Classification
The Karen people have been selected by the Burma government to be exterminated because of their religious views. Some Karen people believe in the religion Christianity. Burma likes to be called a Buddhist nation. They would see the christian Karen people not as part of them. 200,000 people have been driven from there homes do to the genocide. They are not only being killed but raped, tortured, and used for labor.
Symbolization
The Burma government was trying to spread “Burmanization” through
the Karen people. They would use rape as a way to force them to have children of Burma.
The Karen people would be killed as more Burmese people were being born. The
children would be force to act and be more like Burmese. If they were Karen they would be
killed. “Burmanization” was be spread through there people by force. They have no choice in anything they will be forced to do anything and killed if they do not listen.
Dehumanization
The Karen people were dehumanized in a different way then in most genocide. They were looked as not as animals but as wrong doers. They have not done things correctly in the way of Burmese people so they must be killed. They were look at like they were worth nothing. As if their lives mean nothing. They were killed like they were criminals when they did nothing wrong. They were killing for religious reasons. They did not believe correctly so they were killed for doing wrong.
Organization
The Burma government is corrupt. They have been taken over
by the military. They have gone from village to village killing the Karen people.
Any type of democracy that has been tried to develop has been destroyed. They
have cut off all help to the Karen people from out side nations. They have
burned crops and destroyed food to starve their people. They have tried to do
this a quite as possible. This has been organized through their government. The
government has been the reason for all the killing. They are the cause of this
genocide.
Polarization
The Karen people of Burma made an organization called the Karen National Union (KNU). Its basic objective is to bring relief to the Karen people, who are suffering genocide at the hands of Burma’s military dictatorship (Watson, Tharckabaw). A very active location where the soldiers were settled at was along the Thai-Burma border, where the government uses forced labor to build bases from which they attack and burn surrounding villages. Areas outside of governments control are designated as 'black zones,' where soldiers are able to shoot any person on sight. (Genocide Intervention)
Preparation
A big weapon that was used was rape, which was mostly forced upon the pregnant women as part of their campaign for Burmanization. In 1990 the government launched a systematic offensive against the Karen. Reports as recently as February 2010 state that the Burmese government continues to burn Karen villages, displacing thousands the Burmese army continues indiscriminate shelling, abusive sweeps, and forced labor in attempts to terrorize civilians (World Without Genocide-Burma). 9 years-old was the age of youngest Burmese army recruits (Genocide Intervention).
Extermination
Since the 1970's, the government has increasingly attacked civilians in ethnic minority areas, resettling residents in sites guarded by the military. In its struggle to maintain power, the junta tried to negotiate agreements with all ethnic stat armed forces. (World Without Genocide-Burma). The displaced people and those who are not displaced, but still live in their own homes and villages, are both still suffering a lot. Actually, those law enforcement agencies, security forces and police who have the responsibility to protect the lives of the Rohingya people (Foran, Kara)
Denial
A way that the Burma Genocide used denial was their way of covering up the events. The Burmese army was focusing the most of the Karen's crop, because what their philosophies was that if they would burn all of the crops and kill the livestock so that then the people would starve to death, making the killing easier on the army's be half. They took this route because it would not be attracting as much media then just straight out killing the citizens. Another way that the Burmese gained control was by burning the surrounding villages giving the Karen's no place to go (World Without Genocide-Burma).