8/3/2019 KNU President Adress-K-NewYear Eng

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OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS

KAREN NATIONAL UNION

KAWTHOOLEI

Address of KNU President, Gen Saw Tamla Baw, on Karen New Year Day

Dear Karen Nationals at home and abroadLeaders and Comrades,

The first day of waxing moon of Thlay month 2751 Karen Era, which falls on the 25th of December 2011AD, is an auspicious and glorious day of the Karen New Year. We, the entire Karen people, will receivehappiness and all kinds of blessings as we get the opportunity to welcome this propitious day. On this Karen

New Year Day, I would like to wish every Karen at home and abroad to have the power of body and mindabundantly, with the delivery of my address.

Though the Karen people is a major nationality with the desire to live together, in weal and woe, in thiscountry with the other nationalities, many Karens have to depart and live in different countries of the world, asthey do not get the rights, freedom and dignity deserving of a nationality, and for the majority of the Karenpeople, who remain in the country, there is no guarantee for the security of their lives, homes and property. Theystill have to live in fear and anxiety, every day. They have been deprived by force the rights to own land, propertyand homes in the lands of their forefathers. We, the Karen people, have struggled for more than half a century tobe freed from oppression and to stand as a free people, but we still have not reached our goal and have to carryon the struggle, because we had been weak in unity and cooperation in our struggle.

In consonant with the current changes in the political situation of Burma and as the military backed UThein Sein government has made an overture for talks, the Karen National Union (KNU) is making an endeavorfor achieving peace in the interest of the entire Karen people and the fellow ethnic nationalities. Since the KNU

has always kept open the door to peace for the resolution of political problems by political means peacefully, andin accordance with the political principles, guideline and programs adopted by the KNU 14th Congress, the KNUCentral Standing Committee meeting, held from November 8 to 11, has decided unanimously to establishceasefire and build peace in the country.

On my part, I would like to remind all concerned again to work with alertness so that our unity andbeliefs may not crack under the stab by the enemy. By various means, the enemy is assaulting to destroy theunity of thought within the Karen people. Just as the unity of the entire Karen people is a vital factor for thevictory of the Karen peoples revolutionary resistance, it is also necessary for the cooperative action to bepresent in every sector in our national liberation movement. For achievement of the goal of the Karen people, it isparticularly essential for us to work with cooperative spirit, unity of thought and action in the New Year. Sinceevery one of the nationalities has the duty to struggle for freedom and gain the right to decide its own destiny, weall must work with utmost effort. It is necessary for every one of the Karen people living in different countries tomaintain the Karen cultural heritage and language, and pass on the practice to posterity so that the Karen people

may not become extinct. On the other hand, it is necessary for us to cooperate closely with the other fellowethnic nationalities and the democratic organizations until the establishment of a genuine democratic federalunion, which guarantees politically the rights of the ethnic nationalities.

In closing, I would to urge all the Karen to work hand in hand together with unity, to help one anotherand to repulse the enemy, which will endanger us, and as well as all the dangers until we can live as a freepeople.

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