_ By Zoya Phan

On 11^th August 2007, Karen peoples in the UK gathered together in Sheffield for the commemoration of the 57^th anniversary of Karen Martyrs’ Day. The commemoration took place before the official date of 12^th August and was organized by the Karen Community Association (KCA). Karen people, all over the world, remember 12^th August as Karen National Martyrs’ Day, a day when Karen revolutionary leader, Saw Ba U Gyi, sacrificed his live for Karen people’s liberty.

In the UK, more than a hundred people attended the commemoration on that day. The day started by paying respect to the Karen national flag. Naw Thelma Gyi, who is the daughter of Saw Ba U Gyi and a distinguished guest, gave a speech about the life of her father. Paul Sztumpf, grandson of Saw Ba U Gyi, told the audience about the origin of Karen Martyrs’ Day. A special message from Saw Ba Thein Sein, President of the Karen National Union, was read out to the audience in Karen language. There were some performances by Karen children and young people. The day finished with the Karen national anthem “Yer Pwa Kalu”, which means “my people”.

On August 12, 1950, Karen leader Saw Ba U Gyi (known as our national father), who was the founder and president of the Karen National Union, was executed by the Burmese Army, along with eight of his colleagues in Kawkareik, Karen State (Burma), while waging a just defensive struggle for freedom, national equality, democracy and peace.

August 12 has since been recognized as Karen Martyrs’ Day – a day when the Karen people commemorate his death and pay tribute to fallen leaders, soldiers, and civilians that have lost their lives in the struggle for freedom and peace. Saw Ba U Gyi left four valuable principles for the Karen which are:

Surrender is out of question

We shall retain our arms

Karen State must be completed

We shall decide our own political destiny

The Karen struggle aims to achieve a genuine democratic federal union with the political basis of equality and self-determination for Karen and for all the people in Burma.
Due to the ongoing attacks by the Burmese army, approximately one hundred thousand Karen refugees are currently taking refuge in the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. A significant number of Karen have recently migrated to western countries under the refugee resettlement program. In recent years, more than one hundred Karen people now live in the United Kingdom.