God's Army

   In the Sgaw Karen language, K'sa Do Yuah Thu'Mu ("The Great Lord's Army"), a small Karen (Kayin) armed group that defected from the Karen National Union in 1996-1997 and was headed by nine-year-old twin boys, Johnny and Luther Htoo. God's Army was an example of the kind of millenarian religion, featuring Messiah-like saviors, which has frequently emerged among the Karens. Johnny and Luther's followers believed that they had supernatural powers, including invulnerability to Tatmadaw bullets and the command of "invisible armies" containing hundreds of thousands of "angel warriors." Like the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, God's Army was an expression of Karen disillusionment with the KNU's mainline Christian leadership. It also reflected the chaotic conditions along the Thai-Burma border after the fall of Manerplaw. The group was allegedly connected with a hostage-taking incident at a hospital in Ratchaburi, Thailand, in 2000, in which one hostage and the 10 hostage takers were killed. The short history of God's Army came to an end in January 2001 when Johnny and Luther surrendered to Thai authorities and were tearfully reunited with their mother.