Civil War in Burma

You've probably heard me talk about or seen me write that one of the main reasons we're biking this summer is for those who have been abducted.  For girls it's to become sex slaves, but for boys it's to become soldier's of the Burmese army to fight the Kachin Independence Army.

My knowledge of this war was extremely minimal until I started to look into participating in this trip with Venture.  Even now I'm a little rusty on the facts and figures because information regarding the situation in this region is difficult to come by.  Many (like I once was) are completely unaware of the devastating and and inhumane living conditions in this area.

I'm beginning to talk to members of my team and learn details of our trip.  I'm knowledgeable regarding the ministry Venture has in place both stateside and on location in Burma and Thailand.  I'm hoping that the next time I talk to my leaders we can discuss more about our cause and the missionaries that our team is working with.

This is the most recent link I could find regarding the war.  It's from June 2012 so I'm sure it's out of date.  However, it does have pictures of the area, soldiers, and living conditions.  Be sure to read the captions beside the pictures because they contain information that will help you better understand this war. (Note: picture #14 is of a runaway child soldier.  This boy appears to be around 13, but I've seen pictures of children as young as 6!)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/burmese-civil-war-displaces-tens-of-thousands/2012/06/28/gJQAZgx6AW_gallery.html#photo=1

On a different note, here are a couple of pictures from Burma and Thailand.  Such beautiful countries!!

Burma:

Thailand: