Karenni State Peoples Council We are ‘Karenni State’ – No More ‘Kayah State’
On November 23rd, the Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC) declared its rejection of the forcibly and unilaterally imposed name change from Kayah State urging all media to only use the term Karenni State.
KSCC Chairman U Aung Myint San stated that they no longer accept the designation Kayah State, and wish to be referred to by the historical name Karenni State
During the time of British colonization in Burma, Karenni State remained an independent state under its own ruler, however, after Myanmar gained independence on January 4th, 1948, the AFPFL (Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League) government forcefully invaded ethnic areas, including Karenni, and incorporated them into Myanmar, changed the names unilaterally, the statement said.
“Our state was unjustly renamed without our will. In the future, we want to preserve the historical name of Karenni State as a legacy for future generations, encompassing all of our Karenni tribes. Kayah represents only one ethnicity, and as we aim to represent all Karenni ethnicities, we will continue to use the term Karenni in a political context”, he told KIC.
U Aung Myint San emphasized that the Karenni State has been self-governing in the past. Hence we are highlighting the importance of preserving the historical name of Karenni in our quest for a federal union system that guarantees equality, justice, and autonomy in the future.
In 1951, the name of Karenni State was changed to Kayah State in parliament, and on January 15th, 1952, Kayah State Day was officially proclaimed.
The name ‘Karenni State’ holds significant historical and cultural importance for the independence of the Karenni people. Therefore Karenni people who reject the military dictatorship have utilized the term Karenni to identify organizations involved in resistance revolutions, the statement also said.
