Karen of Burma

The Karen (pronounced Ka-REN) people of Burma have been living for over half a century under a repressive military regime. Representing the largest ethnic minority group in the country sometimes known as Myanmar, the largely Christian group has been facing forced relocation, forced labor, extra-judicial imprisonment, execution, rape, and torture, as well as the destruction of their villages and crops. Many of them have fled to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand. In recent years the UN has started third-country repatriation for the hundreds of thousands of refugees. Many have found their way to St. Paul, where they now represent the largest Karen community outside of Southeast Asia. Learn more about this group, their culture, and their struggles at a presentation of the 30-minute documentary Don't Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees of Burma and a panel discussion with members of the Karen community as part of the "Saint Paul-itics Series."
Wed., Aug. 6, 6 p.m., 2008