unreached people group project_ karen
TRANSCRIPT
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP: KAREN PEOPLE OF BURMA
A PAPER SUBMITTED TO
DR SCOTT EDGAR
FOR INTRODUCTION TO WORLD MISSIONS
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE MASTERS OF DIVINITY DEGREE
BY
TODD HINE
13NOVEMBER2011
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 2
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 2
MISSIONS SURVEY7
STRATEGY 13
CONCLUSION 17
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INTRODUCTION
This paper will provide background information on the Karen refugee situation as those
from this people grouping attempt to escape the current militant and economical environment
occurring against this group by the Burmese military-aligned government. Caught between the
geographical boundaries of Thailand and Burma, the Karen are left with no place to call home
and no potential for an escape. As a displaced people group the readiness for the gospel to be
received is high and efforts although underway seem to fall short. This allows for the continued
additional Christian missionary work in the area in an effort to aid the Karen refugees.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The history of the Karen people dates back several decades. In a struggle to determine
control of the geographical region known as Burma, the long-standing conflict and tension
between the Burmese and Karen people can be traced back to the late 1880’s with the early
formation of the Karen National Associations which was eventually recognized by the British
colonial administration in 1938.1 While the years of struggle were tenuous, it was not until World
War II when the region fell under Japanese control did the conflict escalate to actual military
fighting. Burma, through its Burma Independence Army (BIA) aligning with the Japanese
military forces destroyed many Karen villages where routine massacre occurred.2
Following the defeat of the Japanese in 1945, Burma was eventually granted
independence in 1948. The Karen, in an effort to maintain a degree of independence itself,
formed such internal organizations such as the Karen National Union (KNU), Karen Central
Organisation (KCO), and the Karen Youth Organisation (KCO) and received no outside help. In
1 Wikipedia. Karen People. Online encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_people.2 Wikipedia. Karen People. Online encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_people.
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the initial stages of the country’s formation Karen held high ranking positions within the military
but as the strength of the Burmese increased the Karen influenced faltered. The Burmese
government, gaining independence from Britain in 1947, gave way to the rise of a political
military force not officially recognized as such by the Burmese Government known as
Sitwundan.3 The militias outside regular Army control in January 1949 embarked on a rampage
throughout many Karen locations. The Burmese, instead of correcting the wrong, took the
opportunity to remove all Karen leadership from any military positions, replacing them with
Burmese leadership. Then, according to Judith A. White, “In 1962 the General Ne Win
suspended the country’s constitution, closed off the country to the outside world, and promoted
The Burmese Way to Socialism which led to decades of political, environmental, and economic
decline.”4
The Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO) formed in 1947 fought back and
nearly captured the Burmese controlled Yangon in late May 1949.5 The battle over the city lasted
112 days but was eventually thwarted by the Burmese Army. As a result and over the years
following this vain attempt at independence the Karen Army numbers declined steadily. At one
point during the 1980’s the now known Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) had been
steady at 20,000 soldiers. By 2006 that number had been taken down to less than 4,000 while the
Burmese Army continued to thrive with numbers exceeding 400,000. The Karen had become the
largest of the nearly 20 minority groups now under the oppression of the Burmese Army and
political structure.
3 Wikipedia. Karen People. Online encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_people.4 White, Judith A. “Globalisation, Divestment and Human Rights in Burma” pg48.5 Wikipedia. Karen People. Online encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_people.
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Forced to flee their homes the Karen people, natural citizens to the country of Burma,
along with the many other various minority groups from the region, took refuge in the hills along
the border of Thailand and Burma. The map on page 5 gives an indication of several villages
populated by Karen refugees. Current estimates of Karen refugees located within these areas
total well over 150,000.6 Still the conflict continues as Burmese soldiers capture thousands of
indigenous Burmese people, not just the Karen, and force them into their service. This after the
village is ravaged and those who resist are beaten, tortured, raped and killed.
Not only are these native Karens forced to work for the Burmese Army at zero pay and
under slave conditions, the children themselves are placed within the Burmese Army as well. An
estimated 70,000 children have been “conscripted for unpaid combat, surveillance, and portage
for the army.”7 These human rights abuses continue as the Karen, left with no place to turn, face
opposition on both sides. The Thailand sex industry see the Karen refugees as a profit earning
source and have an estimated 100,000 refugees working in the Thailand sex industry.8
Their numbers dwindled to nothing of significant force and with no recognition as part of
the Burmese society, the Karen continue to struggle for simple freedom to exist, yet constantly
find themselves caught between the two countries of Burma and Thailand. As a result the Karen
relocate from one place to another, always on the ready for the next military incursion from one
military entity or the other. Their struggle to survive takes them from one remote village location
to another, crossing the border time and again.
