• Burmese
Sunday, June 22, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

The Untold Dreams of a KNU Peace Pioneer

Saw Yan Naing by Saw Yan Naing
October 17, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
The Untold Dreams of a KNU Peace Pioneer

David Htaw speaks to reporters at a news conference in Pa-an

3.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The death last Sunday of David Htaw, a senior leader of the Karen National Union (KNU), came at a time of mixed feelings within the group over the peace deals that he has helped to reach with the Burmese government.

Regarded by many fellow Karen as a peace pioneer, the 65-year-old veteran of one of the world’s oldest insurgencies left an unfinished legacy that some fear could unravel because of an ongoing controversy over his recent actions.

Just days before he passed away, David Htaw and two of his colleagues, Gen Mutu Say Poe and Roger Khin, were dismissed by the KNU central committee for traveling to the Karen State capital of Pa-an to open a liaison office without the approval of the committee.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

June 21, 2025
822
Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

June 21, 2025
748
Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

June 20, 2025
719

For now, however, the focus is on remembering a man whose still unrealized vision for his people remains something to aspire to.

“My father has always had great dreams for the Karen people. Some of them have not yet been told,” said Eh Kaw Htaw, one of David Htaw’s two sons.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, the day before his father’s funeral in Thay Bay Hta, southern Karen State, Eh Kaw Htaw said that one of these dreams was of a Karen people who were strong and united.

“He always told me that the Karen are not divided. The only difference among them, he said, was how quickly they wished to reach their common goal.”

While some KNU leaders continue to resist attempts to seal a hasty peace deal with the government, David Htaw believed that there was no time left to waste. One of his dreams, according to his son, was to create a mainstream political party to contest Burma’s next national election in 2015.

Although he did not live to see this dream fulfilled, his son said he hopes that disagreements over the pace of change won’t derail the peace process completely.

“I want to urge KNU leaders to continue pursuing peace in the interests of the Karen people,” said Eh Kaw Htaw.

Recalling his father’s words, he added: “Some should go faster to the goal so that they can help others to follow them. If not, all of us will fall behind.”

Born on March 10, 1948, in Rangoon’s Insein Township, David Htaw was a graduate of Rangoon University who joined the KNU cause because of his love for the Karen people, said Eh Kaw Htaw.

As an city-born, educated person, he lamented that many of his fellow Karen living on both sides of the Thai-Burmese border had no legal status in either country. “He really felt that it was important for Karen people living in the mountains and in the jungle to have ID cards,” said Eh Kaw Htaw.

Despite his loyalty to his people, however, David Htaw could be a scathing critic of those who claimed to represent them, including some fellow leaders of the KNU. His reputation for speaking his mind earned him many enemies in the upper echelons of the group.

He wasn’t, however, without critics of his own. Some have suggested that his desire to reach an agreement with the government was motivated in large part by plans to take advantage of the “peace dividend”—development deals that would bring new business opportunities to the former conflict zone. Some even said that he was already into the pocket of the Burmese government.

David Htaw was active in advocating peace and development in Karen State. He signed the first ceasefire agreement on Jan. 12, when he led a KNU peace delegation to Pa-an for talks with government negotiators.

Aung Min, the Burmese minister who has played a key role in the government’s efforts to end decades of conflict with a host of ethnic armed groups, said he was sad to see David Htaw die before the results of his peacemaking could come to fruition.

Speaking to reporters at the Mingalardon military hospital in Rangoon where the Karen leader died, Aung Min said that David Htaw was the one who initiated the peace talks earlier this year.

In a letter of condolence, Hla Maung Shwe, a government peace broker, wrote that David Htaw was so dedicated to completing his mission that he even showed up at recent peace talks in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai with a tank of oxygen so he could continue negotiating despite his worsening illness.

Eh Kaw Htaw said that his father had been suffering from lung disease and diabetes for three months and had been hospitalized several times in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for treatment.

While some worry that his passing could disrupt the ongoing peace talks, others say that it will have no major impact, as Mutu Say Poe and other KNU top leaders have agreed to meet up and handle their internal conflict in the near future.

Your Thoughts …
Saw Yan Naing

Saw Yan Naing

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.3k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.4k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.9k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.7k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Newspaper Defends Cartoon Criticizing Military

Newspaper Defends Cartoon Criticizing Military

China's Economic Growth Slows to 7.4 Percent

China's Economic Growth Slows to 7.4 Percent

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

3 days ago
916
The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

3 days ago
671

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Residents of Myanmar Ruby Hub Speak Out as TNLA Mining Takes Toll

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.