History of the Friends of the Karen People of Burma
Drucie Bathin- President
Drucie is an ethnic Karen woman of Burma. After Marnerplaw, (the
headquarters of the Karen National Union) was occupied by the Burmese
military in 1995, Drucie moved to the Maramoung refugee camp. Then the
refugee camp was attacked and burnt down by the Burmese military on April
25, 1995. Drucie then moved from place to place in the Karen resistance
area. However, the places along the Thai and Burma borders were attacked by the
Burmese military junta. Drucie ended up living in many refugee camps along
Thailand and Burma borders. In 1997, she contacted an American friend who was
willing to take her out of the country. With the support of the many
American friends and the American authorities inside and outside the
country, Drucie was granted asylum by the United States of America in 1999.
Drucie Bathin was a teacher, the secretary of the KYO ( Karen Youth
Organization) information department, a chairwoman of the Pway Baw Lu
village under the Karen Women Organization and a researcher of
the KHRG ( Karen Human Right Group), before she came to the United States.
Drucie received an Associate Degree of Arts from Mitchell College in
Connecticut and now she is pursuing her Bachelors Degree at Eastern
Connecticut State University.
With the American friends, Drucie has founded the Friends of the Karen
People of Burma to support the education in her native country of Burma.
|
