Australian journalist Phil Thornton has written an article in The Nation about recently deceased Karen National Union leader, General Bo Mya. The article is based on interviews conducted for Thornton’s book, Restless Souls.

Thornton writes:

I asked Bo Mya if he was a “warlord”. The question started a laugh deep inside him that continued until it finally erupted. “It seems like I was. In the past we [ethnic leaders] may have acted like warlords, but underneath we all wanted to contribute for a genuine federation of Burma.”