Watching the war

One of the most interesting things that we've noticed in getting to know the Karen refugees over the past few years is that they maintain a deep personal connection to the ongoing fight in Burma.  Though many adults lived in refugee camps in Thailand for more that 15-20 years before their arrival in the U.S., the connection that they still have with Burma is palpable.  One example of this are the DVDs that they have brought with them from the Thai camps that are home videos of the Karen National Union army fighting the Burmese soldiers in the jungles of Burma.  The videos are typically poor quality and depict graphic violence, including field amputations with rudimentary instruments and close-ups of dead Karen soldiers.  The families that we visit ask us to sit and watch the videos with them, so that we might have a better understanding of the ongoing struggle for their country.  Their children watch the videos, too, and parents provide a running commentary as the fighting continues on the screen.  Here is a one minute clip of a video we watched yesterday during a lunch of noodles, pork curry, rice, and frozen pizza at one family's home.