Than Maung’s Story

Than Maung’s Story

  My name is Than Maung and I am 23 years old. I was born in Naung Htaw village, Shan state of Burma. My parents are both farmers and uneducated. They earn their living from farming. There are 10 members in my family. I finished 10th grade education in Burma in 2006. Because of the unrest of the political in Burma, I fled my native village to the Karenni Refugee camp in 2007. At the same time as arriving in the Refugee camp, I re-joined 10th grade again and finished it in 2009. Until I finished 10th grade in Burma, I had never heard about Human rights, the Environment, the Rule of law or Democracy. And most of my community lack of the knowledge of the Human Rights, the Environment, the Rule of Law and Democracy because we have no access to information and no opportunities to learn about it. Actually, these subjects are ignored by the SPDC government and they...
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Khu Lee Reh’s Story

Khu Lee Reh’s Story

  Class of 2006 My name is Khu Lee Reh. I was born in Law Kyae Khu village, Hproso Towship of Karenni State. There are nine people in my family. They are farmers and rely on hill site cultivation. So we get our living cost and other essential needs such as school fee for children and health care cost from our farms. I started my primary school in my village. I continued middle school and high school in the town. I left school in 10th grade because my parents needed help farming and they were unable to pay my tuition. I often helped my family with the menial tasks ordered by the SPDC military troops. Even though I understood that it was an injustice, I could not escape these situations. Eventually, I met other villagers who tried to escape execution by SPDC troops and came with them to Karenni Refugee camp in Thailand on May 25th, 2004. Then I continued to study 10th grade in...
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Khu Klaw Reh

Khu Klaw Reh

Khu Klaw Reh's Story Class of 2010 I was born in Pukaraku Village, Pruhso Township of Karenni State, Burma. There are six people in my family. My parents are farmers and they rely on hill site cultivation. We have to work hard to provide for our survival, so it's very difficult for me to continue my school because I belong to a poor family. My parents could not provide my school fee until I was eight years old. In 1994 I started to attend primary school in my Pukaraku Village. After then, I continued my middle school and high school in a Catholic boarding school in Pruhso Town and I have finished through ninth grade. I stayed in the Catholic boarding school for five years and grew up there. A problem was that an SPDC [Burmese government] soldier suspected I was a Karenni rebel soldier because I had been away at boarding school. On February 4, 2004, they arrested me and I was...
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Law wha’s story

Law wha’s story

  Class of 2013 My name is Law Wha. I am 25 years old. I was born in Law Da Lay village, Loi Kaw Township of Karenni State. I am Kayah of  Karenni nationality. I am one of the SDC students from the SDC and have been learning there. My parents are farmers. My family moved to Baw La Khen Township from Law Da Lay village in 1992 to find freedom from the political situation under the ruling of the SPDC government and the Burmese military government. When we arrived in Baw La Khen, my father bought a plot of land and built a small house with the little money he had. After arriving there, the economic situation of my family worsened, and as a result, we had nothing to eat but boiled rice. There are 9 members in my family including my parents. I am the 3rd of 7 children. I start school when I was 5 years old, but because of...
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Yen Lin’s Story

Yen Lin’s Story

Class of 2012 My name is Yen Lin. I am 23 years old. I was born in Khyut Pain Kawt Township, Pengu Division of Burma. I am a student of SDC. My parents are Oo San Aye and Daw Hlai Hlai Win. My father was a taxi driver and my mother was a housekeeper. I lived with my parents from the time I was born until I was 13 years old. However, my father passed away when I was studying in 4th standard. After that, my mother remarried. After my father died, it was a very difficult time for me and I struggled with many problems in my life. When I was 9 years old I went to live with my stepfather. I never stayed at my home permanently because I had to go gambling with my stepfather to make money for our living. When I was 10 years old, I became a monk and stayed with other Buddhist monks at...
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