Karen National Liberation Army
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU). At the time of Burma's independence from the British in 1948, there was considerable tension between the Karen community and Burma. Some Karens sought independence while others attempted co-existence within Burma. In early 1949, portions of a socialist political militia raised by the government went on a rampage in Karen civilian areas. The Burmese government then arrested the Karen leader of the armed forces and replaced him with radical Burmese anti-Karen nationalist Ne Win. This action led to civil war with some Karen units of the Burma Army coming over to the side of the Karen political leaders and others being imprisoned by the government.
Early in the fighting, Karen forces overran much of Northern Burma including towns such as Mandalay and established strong positions outside Rangoon at Insein. But lacking a port from which to receive military supplies, the Karen forces gradually withdrew to the southeast of Burma. Since that time, the KNLA has been fighting for an independent state, called Kawthoolei, to be located in eastern Burma near the border with Thailand and in other places with large Karen populations.
