Burma Link | June 27, 2017

Saw Bless grew up a multi-ethnic village in Taungoo, Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 2. Things started changing for  young Saw Bless after he started going to school ran by the Karen Education Department (KED), education department of the KNU, and had a chance to learn about the history, culture and the conflict in Burma. These topics inspired him, so at the age of 16, Saw Bless followed his passion and joined the revolution. In 2007, he became a member of the KYO Congress.  Saw Bless later became the KYO secretary and is now in KYO’s Alliance Affairs division.  He works hard to help achieve equality and peace in Burma, while promoting youth education. Saw Bless is also a CEC (Central Executive Committee) member of the recently established National Ethnic Youth Alliance (NEYA), which advocates for youth inclusion in the peace process.

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The following interview was conducted as part of the joint documentary “Unrecognised Leaders, Tomorrow’s Hope: Raising the Voices of Forgotten Youth” by Burma Link, Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) and Karen Youth Organisation (KYO), which was launched in a press conference in Rangoon on February 22, 2017, (Burmese version) and initially screened in Mae Sot on April 6 (English version). The 52-minute documentary amplifies the voices of displaced ethnic youth who live on the Thailand-Burma border, highlighting their calls for inclusion in political processes and recognition of refugee education certificates.

Burma Link started planning this documentary film project in August 2016, consulting numerous refugee-led organisations and other organisations working on refugee issues and producing advocacy films to set the direction for the project. Based on our positive experiences working with refugee youth along the Thailand-Burma border for years, we decided to focus on creating a film that would amplify the voices of the youth, share their stories, and enhance national and international awareness and support for the realisations of social and political aspirations of the youth. The project was planned and conducted in close collaboration with two local youth organisations: the Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) and the Karen Youth Organisation (KYO).  We also partnered with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Right to Play who support the distribution and advocacy of the film. The central role of education in the film grew organically during the filming and interviewing process, as did the youth’s strong pleas for national and international actors to recognise and support their education.

Burma Link’s team members involved in planning the project all have years of first-hand experience from the Thai refugee camps and working with young refugees. Over the years spent along the border area and in the refugee camps, we have developed a thorough understanding of the security context and how it has changed over time. This context has been given serious consideration ever since the beginning of the planning process, and appreciating its complexity and state of constant flux, we started the planning process by arranging meetings with central actors including various local organisations. Considerable time was spent in considering the security aspects about this project before the filming started. Everyone taking part was clearly explained about the project and that it will be spread to local, national and international audiences as widely as possible. Everyone taking part has been given the option to be anonymous and unidentified.

For more information and screenings, please visit the film’s website and follow the Facebook page.

This interview is the tenth one in a series that we have been publishing during the past weeks. This interview series is meant to give more in depth understanding into the situation of young ethnic refugees from Burma as well as refugee advocacy and Burma’s political situation. The text has been edited and some parts have been omitted for flow and clarity.

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Background: ‘He took out his gun and shot me but the gun did not fire’

My name is Saw Bless AZ. I am 31 years old. My original place was Taungoo District Brigade 2. I think we have around 50 villages. We have multiple ethnicities, like Burmese, Karen and Pa’O.  Most of the 11 Karen tribes live there. Both the Burma Government and the KNU Government control our area. For the area that is controlled by the government, there are government offices and military camps.

When I was child my dream was to be singer and I planned to attend a bible school and sing gospel songs. When I was child I had a big argument with a Burmese general who had finished training in Russia and had come back to Burma. The general was looking for a battery when I arrived there on a motorbike. He was also drunk. I entered the shop and he asked, ‘who are you? Where are you from?’ I told him that ‘I am a student and I came to buy something here.’ He took out his gun and shot me but the gun did not fire. He slaps my face and I was cry and drop out my tear. He pointed with his gun and shoot to me but the gun did not explode. I am a child so I was afraid so much.

I have 5 brothers and sisters. My parents are not educated persons, but they gave education to their five children. Among the five children 3 children passed grade 10. My sister is doing a government job.  Currently my younger brother is studying at university. I joined the revolution.

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Education and joining the KYO: ‘I had already decided that I would take whatever responsibility I would get’

When I was living in Burma, I didn’t know about the

[Karen] revolution or history. In reality, we [Karen youth] don’t know about the revolution, we don’t have interest in it and we don’t study it. Mostly, we attended government school and we only learned from history of government. joined the revolution, so I know the history of Karen, the revolution, why we hold the guns. It is becoming automatic and motivates me. I enjoy doing it.

After I finished high school, I joined the revolution, but I was not fully aged so one teacher put me back to school in a refugee camp.  At the refugee camp school, we had many subjects, and the school took one year and 8 months. After refugee school finished, I joined 4th New Generation School which was opened by the KNU central. We didn’t have some books inside Burma, so when I arrived to border area I had a chance to study more. It was a benefit for me.

After I finished school, I went back to my place in Taungoo. They had the KYO congress when I went back and at the time, my teacher asked me to join the congress. I had already decided that I would take whatever responsibility I would get. Then they asked to me join the election of the KYO congress as a candidate, and I become the secretary of the KYO. I was there for two years.

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KYO: ‘We really need the Karen youth to take responsibility and stand hand in hand for our people’

I am now working at the KYO headquarters. My responsibility is alliance affairs. In the executive structure, we have 11 executive council people at the central level. At the district level we have 9 people, 7 people in township level, and 5 people at the village level.

Our Karen Youth Organisation (KYO) carries out a lot of activities. The main thing we do is promote Karen youth skills and give vocational trainings. Why we are focusing on the youth is because they should be active, I think. Because the youth are not only valuable resources for the country, but they are also necessary to reframe the country’s future. For the decision-making processes, we focus on the youth’s voices, their desires, and implement them. The reason we provide them with trainings is for Karen youth who live in Burma to get to know about our Karen history.  The youth who live in the border areas have been constantly oppressed for over 60 years. While this happened, our Karen youth did not know about it. As they don’t know, our KYO share this knowledge and provide trainings for them. How should I say… Most of our Karen youth who live in Burma, in foreign countries, or in border areas, they don’t know about the Karen history. Since they don’t know, they aren’t very active in national affairs. Since they aren’t active we should question ourselves, as we really need the Karen youth to take responsibility and stand hand in hand for our people, because it is necessary to do so.

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Karen history: ‘The revolution happened because there are no equal rights’

When we look back at the situation of Burma’s military government it was closed during every period. Before, the former government arrested people who were doing politics. People were not allowed to have any political books. When they close everything, they youth didn’t have a chance to study and read books.  In 2012, it became a little bit more open. Whenever the government takes control they are doing the same thing; the youth do not have a chance to study or read, and they will not be able to get knowledge about politics. Now they made some changes in the government and we have a chance.

I don’t really like the war. I have had a mind for my people since I was a child. I love Karen people. Our Karen people don’t want civil war. Karen people in all of Burma speak out about this, but the military government hasn’t given us our self-determination.  The military government oppressed the Karen people under the military control for over 60 years. We were forced and we started a revolution.

We want to change a bad system to become a good system. No one wants to hold the guns, everybody wants to live happily and peacefully, but there are not equal rights, so we have to keep trying. The revolution happened because there are no equal rights.

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For more information and screenings, please visit the film’s website and follow the Facebook page.

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