Burmese and Thai
army. The
latter often co-operated in fighting the Burmese pro-democracy forces
and ethnic freedom
fighters. But the fall of ?God?s Army? does not mean that a much wider
ethnic forces and
the pro-democratic forces have collapsed. Still there are thousand of
ethnic Karen,
Karenni, Shan, Chin, Arakanese and Burmese students battling Rangoon for
democracy,
autonomy and self-determination. Tens of thousands of these people have
fled to the
border areas of Thailand, India, Bangladesh and some even to Laos and
China to escape
the scorched earth policy of the Burmese army.

How come, these children reached such heights?  It is just a symptom of
the Burmese
system. Rural children in Burma become soldiers simply to survive. In
war ravaged parts
inhabited by ethnic groups where schools have been closed, fields
destroyed and relatives
arrested or killed, a gun is a meal ticket and a more attractive
alternative to sitting home
alone and afraid. Gone are the days when war was fought in the
battlefields by opposing
forces. The conflict in war-torn Burma is fought at home, in the lanes
of villages and
suburbs, where distinctions between combatant and non-combatant are not
distinguished.
These conflicts kill and maim more children than adults. Burmese
children today find
themselves caught up in complex and confusing conflicts that have
multiple causes and
lack clear prospects for resolution. Children are being simply sucked
into seemingly
endless endemic struggles for power and resources.

But this situation is not only confined to Burma where the tyrannical
Junta rules with a
harsh iron hand, but also in most of the conflict areas of the Third
World countries. The
impact of the conflict on children has been devastating. Millions have
been killed as
deliberate targets of warfare and drawn in as fighters. And millions
more have fallen
victims to malnutrition, disease, sexual violence and the depredations
of forced flight and
forced labour.

In Burma an attempt to highlight the pitiable case of children
mistreated by the soldiers
was arrested and its principles persecuted. One classic case is that in
the Second Women
Conference held in Rangoon on 25thand 26th Jan.2001, Daw Mya Kyu, a
teacher from
Phyu township who endeavored to highlight the case of a nine-year old
girl who was
raped and killed by the Burmese soldiers, was stopped and arrested. This
clearly indicates
that people are threatened, even those who dare to speak the truth, not
to mention
remedying laws on the improvement of the situation of war children. This
is but one of
the thousands of stories of the fate of Burmese children.

In Thailand at the surrender ceremony of the two Burmese
warrior-children Johnny
and Luther Htu, the outgoing Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai flew to
the border
police post and touched their hands smiling. We do hope that these two
children will not
be killed after they have surrendered as the Thai army did to their
comrades at the
Ratchaburi  hospital fiasco. It is high time that the Southeast Asian
Buddhist nations
showed some clemency and forgiveness.

The Winnipeg International Conference on War Affected Children (Sept.
10th-17th.
2000)  drew plans for these War Affected Children. More than 176
government
representatives attended;  Laos and Cambodia sent their North American
ambassadors,
while Thailand sent its Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan yet,
conspicuously the Burmese
ambassador was absent. What hopes and dreams do we harbor for these War
Affected
Children of Burma even as the United Nations has earmarked this the year
of the War
Child. In September this year the stock-taking of these War Affected
Children will be
done and even though, as an Asian NGO representative I?ll be reporting,
I am very sad to
say that I can report only the worsening situation of these children in
Burma.

________________________________________________________________________

Kanbawza Win is one of the six NGO representatives to submit the report
in to the United Nations in September.
________________________________________________________________________



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<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>
<font color="#006600">The article posted on February 9, 2001</font>
<center>
<p><b><u><font color="#3333FF"><font size=+2>Burmese Child Soldiers</font></font></u></b></center>

