Brief Background Factors of the KSWDC Inception

Burma attained independence from the colonial British in 1948. Since then, it was under consecutive rule of the authoritarian governments of the AFPFL, BSPP, SLORC and SPDC today. The situation on all fronts had turned for the worst during the rule of the authoritative BSPP until today’s brutal SPDC regime.

The indigenous ethnics had made a call to reclaim their long-lost self-determination and administrative status at the advent of the independence. But since the AFPFL government made no concession to their claim, they each took up arms against the central governments till today, which had covered well over (55) years. This is the summary factor of indigenous multi-ethnics armed resurrection in Burma.

Due to the civil conflicts, the military authoritarian troops ruthlessly executed extensive suppressions on innocent ethnic civilians, such as extortions, forced labor, arbitrary detentions, persecutions, rapes, summary executions etc. These human rights violations are common practice and widespread throughout the country and especially in the ethnics areas where defenseless local residents have to suffer vicious experiences to the extreme.

Moreover, the authoritarian military, with vested interest to perpetuate their power and personal interest, had constructed industrial and development projects ostensibly for the border area development, and also by deploying infantry battalions in the rural areas; local residents were forced to move from their villages to the prescribed relocation sites.

Consequently, thousands of civilians were forced to abandon their villages and farms as the result of the authoritarian regime’s human rights violations and forced relocation programs. These IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) are currently subjected to various difficulties and miseries. They are deprived of life’s basic needs such as food and shelter, healthcare, education, and security; subsequently their future life condition is most precarious.

In 1996, the SPDC forcefully displaced over (150) Karenni villages to the relocation sites. As the result, thousands of villagers were driven to excruciating distress, hundreds of them died in the process. The main problems they faced were that of depression, death from starvation, death from illness without medicine and proper treatments. These conspicuous practical events in the Karenni region and on ground of specific current circumstances, the inception of the KSWDC took place in June 1996 to alleviate the miseries and sufferings of the Karenni people and to orientate them to more positive future.