It was in the news report on the local and foreign journalists’ tour of the areas where local nationalities were suffering from robberies, arsons and land mines of the KNU and the article “Regional development as witnessed by an expedition” presented in two parts in the dailies that I have read about peace, security and the rule of law in Southern Command area in Bago Division, and the victims who had to flee their homes to escape KNU atrocities resulting from power struggles within the insurgents.

In its noticeable conclusion reads the article “Journalists will have to join hands with the government, the Tatmadaw and the people to end KNU’s destructive misdeeds in order to achieve “Peace, prosperity and progress” the people desire.”

After a conversation about the article and the news report, we, Soe Mya Kyaw and Saw Mya Aung, are paying greater attention to local and foreign news. Since then we have been trying to find and read books and documentaries on the KNU, and Kayin State and its people.

At Thabyenyunt Village during the expedition on 13 May 2006, the Minister for Information said, “All the incidents are the results of the well-planned underground plots of the KNU terrorist insurgents and their foreign masters, and the aboveground schemes from inside and outside the country to attack Myanmar. The KNU began sending bombers to the nation’s inner regions, attempting to use the government’s peace endeavours or security measures as a steppingstone. If the KNU continue to blast railroads and motor roads and plant mines in cities again and again, the Tatmadaw has no other way but to take security measures for regional stability. And hen the Tatmadaw takes actions against the KNU, the perpetrators in accord with their pre-orchestrated plots will start to cry “The Tatmadaw’s attacks have relocated villages and driven out villagers as refugees” with the intention of misleading the world into having a wrong view on Myanmar. Then they will try to highlight the so-called refugee problem, which in reality is their own baby, saying that the problem jeopardizes regional security. Their ultimate aim is to submit the matter concerning the Myanmar affairs to the UN if their well-planned conspiracy succeeds in puzzling the international community.”

Full text of the minister’s clarification and the KNU atrocities the local nationalities have revealed were globally disseminated through the media and the Internet. Journalists of Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club sent news on the matter to their mother agencies abroad. Duty conscious journalists of the local periodicals also featured the news report in their journals and magazines.

However the truth has been aired and published internationally, aboteurs from inside and outside the nation and some media under the influence of alien masters in accord with their lopsided policy towards Myanmar are still insisting their accusation on Myanmar to be true despite knowing that it is wrong. Instead of slamming the KNU they remain silent, although the KNU’s blowing up of powerful mines to massacre people has been revealed with concrete evidences. The same quarters that are silent on the KNU atrocities are orchestrating groundless and illogical slanders, saying that the Tatmadaw is forcefully relocating the local nationalities and oppressing them.

Even though those quarters too heard and saw like us the voices of the victims of KNU arson and mines saying whether they would have to face the KNU atrocities till posterity, they are still trying to ignore the villagers’ sufferings. We are astonished to witness that their stance is against the truth and their news stories are lopsided ones, saying, “Stop the offensive against the KNU! Please don’t force Kayins to flee their homes as refugees.”

What the alien masters and their minions and destructive cohorts like to say is, “Death and destruction caused by KNU bombs are not a serious case.”

“Let the KNU do as it wishes, and the Tatmadaw should do nothing but stay as a bystander.” But this attitude is like breaching the most important human rights — security of public lives and property.

As for me, I was asking myself, “What is the KNU? Where is it heading? Why are the foreign masters so much in favour of the KNU? I was trying to find the answers.

Our motherland is the Union of Myanmar. At present the country is made up of seven states and seven divisions where more than 100 national races live. The divisions are named in terms of respective regions and the states are named representing some of national races. Although Kachin State is so named, it is not inhabited by only Kachin nationals. And so is Kayin State. There is no state or division where only a single national race lives. Since yore, all nationalities have been living in amity in all the states and divisions. All national races have been residing unitedly and peacefully in all towns and villages which are like mini-unions in the whole Union. With better transport facilities built by the State, relationships between the national races have been further cemented.