<p><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>Winnipeg (Canada), February 9, 2001</font></font>
<br><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>Mizzima News Group <a href="http://www.mizzima.com";>(www.mizzima.com)</a></font></font>
<p><font size=+1>By Kanbawza Win:</font>
<p><font size=+1>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The surrender
of the twin brothers Johnny and Luther Htu to the Thai security forces
ended the mystical group of Burmese freedom fighters that have captured
the world?s attention. These Christian child warriors belonging to the
Karen ethnic group and still not yet in their teens, have fascinated the
world?s media for more than two years for their exploits against the formidable
Burmese Army. However, they gain prominence when they successfully raided
the Burmese embassy in Bangkok in cooperation with the</font>
<br><font size=+1>Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW).</font>
<p><font size=+1>Founded on March 3rd 1997 at Hta Ma Pyo village in the
Thai-Burma border area, this</font>
<br><font size=+1>?God?s Army? belongs to a deeply religious Karen Christian
group that has been living</font>
<br><font size=+1>there since the persecution started. The children were
barely 7 or 8 years old when they</font>
<br><font size=+1>witnessed with their own eyes the unspeakable atrocities
committed by the Burmese</font>
<br><font size=+1>soldiers on their nearest kith and kin. The local people
claimed that the two brothers saw</font>
<br><font size=+1>a vision in which they were asked to fight, which was
the embryo of a fighting force</font>
<br><font size=+1>named it as ?God?s Army?.</font>
<p><font size=+1>At its height it had 200 fighters and from the start it
became a formidable force because</font>
<br><font size=+1>of its dedication, remarkable endurance and battlefield
tactics. Its fame spread fear among</font>
<br><font size=+1>the Burmese soldiers. Together with the Vigorous Burmese
Student Warriors, it</font>
<br><font size=+1>orchestrated the raid on the Junta?s embassy in Bangkok,
which embarrassed both the</font>
<br><font size=+1>Thai and the Burmese governments. ?God?s Army?s? fame
spread far and wide and soon</font>
<br><font size=+1>financial support from overseas come in. This was in
fact the beginning of their downfall.</font>
<br><font size=+1>Not only the squabbling over the resources but also instead
it of concentrating on the</font>
<br><font size=+1>Burmese army it turned its attention to Thailand. These
were its mistakes and it suffered</font>
<br><font size=+1>a set back when both the Burmese and Thai army launched
a joint operation.</font>
<br><font size=+1>&nbsp;Now all the members of ?God?s Army? have either
surrendered to the Thai security or</font>
<br><font size=+1>some have rejoined back their old KNU comrades.</font>
<p><font size=+1>In a way they demonstrated the plight of child soldiers
in Burma, where both the Burmese</font>
<br><font size=+1>army and the opposition ethnic forces use thousands of
child soldiers, a fact that the</font>
<br><font size=+1>outside world knows little of. The very fact that this
so called ?God?s Army? chose to</font>
<br><font size=+1>surrender to the Thai security forces rather than the
Burmese army painted the picture</font>
<br><font size=+1>that these children do not expect any mercy from the
marauding Burmese army.</font>
<br><font size=+1>&nbsp;The deeper truth is that the boys were driven to
their desperate acts by the unrelenting</font>
<br><font size=+1>pressure of constant military bombardment by both the
Burmese and Thai army. The</font>
<br><font size=+1>latter often co-operated in fighting the Burmese pro-democracy
forces and ethnic freedom</font>
<br><font size=+1>fighters. But the fall of ?God?s Army? does not mean
that a much wider ethnic forces and</font>
<br><font size=+1>the pro-democratic forces have collapsed. Still there
are thousand of ethnic Karen,</font>
<br><font size=+1>Karenni, Shan, Chin, Arakanese and Burmese students battling
Rangoon for democracy,</font>
<br><font size=+1>autonomy and self-determination. Tens of thousands of
these people have fled to the</font>
<br><font size=+1>border areas of Thailand, India, Bangladesh and some
even to Laos and China to escape</font>
<br><font size=+1>the scorched earth policy of the Burmese army.</font>
<p><font size=+1>How come, these children reached such heights?&nbsp; It
is just a symptom of the Burmese</font>
<br><font size=+1>system. Rural children in Burma become soldiers simply
