Karen National Union
The Karen National Union (Burmese: ကရင် အမျိုးသား အစည်းအရုံး; abbreviated KNU) is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), that claims to represent the Karen people of Myanmar (Burma). It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar and has underground networks in other areas of Myanmar where Karen people live as a minority group.
Karen National Union ကညီ ဒီကလုာ် စၢဖှိၣ်ကရၢ | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | KNU |
| Secretary-General | Padoh Saw Thadaw Moo P'doh Saw Thaw Thi Bweh Padoh Saw Hla Tun |
| Spokesperson | Padoh Saw Taw Nee |
| Founded | 5 February 1947 |
| Headquarters | Klo Yaw Lay Manerplaw (until 1995) |
| Armed wing | KNLA, KNDO |
| Ideology |
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| Religion | Christianity Buddhism |
| National affiliation | National Unity Consultative Council |
| Slogan | "Give me liberty, or give me death!" |
| Anthem | "Dear Our People" |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| www | |
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Some of the Karen, led primarily by the Karen National Union (KNU), have waged a war against the central government since early 1949. The aim of the KNU at first was independence. Since 1976 the armed group has called for a federal system rather than an independent Karen State.
The Karen conflict is the second longest internal war in the world after the Dagohoy rebellion in the Philippines, having been waged for 85 years until 1829.