Encyclopedia > Johnny and Luther Htoo
Johnny Htoo and Luther Htoo (born 1987?) are twin brothers who jointly led the God's Army guerrilla group—a splinter group of Karen National Union—in Burma during the late 1990s. Gods Army is an armed revolutionary group that opposes the military government of Myanmar and advocates a doctrine vaguely based on principles of Christianity. ... Distinguish from the type of ape called a gorilla. ... The Karen National Union (KNU) is an armed group operating in the border area between Burma and Thailand. ...
According to them and their followers, the twins gained fame 1997 when they commanded the defenders of their village after troops of the Karen National Union had retreated.
Various legends claimed that the twins had numerous magical powers, including invulnerability to bullets and mines and that they could hand out magical bullets. Supposedly, they could kill by pointing a rifle at the ground and concentrating. One tale claims that Johnny turned himself into an old man and back when bathing in a river. Luther claimed he had 250,000 invisible soldiers in his command when Johnny had 150,000. Their flesh-and-blood followers amounted to between 150 and 300 men. Their men referred to them as Bu Lu and Bu Joh. Both were chain smokers. Various anti-tank and anti-personal land mines A landmine is a type of self-contained explosive device which is placed onto or into the ground, exploding when triggered by a vehicle or person. ...
God's Army was situated in Thailand, just across the border from Myanmar. They were from the Karen ethnic group and were a band of Christian guerrillas who maintained an austere lifestyle, including abstinence from sexual intercourse, drugs, alcohol, milk, eggs and pork. In October 1999 God's Army seized the Burmese embassy in Bangkok and the situation ended with their departure. The Karen, also known in Thailand as the Yang or Kariang, are an ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... Distinguish from the type of ape called a gorilla. ... Bangkok from the Chao Phraya River at sunset, July 2004 The Wat Phra Kaew temple Bangkok Metropolitan Administration building Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep ( ▶ (help· info)), or Krung Thep Maha Nakhon ( ▶ (help· info), IPA: ), is the capital and largest city of Thailand, with an official 1990 population of...
The Htoos came to worldwide attention in January 2000 when 10 members of God's Army, seized a hospital in Ratchaburi, Thailand. The group held 700-800 patients and staff members hostage for 22 hours. They demanded the Thai government stop shelling Karen positions in Burma and treatment for their wounded. Thai security forces stormed the hospital, killing all 10 gunmen. Ratchaburi is a town in western Thailand, capital of the Ratchaburi Province. ... A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way. ...
In a 2000 interview, Luther Htoo stated that he wanted freedom for Karens. They were pursued by the Burmese army and shunned by other Karen rebels.
The twins surrendered to Thai soldiers in January 2001 and requested sanctuary. By that time the number of their followers had dwindled to 20. They repudiated the stories about being invulnerable but insisted that God had helped them to survive over the years. They were reunited with their family.
Profile: God's Army at Bbc.co.uk
Categories: 1987 births | Twins | Burmese people BBC Screenshot as of 17th August 2005 bbc. ...
Johnny and Luther Htoo (428 words)
Johnny Htoo and Luther Htoo (born circa 1987) are twin brothers who jointly led the God's Army guerrilla group—a splinter group of Karen National Union—in Burma during the late 1990s.
Luther claimed he had 250,000 invisible soldiers in his command when Johnny had 150,000.
The Htoos came to worldwide attention in January 2000 when 10 members of God's Army, seized a hospital in Ratchaburi, Thailand.
Where are Johnny and Luther Htoo? : Fool Moon (1502 words)
The Htoo twins are the self-appointed (some say divinely chosen) child leaders of a fundamentalist Christian Myanmar guerilla group known as "God's Army." The GA is said to receive some limited support from the KNU (Karen National Union) the main insurgency which has been fighting the Burmese Army controlled by Burma's military dictatorship.
I am to meet with a represenative of the GA soon to work out the details of safely smuggling the twins out of the Burmese/Thailand region and onto a Malaysian cargo container ship which is scheduled to arrive on the west coast of the U.S. sometime in March.
The Htoo's also claim to be able to disarm land mines withh their thoughts, which if true might be yet another indication of the presence of some type of divinity or at least unusual abilities bordering on the supernatural.