Padoh Saw David Tharckabaw (born 1935) has been an active member of the Karen National Union (KNU) since joining the organisation full time as a young teenager in 1949; only two years after the KNU wa

Padoh Saw David Tharckabaw has been an active member of the Karen National Union (KNU) since joining the organisation full time as a young teenager in 1949; only two years after the KNU was established in 1947.   David has spent the rest of his long life supporting the key aims of the KNU which include the establishment of a Karen State with the right to self determination and the setting up of a genuine Federal Union in Myanmar with each State having equal rights.David rose through the ranks from a raw recruit to being an officer in the KNU armed resistance before moving to the political headquarters where he was firstly assistant to the General Secretary and then, as his final role from which he retired at the age of 79, Vice President from 2010 to 2014.    David is now 87 living in Mae Sot in Thailand but continues to be a passionate supporter of the Karen.  In this interview David provides a Karen perspective of the history of the relationship between the Bamar and Karen peoples and how and why mistrust developed between many Karen and the  Tatmadaw (military).With thanks to the Karen Information Center and to Daw Tin Htar Swe OBE for introducing me to Padoh Saw David Tharckabaw .Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected] you for listening .Peter Church