The Karens are the largest ethnic minority group in Burma, now called Myanmar.  For decades, they have resisted oppression by the military dictatorship of Burma.  The Karens still seek the autonomy and democracy which they were promised by the British at the end of World War II.  (Note: During that war, Karen soldiers played a major role in forcing the Japanese invaders out of Southeast Asia.)  Now, these people are being systematically and ruthlessly forced from their homes and villages by the ruling Burmese military junta.

The military regime, which calls itself the "State Peace and Development Council" (SPDC), continues to hold power by refusing to allow the democratically elected officials to take office. In 1988 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was elected president of Burma.  She was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while living under house arrest in Rangoon. Although she was released in 2002 -- after many years of house arrest -- she is still barred from taking office by the Burmese junta.

A large-scale military offensive, which began in 1995, has forced 120 thousand Karens to flee into Thailand. An additional 300,000 "internal refugees" are being robbed, raped, tortured, murdered in their own country. Thousands are trying to survive in the jungle. They are living under wretched conditions - lacking food, shelter, mosquito nets, medicine, medical care and protection.

Due to the governmental policies of Thailand, the Karen refugees along the border receive no direct assistance from the United Nations or from the Red Cross.  Because there is no one else, your help is vitally important.