to survive. In war ravaged parts</font>
<br><font size=+1>inhabited by ethnic groups where schools have been closed,
fields destroyed and relatives</font>
<br><font size=+1>arrested or killed, a gun is a meal ticket and a more
attractive alternative to sitting home</font>
<br><font size=+1>alone and afraid. Gone are the days when war was fought
in the battlefields by opposing</font>
<br><font size=+1>forces. The conflict in war-torn Burma is fought at home,
in the lanes of villages and</font>
<br><font size=+1>suburbs, where distinctions between combatant and non-combatant
are not distinguished.</font>
<br><font size=+1>These conflicts kill and maim more children than adults.
Burmese children today find</font>
<br><font size=+1>themselves caught up in complex and confusing conflicts
that have multiple causes and</font>
<br><font size=+1>lack clear prospects for resolution. Children are being
simply sucked into seemingly</font>
<br><font size=+1>endless endemic struggles for power and resources.</font>
<p><font size=+1>But this situation is not only confined to Burma where
the tyrannical Junta rules with a</font>
<br><font size=+1>harsh iron hand, but also in most of the conflict areas
of the Third World countries. The</font>
<br><font size=+1>impact of the conflict on children has been devastating.
Millions have been killed as</font>
<br><font size=+1>deliberate targets of warfare and drawn in as fighters.
And millions more have fallen</font>
<br><font size=+1>victims to malnutrition, disease, sexual violence and
the depredations of forced flight and</font>
<br><font size=+1>forced labour.</font>
<p><font size=+1>In Burma an attempt to highlight the pitiable case of
children mistreated by the soldiers</font>
<br><font size=+1>was arrested and its principles persecuted. One classic
case is that in the Second Women</font>
<br><font size=+1>Conference held in Rangoon on 25thand 26th Jan.2001,
Daw Mya Kyu, a teacher from</font>
<br><font size=+1>Phyu township who endeavored to highlight the case of
a nine-year old girl who was</font>
<br><font size=+1>raped and killed by the Burmese soldiers, was stopped
and arrested. This clearly indicates</font>
<br><font size=+1>that people are threatened, even those who dare to speak
the truth, not to mention</font>
<br><font size=+1>remedying laws on the improvement of the situation of
war children. This is but one of</font>
<br><font size=+1>the thousands of stories of the fate of Burmese children.</font>
<p><font size=+1>In Thailand at the surrender ceremony of the two Burmese
warrior-children Johnny</font>
<br><font size=+1>and Luther Htu, the outgoing Thai Prime Minister Chuan
Leekpai flew to the border</font>
<br><font size=+1>police post and touched their hands smiling. We do hope
that these two children will not</font>
<br><font size=+1>be killed after they have surrendered as the Thai army
did to their comrades at the</font>
<br><font size=+1>Ratchaburi&nbsp; hospital fiasco. It is high time that
the Southeast Asian Buddhist nations</font>
<br><font size=+1>showed some clemency and forgiveness.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The Winnipeg International Conference on War Affected
Children (Sept. 10th-17th.</font>
<br><font size=+1>2000)&nbsp; drew plans for these War Affected Children.
More than 176 government</font>
<br><font size=+1>representatives attended;&nbsp; Laos and Cambodia sent
their North American&nbsp; ambassadors,</font>
<br><font size=+1>while Thailand sent its Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan
yet, conspicuously the Burmese</font>
<br><font size=+1>ambassador was absent. What hopes and dreams do we harbor
for these War Affected</font>
<br><font size=+1>Children of Burma even as the United Nations has earmarked
this the year of the War</font>
<br><font size=+1>Child. In September this year the stock-taking of these
War Affected Children will be</font>
<br><font size=+1>done and even though, as an Asian NGO representative
I?ll be reporting, I am very sad to</font>
<br><font size=+1>say that I can report only the worsening situation of
these children in Burma.</font>
<p><font size=+1>________________________________________________________________________</font>
<br><i><font size=+1>Kanbawza Win is one of the six NGO representatives
to submit the report in to the United Nations in September.</font></i>
<br><font size=+1>________________________________________________________________________</font>
<p>&nbsp;</html>

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