6 Horstmann, Alexander. “Ethical Dilemmas and Identifications of Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations in the Karen Refugee Crisis.” Pg513.7 White, Judith A. “Globalisation, Divestment, and Human Rights in Burma.” Pg 50.8 White, Judith A. “Globalisation, Divestment, and Human Rights in Burma.” Pg51.
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5
As mentioned earlier the Karen represent a multitude of ethnic minorities in the region.
This people grouping of Burma’s refugees and has been divided into two sub-cultures of Karen:
Red Karen and White Karen with various delineations within each as well. They make up
approximately 7% of the Burmese population which totals nearly 50 million people. The Karen
are primarily a Sino-Tibetan language speaking people group. Originally the Karen as a people
group could be described as being animists. An animist simply applies life meaning to even non-
human objects. Currently the tide of beliefs within the Karen stem from Buddism that flowed
from the southern portion of Burma in the early 18th century. Missionary work from protestant
organizations are making headway into the region, however, which will be discussed later in this
paper.
Economically the country of Burma itself has been the recipient of many multinational
corporation investments stemming from the United Kingdom, United States, France, Japan,
Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and elsewhere. Although ventures by these organizations are
lucrative to Burma, they must also be held responsible for aligning themselves with not only the
Burma government itself, but since the government is militarily driven, they align themselves
with the military as well. As of 2004, Burma’s per capita income was $300.9 The question
remains: Where are the investment funds going?
What could be seen as a profitable country with natural resources such minerals, natural
gas and oil, and fishing and forestry industries available the obstacle in the way of economic
prevail remains the state involvement in economic reforms and the overabundance of spending
on military. The result is a militant state that focuses on illicit and corrupt activities instead.
9 White, Judith A. “Globalisation, Divestment, and Human Rights in Burma.” Pg 49.
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Then end result of such militant control is widespread poverty and the decline of socio-
economic advances. The education level remains at all time low world-wide, and even further
child labor laws are virtually non-existent. In addition the health and safety standards of any
industry remain low and not enforced. These conditions reflect the already poor conditions
socially as Burma, with at least a half-million HIV positive people, remains second to last in
healthcare quality by the World Health Organization.10
The Karen people, displaced from their homeland due to civil conflict and war, barely
hang on to life. Their struggle remains constant for them with little or no intervention on their
behalf. The Burmese government, stifled in its militant stance, hold the strength of the nation and
seek to only use the Karen they suite the Burma purposes. Their history continues to unfold
before a blind world whose only advocates are those willing agencies that see life as more
valuable than a dollar sign.
MISSIONS SURVEY
Intervention presents a difficult scenario for world leaders. Over the last few decades the
United States has received sharp criticism for its intervention in several areas throughout the
world’s isolated locations where warring factions stand-off against each other in tribal battles
over land or control. Such conflicts have been in existence since the beginning of time, and yet
major power entities such as the U.S. and other similar nations are faced with the difficult task of
deciding when intervention between the two becomes necessary. Further, should this decision to
intervene be made, the level of entrance into the conflict increases the challenge matrix
significantly.
10 White, Judith A. “Globalisation, Divestment, and Human Rights in Burma.” Pg50.
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The global ramifications of any particular nation attempting to provide aid has fallen
under world-level scrutiny, by which according to McCormick, the human rights issue has
become central to international relations and law.11 Unfortunately when the international
community fails to do its part, the responsibility to take action defaults to those organizations
that are willing to provide medical care, supplies, and other support. As a result, organizations
attempting to provide aid of any kind to regions such as Burma facing internal conflict of such
magnitude fall under international legal structures. The obstacles they must overcome are the
questions posed them by international communities in an attempt to ascertain the effect of
stability within the region of the organization’s operations.
These obstacles end up reducing the impact that could have been achieved in aiding the
displaced Karen people. The consequence, then, can be seen in only small teams formed in
making miniscule attempts at providing such needed aid while the internal conflict continues to
boil. And the 560,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within Burma itself in comparison to
many other areas receiving aid sees very little support from the international community.12
Burma reportedly maintains one of if not the highest number of claims for asylum yet to the
same degree has largely been ignored by the international community.13
Yet another hindering policy of international law is the defining words used by the legal
system. Refugees receive a vast amount of aid since their definition allows this aid to occur. By
law, a refugee is one who fled across a border while an IDP is not. The IDP sees little aid.
11 McCormick, Alison. “From Sovereignty to Responsibility: An Emerging International Norm and Its Call to Action in Burma.” Pg 573.12 Mahn, M. et al. “Multi-level Partnerships to Promote Health Services Among Internally Displaced in Burma” pg 166.13 Ibid., pg 166.
