The guerilla of the Green Land
Transcript
10.00.25.14
Narrator: In the heart of the impenetrable Burmese jungle, on a strip of land squeezed between Thailand and the sea, the Karen people have been fighting the longest war of liberation in modern history – a war that’s lasted for sixty years. The Karen are one of the main ethnic groups of Burma. Since 1949 they have been at war with the country’s military regime, fighting against its oppression and violence, in a struggle for freedom and self-government.
10.00.56.10
Soldier 1: We are oppressed in our village, The Burmese government oppresses us.
that’s why we fight them.We want freedom and self-determination.
We revolt for the suffering we pass through.
10.01.16.10
Soldier 2: We are fighting for our people and country.We suffered too much in the villages,
so we fled into the jungle.
10.01.33.16
Narrator: The KNU is the Karen National Union, the political movement that represents several million Karen and that controls the guerilla movement. The new head of the KNU is a woman. 40 years of age, gentle and courageous, she’s a former school-teacher by the name of Zipporah Sein.
10.01.53.09
Zipporah Sein: We have been suffered for the oppression of the Burma military regime and we are fighting for our freedom and self-determination.
We do not have enjoy our rights, we are continually oppressed by the Burma military regime, so this is why we started our struggle
10.02.17.18
Soldier 3: The Karen have experienced many forms…of oppression under the government…
which is corrupt and makes our life hell. Since taking power they dominate everyone.
That’s what happened.
10.02.49.00
Zipporah Sein: We need to do both armed struggle as well as non-violence because
the armed struggle is only for our self defence.
10.03.03.10
Zipporah Sein:
When they come to the villages they burnt on the villagers and they burnt on
their house, they destroy their food, the destroy their things, and they kill the people
10.23.21.01
Narrator : Burma’s military regime has kept Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Aung San Suu Kyi under arrest for the past 12 years. The regime is also accused of war crimes and of crimes against humanity.
10.03.33.00
Zipporah Sein: Karen People are very peacefull people, they like peacefull life and they do not want ...conflicts and they do not want ... they are loyal to each others and also the are hospitable and they are strong in community...
10.03.56.15
Narrator: The Karen living in the Kaw-Lah (“the green land”) have created a parallel state with its own health infrastructure. In order to treat insidious jungle illnesses, they’ve organized so-called back-packs – nurses who move continuosly from one isolated village to the next. They’ve set up mobile clinics, tiny healthcare centres managed by medics and specialised nurses. The lives of hundreds of Karen are saved in these clinics every day. When villages come under attack by government troops, the medics, assisted by the people of the village, move their meagre equipment and medicine to safe areas.
10.04.34.24
Medic: Does she sleeps well ?
10.04.37.03
Karen woman: look at her yawing
10.04.43.07
Zipporah Sein: As a child...I do not have a lot of ... like enjoy my life, as a child, because we always have to move from one place to another place, and we even do not have appropriate land, appropriate house, for us to enjoy our life even when we where a child until now.
10.05.40.01
Soldier 4: We must still be alert though?
10.05.43.00
Soldier 5:Yes, we must be ready at every moment.
10.05.47.01
Soldier 6: Yes.
10.05.52.09
Zipporah Sein: We have already formed our alliance...we called Ethnic National Front for Democracy and this is the ethnic organization where we have the army struggle and the same goal of fighting against military regime.
10.06.20.24
Narrator: In a secret place in the jungle, the Karen have set up a school for guerilla officials. This is the main training structure for the National liberation army.
10.06.37.17
Narrator: In this school there are many young people who are part of the vast Burmese liberation front. The Karen aren’t the only ones fighting against the military regime. Many other members of the 300 ethnic groups in the country have also organized themselves into resistance armies.
10.06.55.16
Narrator: The Karen guerillas have very few weapons and their equipment is modest . These youngsters content themselves with eating a single bowl of rice flavoured with a few jungle roots – and yet they are extremely determined and proud to be among those chosen to be trained to defend their people.
10.07.16.00
Soldier 6:
Karen National Liberation Army’s 4th Officer Training
Number of students: 40
Entering the hall: 40
Already prepare to study.
Sit down.
Take off your cap.
10.07.39.20
Official : If we take active defence… it must be offensive defence.
If we really want to defeat the enemy, we must be in an active defence position.
So the enemy won’t know our strength.They don’t know us well…
so they can’t defeat us.
10.08.09.18
Zipporah Sein:
We work for peace and we want to see that Burma has to be changed and the policy of military regime has to be change into democracy. So this is ...we know...we need international community to work, to cooperate, with our struggle and to support and recognize our struggle.
10.08.54.10
Narrator : It was in this dense and dangerous jungle, during the 2nd World War, that the Japanese army learnt – to its cost - just how resourceful and courageous the Karen people are.
For the past 60 years the Karen have been fighting and hoping… Fighting for their freedom – and hoping that, sooner or later, western democracies will remember them… and come to their aid.