text: Over the last six decades, the movement of Karen peoples outward has come to be closely associated with one of the world’s most enduring civil conflicts between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the state military, the Tatmadaw. In this panel discussion, Father Vinai’s presentation explored the suffering and injustices felt by communities directly impacted by this conflict and the resilience of Karen people in seeking out a life. Through his vast experience of quite literally walking with the Karen back and forth across the Thailand-Myanmar border, Father Vinai highlighted the artificial nature of borders and the state – a state which for many people, as he notes, has only served to inflict violence and hardship on its citizens.