After regaining its independence, Myanmar formed a region as Kayin State, where most Kayin nationals lived. According to Constitutional Amendment Act-62 in 1951, the then President signed it on 7-11-1951 with the approval of the parliament that Thanlwin District (Papun) should be designated as Kayin State. As the second phase to expand the delineation of Kayin State, Hpa-an and Hlaingbwe Townships in Thaton District to Thandaung Township in Taungoo District were made parts of the Kayin State on 1-6-1954. As the third phase, Kawkareik and Kya-in-Seikkyi Townships in Kyaikkhami District were extended as parts of the state on 1-7-1955.

Moreover, Myawady that included in Kawkareik Township was set up as a township on 1 March, 1960. Accordingly, Kayin State included in the 14 states and divisions is made up of seven townships namely Hpa-an, Hlaingbwe, Papun, Thandaung, Kawkareik, Kya-in-Seikkyi and Myawady.

Kayin State has an area of 11,730.85 square miles with a population of about 1.7 million of various national races such as Kayin, Kayah, Pa-O, Mon, Bamar, Rakhine and Shan. According to the census collected in 2004, the Kayin national population of Kayin State stood at more than 830,000. So, it indicated that in Kayin State, half the population were made up of Kayin nationals and another half other national races.

Of the population of over 54 million of Myanmar, the number of Kayin nationals stands nearly 3.5 million. The Kayin nationals live in all the 14 states and divisions together with people of other national races. And the majority of the population of more than 3.5 million live in Ayeyawady Division. The population of Ayeyawady Division is about 7.5 million, about 1.5 million of which are Kayin nationals.

In the past, KNU insurgents lorded it over the national people in Ayeyawady Division. Later local people including Kayin nationals could no longer tolerate KNU’s wrongful ‘Look West’ policy and terrorist acts, and joined hands with the Tatmadaw in eliminating KNU insurgents. As a result, Ayeyawady Division has been changed into a white area or insurgent free area with stability, peace and development. Similarly, local people inclusive of Kayin nationals living in other states and divisions have enjoyed fruitfulresults of unprecedented stability, peace and progress due to the fact that 17 major national race armed groups and other small armed groups returned to the legal fold and made peace with the government.

Indeed, the armed struggle line and wrong policies of KNU insurgents are disrupting the interests of the entire national people including Kayin nationals and the entire Union including Kayin State. In consequence, more than 5,000 members broke away from KNU and formed DKBA, and rose against KNU. Likewise, thousands of members of the group led by Phado Aung San and the group led by U Saw Tha Mu He, the group led by U Saw Phe Re Mo and the group led by U Ko Gyi left KNU and exchanged arms for peace. Now, the strength of KNU insurgents who stay on the border of the two nations under the pretext of refugee camps is only about 3,500.

The number of remnant KNU insurgents of about 3,500 accounts for only 0.1 per cent if compared with the 3.5 million Kayin nationals that live in various parts of the nation. And it accounts for only 0.42 per cent if compared with the population of over 830,000 Kayin nationals of Kayin State. So, the ratio of Kayin nationals to KNU insurgents stands at 100 to less than one.

Hence, it is apparent that KNU members represent neither Kayin nationals in Kayin State nor Kayin nationals in the entire Union, and Kayin nationals in Kayin State are not in favour of KNU’s ‘Look West’ policy and terrorists acts. Kayin national people in other states and divisions do not recognize at all the existence of KNU insurgents. Nevertheless, certain Western powers and their minions are helping the remnant KNU insurgents survive. But, the national people are well convinced of the intention behind their help. The position of KNU members will get worse so long as they continue to dance to the tune of their masters. The KNU’s too much reliance on external elements and perpetration of terrorists acts fill Kayin national people as well as the entire national people of more than 54 million with disgust.

It is because KNU had committed a variety of atrocities on the people throughout its armed insurgency. Their sabotages and violent acts had been put on record with concrete evidences in the book titled “History of Internal Armed Insurgency”. In 1948 and 49, KNU committed violent and terrorist acts for 110 times and armed robberies 35 times, and robbed the government treasury 13 times. The acts they committed later are countless. They blasted the trains plying between Yangon and Mandalay and between Yangon and Mawlamyine and killed the passengers many times. It is very spine-tingling if one studies the massacre of entire local people in Maymyo (now PyinOoLwin) and Pyu townships KNU insurgents committed in 1949 were like genocide the Nazis committed in the past. The acts of KNU are, in fact, ethnic cleansing. However, in spite of their knowledge, Western masters and their associates are leveling accusations against the government to cover the acts of KNU.

