Ka Hsaw Wa

Ka Hsaw Wa (born 1970) is a Burmese human rights activist. He is a member of the Karen indigenous group. Along with his wife, environmental and human rights attorney Katie Redford, he is the co-founder and co-director of EarthRights International (ERI), an organization that focuses on human rights in Burma and other areas "where protection of human rights and the environment is intrinsically connected."^[1] Ka Hsaw Wa and Katie Redford have two young children.

Biography

Ka Hsaw Wa was born under a different name, which he keeps secret in order to protect his family in Burma. He has not seen his parents in over 15 years. He adopted the name "Ka Hsaw Wa", which means "the White Elephant", while in exile in the United States. White Elephants are traditionally thought of by the Karen people as symbolizing righteousness and strength as well as a harbinger of great positive change.

Ka Hsaw Wa grew up in Burma as the son of a doctor and enjoyed relative economic privilege in his youth. However, when he entered college he soon became active in political causes, and quickly developed into a strong student leader. The Burmese government attacked the students brutally in 1988, killing many. Ka Hsaw Wa was captured and tortured. He then left Burma, but re-entered the country in order to participate in a lengthy photographic campaign documenting environmental and indigenous destruction, as well as severe human rights abuses, including starvation, systematic rape, and the destruction of entire villages. Most of the problems he documented were connected to the construction and operation of a petroleum pipeline in the area of Yadana for the oil companies Unocal (U.S.-based) and Total S.A. (based in France).

Ka Hsaw Wa, Katie Redford and EarthRights launched a federal lawsuit against Unocal, employing a unique legal strategy utilizing the U.S. Alien Tort Statute of 1789, which says that "federal courts have jurisdiction for torts that occur in violation of the Law of Nations, [which] includes abuses of fundamental human rights [and] genocide",^[2] in order to force the company to assume responsibility for human rights abuses caused by its actions. In the case Unocal eventually agreed to pay compensation to the 15 anonymous villagers who suffered forced labor, rape, and the effects of killings.^[3] For about 30 years Ka Hsaw Wa has been recording people's stories to publish violation of human rights in his homeland. ^[4]

Ka Hsaw Wa continues his front-line activism, and was featured in the 2006 film, Total Denial. A description based on his role in the film is as follows:

"Ka Hsaw Wa dedicated his life to human rights activism, speaking fluent English and Burmese, dodging back and forth as he plays cat-and-mouse with the border guards, marrying another rights worker and even raising a family. All the while he is fighting to live and protect his homeland. At one point he describes how he was himself tortured. When he goes into difficult areas of the jungle, he takes a gun with a single bullet - to commit suicide if captured (to avoid torture)."^[5]

Ka Hsaw Wa and EarthRights are also involved in the current struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma, wherein a number of protesters, including monks, have been killed, and hundreds of protesters arrested. They are working to bring an end to the current violence against the people. In response to the 2007 protests, Ka Hsaw Wa has said:

"As someone who experienced this regime's brutality in 1988, I am glad that this time around, the world is watching. But that is not enough. The international community, including multinational corporations, must act now to prevent further bloodshed in Burma. The people have suffered profoundly for too long — they have already sacrificed so much, and they will not stop."[1]

Awards and recognition

• Goldman Environmental Prize (1999)^[6]
• Reebok Human Rights Award (1999)^[7]
• Whitley Award Winner (Human Rights & the Environment), sponsored by Sting and Trudie Styler (2004)^[8]
• Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership (2009)^[9]

References

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070824105325/http://www.earthrights.org/home.html
• https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070923203221/http://www.totaldenialfilm.com/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20061001230830/http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2003/09/20030930_b_main.asp
• http://pbs.org/now/shows/345

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Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients

Government Service (1958–2008)

Cambodia Ek Sonn Chan  China Yuan Longping  India C.D. Deshmukh J. M. Lyngdoh  Indonesia Raden Kodijat Ali Sadikin  Japan Morihiko Hiramatsu Hiroshi Kuroki Yukiharu Miki  Laos Keo Viphakone  Malaysia Mohamed Suffian Mohamed Hashim B. C. Shekhar  Pakistan Akhtar Hameed Khan Ibn Abdur Rehman  Philippines Jose Vasquez Aguilar Francisca Reyes-Aquino Hilario Davide Jr. Grace Padaca Jesse Robredo Jovito R. Salonga Miriam Defensor Santiago Haydee Yorac  Singapore Goh Keng Swee  Thailand Anand Panyarachun Chamlong Srimuang Jon Ungphakorn Phon Sangsingkeo Prawase Wasi Puey Ungpakorn  Taiwan Shih-chu Hsu Li Kwoh-ting Jiang Menglin

