General Mutu Sae Poe, Chairperson of the Karen National Union (KNU), urged all armed organizations as well as social and religious organizations to work together under the Karen flag to achieve their political goals.
“All Karen people wherever they live, Karen armed organizations and armed resistance groups have to work together for a single goal under a single Karen flag”, the KNU Chairperson urged
A review of the efforts of the Karen national movement has shown that our biggest weaknesses were found to be in our divisions and loss of unity,” he pointed out. But the KNU chairperson also said that all Karen people must try to speed up our actions for consolidation, despite the setbacks in the past.
Padoh Saw Thamein Tun, a member of KNU’s Central Committee also told KIC "Unity is easy to talk about .But If it is not done in practice, divisions occur. If we don’t want to slip democracy into anarchy, we must have disciplined central control.
It is urgent to know that in democracy, even if the minority does not like it, a consensus decision is prioritized according to the procedure. On the other hand, we must review why the minority does not like it. Then we can all be united.”
According to the system and political needs, KNU will work with all groups, organizations and factions working for the downfall of all dictatorial regimes including the Junta, KNU Chairperson General Mutu Sae Poe stated in his Karen New Year’s message.
A memorandum sent by Lt. Gen. Saw Baw Kyaw Heh, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) for the Karen New Year, also expressed that “it is the responsibility of the Karen nation as a whole to escape from suffering and torture, oppression and grief that the Karen people are currently facing. He also urged the current Karen generation to work harder so that future generations can live in peace.”
Due to the regime’s operations attacking KNU-controlled areas, the Karen New Year, which falls on December 22nd (2762, Pya Thol 1st according to the Myanmar calendar), could not be celebrated in combat areas, and some areas where there is no fighting, but still not secure enough to hold celebrations.