On 22 November 1953, Kayin insurgent Bo Ya Kyaw and members blasted the passenger train that left Sittoung and when it reached near Naungkalar Village and robbed all the belongings of the passengers. Besies, they abducted about 50 young women, 20 of them were raped by Bo Ya Kyaw and his followers. Such Kayin insurgents as Lin Htin, Hsa Lan and Pha Lu Kyaw were very notorious as womanizers. Lin Htin took 45 wives. Hsa Lan over 120 till 1963 when he was arrested by the Tatmadaw. Pha Lu Kyaw took more than 150 young wives. Thousands of national race young women such as Kayin, Mon and Bamar got into great troubles due to the sexual violence committed by Kayin insurgents. The newspapers at that time branded Lin Htin as a great pot of lust. In fact, it is KNU members and their associate insurgents who are licensed to rape. But internal and external destructive elements are accusing the Tatmadaw of being licensed to rape.

Among the most violent acts committed by KNU insurgents, one act that took place in 1954 was spine-chilling.

It was in 1954. The KNU insurgents attacked the Sittoung-Mottama train and took away more than 40 university girl students returning home on holiday and 20 other young women by force. The insurgents handed over these young women as well as some lasses arrested from Mon villages to KMT Maj-Gen Lawli in exchange for arms and ammunition. The KNUs are still committing similar atrocities. They are really responsible for terrorism and human trafficking in Myanmar. However, the masterminds abroad have always let them go scot-free and levelled unfounded accusations against the Tatmadaw government of Myanmar. Why these masterminds are doing so is as plain as day.

These university girlstudents and other young women went to the dogs as the KNU insurgents had placed them in the hands of KMT who intruded into our country. Later, the KNUs have sent saboteurs to destroy the life and property of people by planting mines and setting villages ablaze hundreds of times.

In March, 1988, the KNU insurgents raided the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda and made off with the cash donated by people. Pilgrims — monks as well as lay persons — were killed and wounded. Also in March, 1990, they attacked the people who visited the Sandawya Pagoda Festival and made away with donations. They also pounced upon passenger buses and craft many a time. On 3 February, 1991, they mined the motorcade of Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasara Bhivamsa, Secretary Sayadaw of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, who was on his way from Dawei to Thayetchaung. Five people were injured but the Sayadaw escaped unhurt.

Not only that, a motorcade carrying the statue of the Alantayar Sayadaw, monks and lay person was mined near Kyarinn village in Kayin State, killing and wounding some monks and lay persons.

Cruel and inhumane acts of terror by the KNU insurgents were bittter experiences for the government and the entire people. But the government let the past be past and kept the peace door open to the KNUs for a long time in view of national solidarity.

However, the KNUs, capitalizing on the government’s building of peace, are trying to make the internaltional community think that they want peace but at the same time committing terror acts. And they are making a political profit out of refugee camps. It is very disheartening to see the master hands from the West trying to control the political situation in Myanmar by using the KNUs and supporting, as always, whatever the latter do. So long as there are KNU insurgents and expatriates in the border area, they will always be in a position to make groundless accusations about Myanmar. With this end in view, the masterminds from the West are grooming the KNU insurgents and their fellow terrorists.

The KNU insurgents do not serve the interests of Kayin nationals in theory or in practice. However, the Western masterminds always stand by the KNUs. They do so not for the sake of Myanmar and Kayin nationals and for democracy and human rights but for their own interests — politically and militarily.

In reality, the KNUs are a handful of mercenaries. They are just the puppets dancing to the tune of their foreign masters. They are the terrorists who constantly commit various kinds of destructive acts, massacre and human trafficking and who uproot the local people. In reality, they are national traitors attempting to shatter our national goal for a peaceful, modern and developed nation by relying on the West.