Fifty-seven years after Burma gained independence from the British, an ethnic rebel group continues to struggle for political independence, even as other ethnic groups had long given up the fight. The Karen National Union (KNU), one of Burma's oldest ethnic rebel groups, celebrated last week its anniversary and vowed to carry on despite being ignored by the international community and the world’s media.

''Surrender is out of the question for us,'' KNU General Secretary Mahn Sha Lah Phan said as the insurgents marked 57 years of battle to gain political freedom for the Karen ethnic community.

KNU leaders said Rangoon's military regime has offered little alternative. At the same time, they are not ruling out a political dialogue with the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). ''We are ready for a meaningful political dialogue with the SPDC but they are not interested now.''

The KNU is seeking political autonomy for the Karens, estimated to be seven million people within Burma’s 50.5 million-strong population. “We want national equality for the Karens and the right to self-determination,'' said Phan. ''That can happen within a federation of states in Burma. We are not for separation or trying to divide the country.''  
 
The KNU's position stands in stark contrast to that of 17 other ethnic rebel groups that signed ceasefire agreements with Rangoon since the mid-1990s. Rebel groups from Burma's Shan and Karenni communities are among those still holding out.  Burma has over 130 ethnic communities, with the largest being the Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Rakhine and Shan who live mainly along the country's borders.  
 
Among the seven demands made by the ethnic groups during the February-March 2005 session of the National Convention, tasked to draft a new constitution, was for Burma to have a federal and state-level political structure, with separate constitutions, legislative bodies and separate referenda to gain the people's approval. But a convention committee appointed by the SPDC has already rejected these proposals. The promises of the Panglong Accord, made at the eve of Burma’s independence from the British in 1948 and ensuring equality among all, are yet to be implemented.

Source: Macan-Markar, Marwaan. February 2, 2006. “Burma: Karens Isolated but Fight for Autonomy Stays.” Downloaded from Inter Press Service News Agency. <http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32010>.