OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS

KAREN NATIONAL UNION

KAWTHOOLEI
February 28, 2011

84,000 Karen Civilians Call on Ban Ki-moon to Help Stop Attacks in Burma

Around 84,000 ethnic Karen civilians have signed a petition calling on UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon to take action to immediately stop the Burmese dictatorship attacking civilians and
committing gross human rights abuses against them.

The petition was organised by the Karen National Union (KNU), the largest political organisation
representing the Karen people in Burma, at the request of Karen civilians in cooperation with local
community leaders and supported by Karen communities and organisations around the world.

Signatories of the petition are aged from 16 to 103 years, who have been affected by Burmese
Army’s attacks. These civilians have been subjected to abuses including forced labour, looting,
extortion, destruction of homes, villages, crops and fields, forced relocation, extrajudicial killing
including women and children, beating, torture and the systematic rape of women and children by
the Burmese Army for decades. More than 3,600 villages have been destroyed in Eastern Burma in
the past 15 years, an average of four every week.

In 2010 before the Burma’s election in November, in parts of Karen State where the KNU was able
to document abuses, there have been cases of 18 civilians killed, 38 civilians tortured and beaten, 52
civilians arrested without reason, 2,336 civilians used as slave labour, 198 homes, schools and
churches destroyed, 146 fields and orchards destroyed and more than 3,000 civilians forced to flee
and hide in the jungle.
The elections held on 7th November 2010 did not represent any kind of progress towards
democratization, national reconciliation or peace and stability in Burma and will not solve the
fundamental problems, which are the lack of ethnic equality and human rights. The Constitution
that the elections brought in was designed to enshrine military rule without granting any ethnic
rights or protection. It is a serious threat to ethnic minorities in Burma.
To help solve Burma’s problem the KNU have repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to respond
to calls by the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council, European
Union, United States of America and others, and engage in genuine tripartite dialogue for positive
change. However, the regime refuses and instead continues to target our civilians for attack.
“This is an unprecedented appeal to the United Nations from ordinary villagers in Burma who are
facing appalling human rights abuses. The Burmese Army has been committing war crimes and
crimes against humanity for so long. We call on the UN Secretary-General to use his power to stop
pressure the Burmese regime to stop their military operations and human rights violations in Karen
State and other Karen areas,” said Naw Zipporah Sein, General Secretary of the Karen National
Union. “We urge you to work with concerned governments around the world to secure a
nationwide ceasefire, leading to meaningful and inclusive dialogue to achieve national
reconciliation and a return to democracy in our country Burma. We are working for a peaceful,
stable, democratic and federal Burma”.

For more information contact Naw Zipporah Sein on +66856511078 (English & Karen) and Saw
Hla Ngwe on +66 843816664 (Burmese & Karen)