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Notwithstanding the international dealings, many humanitarian aid organizations have
faced off against the cause of the need: The Burmese Military Government. As an example of
one humanitarian aid effort gone wrong, the Global Fund, a public-private international
financing institution, attempted to provide financial assistance of $98-million over a five-year
period. This organization not found to be short of any strength or political pull faced such strict
opposition from the Burmese Government that within a year they completely withdrew from
their efforts. They were followed shortly thereafter by the International Committee of the Red
Cross.14
Serving as an example of the vain attempts by large-scale organizations to provide relief
to the IDPs the absence of any comparable organization can be plainly observed. The
consequence of little or no support of such magnitude financially results in the efforts for aid
being led by the indigenous organizations. Their efforts have not gone unrewarded as they have
not only managed to develop a working model by which aid reaches the IDPs but they have been
able to establish connection with smaller organizations that can maneuver in and around the
Burmese military.
Operating mainly outside the borders of Burma the partnership of these organizations
both indigenous and international have made it their mission to combine their strengths of their
respective expertise, availability of resources, and their administrative capabilities to effectively
move into the region known as Burma’s black zones.15 This allows the villages to be reached,
even though the efforts are not large scale in scope.
14 Ibid., pg 166.15 Ibid., pg 168.
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One recognized provider is the Backpack Health Worker Team (BPHWT). While not
missionary in nature, its efforts are to provide forms of health services to the IDPs living in
villages within the black zone. In additional they provide education that enables the Karen IDPs
the small ability to care for themselves during the absence of the team’s workers. Combining the
forces of local village leaders, local Burmese service providers(not Burmese Military Leaders),
management teams based in Thailand, and regional and international partners, the BPHWT
works through the volunteer efforts of teachers, traditional healers, midwives, women’s groups,
youth groups, and village health committees.16
Although their size in comparison to the Global Fund is relatively small in size, scale,
and budget, the effectiveness of this coalition can be seen within the details of their respective
operating regions. They have managed to identify the multitude of sub-cultures within the Karen
people, locate their nomadic tribal areas and find their villages. The map included on page 11
details the efforts of this group where the various colored regions represent a specific sub-culture
gruping of people and the small ‘x’ that can seen spotting the map in a multitude of locations
represent the location of the group’s target efforts. These locations are where the group can say
exists a village of IDPs that require aid. 17
As a medically-focused relief effort, the organization regularly treats even the most
common health issues. The majority of cases have been reported consisting of Acute Respiratory
Infection, Malaria, and Dysentery. Although the organization provides this relief, it relies heavily
upon the villagers themwelves as the members must remain ahead of the Burmese threat.
16 Ibid., pg 169.17 Ibid., pg 172.
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Constantly on the move, the back-packers remain vigilant against the possibility of the village
being overrun by the Burmese army who continues to ravage the villages to fill the ranks of
laborers and soldiers. If caught in the village the team could potentially face dire or even deathly
circumstances.
While the need for physical aid remains a constant presence in the lives of the Karen the
secular institutions can only meet those specific types of needs. The temporal requirements of
food, medicine, and self-sustaining education being met the vacant hole left unfulfilled remains
in the spiritual realm. The entire region held to a buddist faith for generations has left its people
wanting in the wake of such tyranny. The presence of small, evangelical, contemporary aid
organizations joining in the efforts provide if but little difference in the meeting of the spiritual
need of these struggling people.
One such organization that drove this study is the Partner’s Relief and Development
ministry. With a mission focus of ministering holistically to the children and communities
displaced and vulnerable due to the war-torn region, Partner’s makes every attempt to reach
these displaced people groups focusing on the next generation of Karen. Based out of Australia,
New Zealand, Norway, United States, and the United Kingdom, Partner’s Relief in an attempt at
visioning free, full lives for the children of Burma, model their organizational goals by
committing to following the leadership and Lordship of Jesus Christ.18
Goals are reached through an assortment of methods including emergency relief through
the supply of food, clothing, water, medicine, shelter, and survival supplies as well, as
sustainment development that enables the IDPs to care for themselves with reduced outside
18 Partner’s Relief and Development. http://www.partnersworld.org. (Accessed November 13, 2011).
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assistance. Additionally, Partner’s provides educational and advocacy care for the war-torn
children. Financially, all accountability for the Partner’s Relief organization goes to the level of
public access to the financial expenditures through their public domain where anyone can access
their financial statements.19
STRATEGY
The defining object of this paper comes from the point of establishing a stragey for an
unreached people group. Listed previously within this paper is the existence of organizations that
have or are currently operating within the region. The probability of a misnomer occurring stands
reltively high given the amount of Karen people already in contact with outside resources and
evangelistic efforts such as those by Partner’s Relief and Development. This does not mean that
the people are unreached, though.
