Bo Mya (20 January 1927 – 24 December 2006), born Htee Moo Kee, was a Karen rebel leader born in Papun District, which is in present-day Karen State, Myanmar. He was a long-standing chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU), a political organisation of the Karen people, from 1976 to 2000. He stepped down to become vice-chairman in 2004, and retired in 2004 from all public offices, due to poor health. January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI), a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ကရင္‌လူမ္ယုိး Total population 7,400,000 Regions with significant populations Myanmar: 7,000,000 Thailand:  400,000 Language Karen Religion Buddhism, Christianity, Animism Related ethnic groups Padaung The Karen (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ), also known in Thailand as the Kariang (Thai: ) or Yang, are an ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. ... The Kayin State is a [[administrative divisions of Burma and also known as Karen state. ... The Karen National Union (KNU) is an armed group operating in the border area between Burma and Thailand. ... ကရင္‌လူမ္ယုိး Total population 7,400,000 Regions with significant populations Myanmar: 7,000,000 Thailand:  400,000 Language Karen Religion Buddhism, Christianity, Animism Related ethnic groups Padaung The Karen (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ), also known in Thailand as the Kariang (Thai: ) or Yang, are an ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bo Mya was among a significant number of Karens who joined the British — specifically in Bo Mya's case, Force 136 — during World War II, with whom he fought the Japanese from the East Dawna hills in 1944 to 1945. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

After the Karens declared independence from Burma in 1949, Bo Mya quickly rose to a position of pre-eminence in the Karen movement, earning a reputation as a hard and ruthless operator. Based at Manerplaw ("victory field") close to the Thai-Burma border, the KNU under his control, and its military wing the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), was probably the most successful of the ethnic rebel organisations fighting Rangoon in the 1970s and 1980s. This article can be confusing for some readers, and needs to be edited for clarity. ... Emblem of Karen National Liberation Army Flag of KNLA The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU). ... Yangon (Burmese: , population 4,082,000 (2005 census), formerly Rangoon, and still known by that name in many circles, see below under History), is the largest city of Myanmar (formerly Burma) and its former capital. ...

But by the mid-1990s, the tide was turning against him. A devout Baptist Christian of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Bo Mya had always risked antagonising elements from within the predominantly Karen Buddhist and animist KNLA ranks. Although his defenders say he treated both Christians and Buddhists equally, the fact that the top positions of the KNU were filled almost entirely by Christians seemed to confirm the impression that he promoted the minority Christians' interests at the expense of those of the Buddhists and animists. A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church or any follower of Jesus Christ who believes that baptism is administered by the full immersion of a confessing Christian. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which, as its name suggests, is best known for its teaching that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is the Sabbath and that the second advent of Jesus Christ is imminent. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of psychology. ... Animism is the belief in personalized, supernatural beings (or souls) that often inhabit ordinary animals and objects, governing their existence. ...

In late 1994, a group of KNLA soldiers broke away from the main army and formed the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). They allied themselves with the Burmese military, and led Burmese troops into Manerplaw in December 1994, leading to its capture — the biggest single setback to the Karens in their post-war history.

Since then, the KNU and KNLA's effectiveness has gradually diminished. This was demonstrated at the beginning of 2004 when Bo Mya travelled to Yangon (Rangoon), his first visit to the capital in 50 years, to hold peace talks with Khin Nyunt, who was Prime Minister at the time. Yangon (Burmese: , population 4,082,000 (2005 census), formerly Rangoon, and still known by that name in many circles, see below under History), is the largest city of Myanmar (formerly Burma) and its former capital. ... General Khin Nyunt (born October 11, 1939 in Kyauktan, Burma) was the Prime Minister of Myanmar and the chief of intelligence of the Myanmar Army. ...

On 24 December 2006, Bo Mya died in a hospital in Mae Sot, Thailand, near the eastern border of Myanmar. He had heart disease and diabetes and was unable to walk for three years before his death. December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI), a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mae Sot (Thai: แม่สอด) is a town and district in Tak Province, Thailand at the Thai-Myanmar border with Moei River as natural boundary. ... Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases which affect the heart. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ...

References

• Smith, Martin. Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity
• Paung, Shah. "Renowned Karen Rebel Leader Dead", The Irrawaddy, 2006-12-24. Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
• South, Ashley. "Bo Mya-Life-long revolutionary", The Irrawaddy, 2006-12. Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
• "Myanmar rebel leader dies after long illness", Reuters, 2006-12-24. Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
• Saw Kapi (2006-12-25). Obituary - Saw Bo Mya: A symbol of resistance. Mizzima News. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.