Public Service (1958–2008)

Burma Tee Tee Luce  Ceylon Mary H. Rutnam  China Gao Yaojie Jiang Yanyong Liang Congjie Wu Qing  India Baba Amte Banoo Jehangir Coyaji Manibhai Desai Jayaprakash Narayan V. Shanta  Indonesia H.B. Jassin Teten Masduki  Pakistan Ruth Pfau  Philippines Pedro Orata Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI)  South Korea Kim Sun-tae Park Won-soon  Spain based in  Philippines Joaquin Villalonga  Thailand Fua Hariphitak Mechai Viravaidya Nilawan Pintong Phra Parnchand Prateep Ungsongtham Hata Sirindhorn Sithiporn Kridakara Sophon Suphapong Therdchai Jivacate Thongbai Thongpao

Community Leadership (1958–2008)

Bangladesh Tahrunessa Abdullah Fazle Hasan Abed Muhammad Yunus Zafrullah Chowdhury Mohammed Yeasin Angela Gomes  Burma Cynthia Maung  India Mandakini Amte & Prakash Amte Mabelle Arole & Rajanikant Arole Pandurang Shastri Athavale Chandi Prasad Bhatt Ela Bhatt Vinoba Bhave Aruna Roy Shantha Sinha Rajendra Singh  Japan Fusaye Ichikawa  Laos Sombath Somphone  Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman    Nepal Mahabir Pun  Philippines Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Antonio Meloto  Thailand Aree Valyasevi Krasae Chanawongse Prayong Ronnarong  Tibet 14th Dalai Lama

Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts (1958–2008)

Bangladesh Matiur Rahman Abdullah Abu Sayeed  Burma Edward Michael Law-Yone  Ceylon or  Sri Lanka Wannakuwatta Amaradeva Tarzie Vittachi  India Mahasweta Devi Palagummi Sainath Amitabha Chowdhury  Indonesia Atmakusuma Astraatmadja Mochtar Lubis  Japan Akira Kurosawa Yasuji Hanamori Michiko Ishimure Akio Ishii    Nepal Bharat Koirala  Philippines Zacarias Sarian F. Sionil José Lino Brocka Radio Veritas James Reuter Bienvenido Lumbera Nick Joaquin Raul Locsin Eugenia Duran Apostol Sheila Coronel  Thailand Prayoon Chanyavongs  Great Britain based in  Philippines Robert McCulloch Dick

Peace and International Understanding (1958–2008)

China Tang Xiyang  India Mother Teresa Jockin Arputham Laxminarayan Ramdas  Indonesia Ahmad Syafi'i Maarif  Japan Ikuo Hirayama Tetsu Nakamura Saburo Okita Seiei Toyama    Nepal Sanduk Ruit  Pakistan Ibn Abdur Rehman  Philippines Operation Brotherhood Summer Institute of Linguistics William Masterson Harold Ray Watson International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Press Foundation of Asia Asian Institute of Management Corazon Aquino  South Korea Pomnyun Sunim  Thailand Asian Institute of Technology The Royal Project  United States based in  Thailand Genevieve Caulfield

Emergent Leadership (2001–)
Burma Ka Hsaw Wa  China Chen Guangcheng  Cambodia Oung Chanthol  India Sanjiv Chaturvedi Arvind Kejriwal Nileema Mishra Sandeep Pandey  Indonesia Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto Dita Indah Sari  Philippines Benjamin Abadiano  South Korea Yoon Hye-ran  Sri Lanka Ananda Galappatti  East Timor Aniceto Guterres Lopes  United States based in  Hong Kong Chung To

Uncategorized (2009–)

Bangladesh Syeda Rizwana Hasan A.H.M. Noman Khan  Cambodia Yang Saing Koma Koul Panha  China Fu Qiping Huo Daishan Ma Jun Pan Yue Yu Xiaogang  India Kulandei Francis Harish Hande Deep Joshi  Indonesia Hasanain Juaini Tri Mumpuni  Japan Tadatoshi Akiba  Philippines Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI) Christopher Bernido Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido Romulo Davide Antonio Oposa Jr.  Taiwan Chen Shu-chu  Thailand Krisana Kraisintu