SUMMARY
God’s Army was an ethnic Karen rebel group active in Myanmar between 1997 and 2006. An offshoot of the Karen National Union (KNU), it was associated between 1999 and 2000 with another Myanmar rebel group, the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW). Since Myanmar’s independence from Britain in 1948, the Buddhist and Christian Karen have sought independence or autonomy from the Burman Buddhist-dominated state (see Myanmar (Burma): Karen’s numerous ethnically-based internal conflicts. God’s Army was formed and led by the twin brothers Johnny and Luther Htoo.
God’s Army was created when Myanmar state forces attacked the Htoo’s village, Ka Mar Pa Law in south-eastern Kayin State, in 1997 as part of a larger offensive against the KNU. With the support of the KNU, the then nine-year old Htoo’s formed a small group to successfully resist the attack.
God’s Army ultimately grew to a force of some 200 fighters, many of whom were child soldiers. The group was characterised by their strong devotion to the Htoos, who many considered to be invincible and supported by mystical spirits. Strongly influenced by fundamentalist Christian beliefs, the group enforced strict rules concerning the use of alcohol, swearing, certain types of food and sexual relationships.
In October 1999, members of God’s Army supported an attack by the VBSW against Myanmar’s embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. After a one-day siege, the attackers were allowed to freely return to God’s Army’s base in Myanmar in exchange for the safe release of the hostages.
In January 2000, in protest against alleged Thai support for Myanmar’s military activities in Kayin state, God’s Army and the VBSW attacked a hospital in Ratchaburi, Thailand, taking several hundred civilians hostage. Thai forces eventually re-took the hospital, killing all those involved in the attack.
Thai-Myanmar relations regarding the situation of the Karen have long been tense. Myanmar has accused Thailand, which has housed up to some 70,000 Karen refugees, of supporting rebel activities. Attacks against refugee camps in Thailand by Myanmar-backed forces have led to strong protests by Thailand.
The 1999 and 2000 attacks led to a decline in Thai sympathy for the Karen cause. Under increasing domestic and international pressure, Thailand leant its support to an operation by Myanmar to destroy God’s Army. In January 2001, the Htoos, together with 12 other members of God’s Army, surrendered to Thai authorities close to the Thai border. After a period in which the Htoos lived together in a Thai refugee camp, Johnny Htoo eventually returned to Myanmar, where he surrendered to state forces together with a further group of fighters, in July 2006.