By definition according to Perspectives an unreached people group is defined as “a
people group within which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians able to
evangelize this people group.”20 If this definition be applied to the Karen people it could easily
be seen as a people group that not only cannot provide for themselves in a simple survival mode
but lack the ability to evangelize themselves as well. The principle point being that the people
group can do so with little to no outside assistance. Add to this concept is the accounting for
people groups maintaining a significantly large population of people with an affinity for each
other and the differences between “reached” and “unreached” becomes clear.
A key component to conducting any kind of missionary visitation such as would be
required for the Karen people would be the logistics behind such a movement. Logistics takes
19 Ibid., http://www.partnersworld.org. (Accessed November 13, 2011).20 Winter, Ralph D. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader Pg 514.
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into consideration all aspects of this trip to include the financial requirements of travel, the
individual requirements each member of the team would need to secure for the travel and the
duration of the stay as well as securing the minor amounts of supplies carried over during the
traveling process.
In addition, the traveling process itself would require significant planning. Movement
from within the host nation itself can be challenging enough but to then add the international
travel requiring VISAs and passport approval and the team could face months of preparation
time prior to departure. The individual team members themselves, considering the nature of the
environment and challenging terrain, presents an additional logistical issue. Team members
would need to be of sufficient health and physiological conditioning to warrant the ability to
make the journey without becoming a liability to the team during the trip. This would take into
consideration the multitude of immunization the team members would need as well. The list of
requirements continues to grow exponentially.
The benefit to the team in the realm of logistics comes from the fact that organizations
within the region have already paved the way for the additional outsides assistance. Sources of
medical supplies, transportation assets in the country, and even routes of travel have previously
been identified and utilized by the agencies in place. Language barrier as well would not pose as
much a difficulty due to the length of time of current ministries on scene and the presence of
interpreters hired. What’s left then is the approach taken by the team in an attempt to reach the
Karen people with the gospel.
The team assembled would exist as a short-term mission team. Two key facts drive the
construction of the team in this manner: The first is the fact that already present on the ground
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remains a long-term, well-functioning, and well-connected ministry that are making progress in
the Karen IDP camps and villages. The second fact can be seen in the conditions of the political
environment found in Burma that works against principles of Holistic Christian Transformational
Development.21
One of the priority points of these principles of holistic development entails the need to
ensure the value of each person is recognized and respected appropriately.22 The Burmese Army,
being what it is and in full control of the country with due force, does not recognize the Karen
people as having value outside the lowest of labor workers or entry-level soldiers. As shown the
attempt to influence the Burmese Army in acknowledging the Karen has failed by international-
level standards. It would be an unreasonably high expectation for a small in number and financial
backing organization to believe they could do otherwise.
With such facts in mind, the team would have as its measurable achievements for its
short-term mission attempt a few isolated principles of Holistic Christian Transformational
Development. The first would be to understand and respect the local culture. Making any effort
to make changes to the culture itself through making it a reflection of “American” ideals would
prove to be counterproductive to the Karen. Second, the team must believe in the capacity of the
individual of the person to contribute to and determine their future.23 True, under such a military
regime the potential for individual achievement becomes limited. Yet through understanding
their culture then applying this concept to their culture, this principle can be applied through
efforts to ensure each member of the village CAN contribute to the whole.
21 Voorhies, Samuel. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader Pg 590.22 Ibid., Pg 590.23 Ibid., Pg 590.
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Finally, with Christ as the underlying motivational factor behind the team’s mission the
paramount principle that the team must have as an achievable goal can be found in the gospel
itself. Each member of the team will approach the development in a way that the message of
Christ is shared in both word and deed.24 They key of this principle is the word deed. Without the
actions of the team meeting the physical, financial, medical, or any kinds of other tangible need
being met, the word portion of the principle remains null and void. Yet without the word as well
the physical efforts remain secular at best. The two work in conjunction with each other.
CONCLUSION
Burma is a nation well-versed in the nature of warfare and through its militarily-formed
government the nature of the country continues under such conditions. The result has been the
devastation of an entire culture of people who have now become either refuges or Internally
Displaced People groups. The Karen enjoy a deep history rich with various sub-cultures, yet are
without a country to call home nor appropriate international recognition as well. They have been
left wandering the hills on the border of Burma and Thailand seeking only a peaceful existence.
Many international level organizations have made attempts at aiding the Karen yet have
been blocked by the strong Burmese Army. This has left the aid effort up to the small
organizations making needle-like efforts into individuals Karen camps and villages. Evangelicals
continue to push toward the front not only rendering much needed physical aid but spiritual as
well. Mission teams formed would be best utilized in this capacity to spread the gospel here.
24 Ibid., Pg 590.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Elwell, Walter. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2d ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2001.
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