The Karen Resistance Day falls on 31st January and is celebrated every year in Karen National Union controlled territory. This year, the KNU headquarters joined with its armed wing, the KNLA 7th Brigade to commemorate the historical day.

Padoh Thaw Thi Bwe, joint secretary of the KNU spoke to Karen News about the importance of the day to its people.

“This special occasion is celebrated in many places. We encourage our fellow comrades to hold this event in any place. In the past, it was different as there was fighting. Now we are in the ceasefire period.”

Padoh Saw Lay Taw, a member of the event organising committee spoke to Karen News about the days agenda.

“Events will include a military parade” he said, adding that although other Karen armed groups were invited to join the celebrations, “we have no arrangement yet to include other Karen armed groups to join in the parade.”

General Mutu Sae Poe, chairperson of the KNU in his speech prepared for the occasion said: “I urge all the Karen nationals to value, respect and honor this historic day as a special and noble day. I thank, honor and put on record also all the patriotic Karen nationals, who have made sacrifices and struggled in their respective corners to carry out their national duties, since the start of the resistance.”

In his address he said that Karen Resistance Day today is different to 60 years ago as some people find that the current situation is “motivating expectations” and others have “feelings of concern, suspicion and frustration”.

General Mutu said: “Instead of armed engagement, it is now the time to learn how to prevent armed clashes from breaking out and to give our comprehensive support for the progress of political dialogue.”

He added that it was important to find political resolutions and to maintain the struggle to build trust.

He said: “We have to make ourselves more politically and militarily mature, and become fully self-confident. It is necessary to not make one-sided demands and dogmatically adhere to a single position based on mistrust of one another [which has built up] because of bad history and led to the crumbling of national unity.”

General Mutu also called for every Karen to take part in the peace process.

“I urge Karen political and military leaders and all the community based Karen organizations, in their respective roles, to make the effort to really understand the current process, to get actively involved and to work to coordinate between individuals and between organizations for national reconciliation.”

In his role as KNU chairman he said to the KNU: “I urge you to make an all-out effort for peace, in accordance with the changed political situation, with full trust and courage at the “dialogue table”, just like we courageously fought in the battlefield even though our strength was unequal.”

Addressing all Karen people he said it was “necessary for all Karen people, all the Karen resistance armed forces and the Karen organizations of all classes, to have a positive attitude, to be united. We have to work in the 'leading' role by taking responsibility for both pessimistic and optimistic views.”

General Mutu concluded his address by calling on Karen people to pull together as one nation.

“We have to work together for the achievement of the political rights to equality, self-determination and the federal union, we all desire.”

Edited for BNI by Mark Inkey