Kawthoolei

Kawthoolei (S'gaw Karen: ကီၢ်သူလ့ၤ, lit. 'land without darkness'; Burmese: ကော့သူးလေ or ကော်သူး‌‌လေ) is the endonym for a proposed state that the Karen nationalists have sought to establish in Myanmar since the beginning of the Karen conflict in the late 1940s.[1]

Kawthoolei corresponds to the territory partially administered by the Karen National Union, which, as of 2017, comprised the Kayin State and parts of the following: Mon State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, and the Ayeyarwady Region.[2]

The name "Kaw-thu-lay" was used by the government of the Union of Burma in the drafting of its 1948 constitution, which made provisions for an autonomous region for the Karenni people.[3]

It is unclear as to why the name Kawthoolei was adopted. Kawthoolei is not the only name used to refer to a Karen country: the Pwo Karen use the phrase "Kan Su Line", meaning literally, "land cool cave".[4] The flag was adopted in 1974.[5]

The precise meaning of Kawthoolei is disputed even by the Karen themselves.

  1. ^ Garbagni, Giulia; Walton, Matthew J. (2020). "Imagining Kawthoolei: Strategies of petitioning for Karen statehood in Burma in the first half of the 20th century". Nations and Nationalism. 26 (3): 759–774. doi:10.1111/nana.12613. ISSN 1469-8129.
  2. ^ Nyein, Nyein (October 10, 2017). "Central Govt Infringing Administration of KNU Regions, Say Leaders". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Leckie, Scott (2010). Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: The Current Legal Framework. Displacement Solutions. pp. 1096, 1135, 1136. ISBN 978-2839905787.
  4. ^ Languages of Security in the Asia-Pacific (March 13, 2014). "Karen – Kawthoolei".
  5. ^ Crampton, William (1989). The Complete Guide to Flags (p.132). Kingfisher Books. ISBN 0 86272 466 X