The Kayin State is a [[administrative divisions of Burma and also known as Karen state. Its capital is Pa-an.

The ethnic Karen group is organised in a political wing (KNU – Karen National Union) and the army wing: (KNLA – Karen National Liberation Army).

The ethnic group of the Karen people in Myanmar are mostly Christians. This is because the Karen people worked together with the British Empire in a time where Burma was a colony of Britain. At this time the most Karen converted to the religion of Jesus Christ like the Britain where.

Burma gained his independence from Britain on the 4. January 1948. Before 1948 Burma was conducted together with India as a commonwealth state.

After Burma gained independence, the country first was ruled by Aung San (the father of the female Nobel price winner Aung San Suu Kyi) in a democratic way. Then he was killed by an attack from local high militaries a few years later. Since that time the people of Burma are under suppression and are terrorised by the militaries and their generals. Aung San Suu Kyi formed the NLD – National League of Democracy.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory in the 1990 elections, winning over 80 percent of the Parliamentary seats at stake. The ruling military junta, then known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), launched a systematic campaign to prevent the NLD from forming a government. The junta also kept NLD General Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.

Later a part of the Burmese military was renamed to SPDC – State Peace and Order Council

Because of their religion and their wish of independence the junta suppresses the people of the Karen very much today. They don't build schools, hospitals or any kind of infrastructure. They use to fall in to the Karen villages, rape women, kill children and use the men as (slave) porters to build streets. They also use to steel food from the villagers, because the junta in Burma cannot even support their own soldiers with simple supplies like guns, ammunition or even food.

The Karen are not the only guerrilla army in Burma witch fights against the junta. There are many different rebel armies witch struggle against the junta and for their freedom. But mostly they do not work together, because of their different credence.

There are more names for Myanmar, such as Burma or Birma. Usually people who say Myanmar do accept the military junta as leader. People witch don't accept the leadership of the militaries, say Burma, in Germany they say Birma.

Burma was the original Name given to the country an appeared the first time in the elevenths century. The militaries started to call the country Union of Myanmar since 1989. Myanmar is a derivative of the Burmese shortform name "Myanma Naingngandaw" Myanmar means as much as the "Golden Country".

• Written by Svn M. Jakal * 10. February 2005 * sven.jakal@gmx.ch *