Karenni State

Karenni State (Kayah State) is one of seven frontier states in Burma.

Karenni is regarded as one of the least accessible and poorest areas in Burma. Over half a century of conflict and neglect has left Karenni State lacking in basic infrastructure, with poor transport and communication links, inadequate health care, widespread illiteracy and little or no social and economic development.

 

History

Karenni State was an independent nation-state until August 1948 when Karenni was invaded by Burma.

In 1951 the Burmese government renamed the state, Kayah State.

1976, Burma stepped up its campaign against Karenni State in an attempt to crush the resistance there. It forcibly started forcibly moving Karenni from their villages.

Since then tens of thousands of Karenni people have either fled to Thailand or live in the jungle as IDP's.