Lerwah Lo Bo
- Duration
- 2:11 (minutes:seconds)
Biography
Lerwah Lo Bo is a Karen refugee from Burma living in Toronto. He was a member of the Karen National Union (KNU), Burma's largest and oldest ethnic opposition group, for over 16 years as a teacher and a soldier. Later, he quit fighting and helped set up refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border and worked for NGOs interviewing refugees and monitoring land mines in the border areas. He came to Canada in early 2002 and is an active Karen and Burmese community worker while working professionally as an interpreter.
Summary
Lerwah Lo Bo was born in Burma. After he finished university, he went into the jungle to join the revolutionary movement. After 16 years, he went to Thailand. At some point he was invited to work on a documentary film in the US. On this trip Lerwah applied for refugee status in Canada and seven years into the process, he still had not received full status. The rest of his family came as far as the US. During this time his wife died in a car crash there, and Lerwah could not attend the funeral. He speaks of the loss of his life's dream to keep his family together and to guide his children. He cannot go to the US to see his children.