Burman Harassment

Abstract

This chapter covers Naw Sheera's experiences after the occupation and Burma's eventual independence. During this time, tensions between the Karen and the Burmese were escalating, and Burmese independence only exacerbated these tensions with the start of the Karen Revolution in 1949. Naw Sheera, however, was unaware of most of these developments, as she still lived in relative isolation. Moreover, her village was not politically inclined—a fact which the Burmese used to their advantage when confronting the Karens. These difficulties led to the arrest of Naw Sheera's father and his long years of imprisonment by the Burmese. Eventually, Naw Sheera and her family moved away to the village of Klaw Khwa, where she was later reunited with her father.