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| Burmese rebel leader is shot dead | Burmese rebel leader is shot dead |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The secretary general of Burma's largest rebel group, the Karen National Union, has been killed. | The secretary general of Burma's largest rebel group, the Karen National Union, has been killed. |
| Pado Mahn Shar, who was in his sixties, was shot at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, his family said. | |
| He was reportedly shot by two men in a pick-up truck, while sitting on the veranda of his home. He died instantly. | He was reportedly shot by two men in a pick-up truck, while sitting on the veranda of his home. He died instantly. |
| The KNU and its military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, have spent nearly 60 years fighting the Burmese government. | The KNU and its military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, have spent nearly 60 years fighting the Burmese government. |
| Setbacks | Setbacks |
| They want to establish an autonomous Karen state in the east of Burma, and to protect the Karen people from what they say are abuses by the government. | They want to establish an autonomous Karen state in the east of Burma, and to protect the Karen people from what they say are abuses by the government. |
| However, they have suffered a number of recent setbacks, including political splits and defections to the government. | However, they have suffered a number of recent setbacks, including political splits and defections to the government. |
| Militarily, they have been driven further and further back towards the Thai border. | Militarily, they have been driven further and further back towards the Thai border. |
| KAREN STRUGGLE The KNU, through its armed wing the KNLA, has been fighting for greater autonomy since 1949The KNLA split in half in 1994, with the new group, the DKBA, making a pact with the governmentThe KNU and the junta reached a 'gentleman's agreement' in 2003, but it quickly broke downThe Karen are just one of many ethnic minorities in Burma. Much smaller rebel groups still exist in the Shan, Karenni and Mon states | |
| However, Pado Mahn Shar told the BBC last year: "Whatever happens, we cannot surrender. | However, Pado Mahn Shar told the BBC last year: "Whatever happens, we cannot surrender. |
| "If the government won't offer us a proper peace settlement, we have to carry on fighting." | "If the government won't offer us a proper peace settlement, we have to carry on fighting." |
| The BBC's Kate McGeown, who met Pado Mahn Shar on the Thai-Burmese border last year, says his death will be a serious blow to the Karen rebels. | The BBC's Kate McGeown, who met Pado Mahn Shar on the Thai-Burmese border last year, says his death will be a serious blow to the Karen rebels. |
| As it is, they face a huge challenge against the Burmese army, which is vastly superior both in terms of numbers and equipment. | As it is, they face a huge challenge against the Burmese army, which is vastly superior both in terms of numbers and equipment. |
| Analysts said it was not clear who was behind the shooting. | |
| It might be the result of rivalry within the Karen rebel movement, Burmese expert Aung Naing Oo told the AFP news agency. | |
| Thai police said the gunmen approached Pado Mahn Shar and addressed him in the Karen language before opening fire. | |
| But what the KNU really feared, Aung Naing Oo said, was that the Burmese government might have ordered it. | |
| "Everybody is terrified that there could be a hit list from the Burmese military circulating around Thailand of people to be killed," he said. | |
| Pado Mahn Shar had himself predicted an increase in bloodshed, telling Reuters this week that violence might rise ahead of a constitutional referendum in Burma in May. |