Saw Ba U Gyi

Saw Ba U Gyi (, ; 1905 – 12 August 1950) was the first President of the Karen National Union. Ba U Gyi graduated with a bachelor's degree from Cambridge University in 1925 and studied law in England, passing the English bar in 1927. From 1937 to 1939, he served as the Minister of Revenue of British Burma, and from February to April 1947, as the Minister for Transport and Communications of Burma.

Adulthood Later, he joined the pre-independence cabinet and became Information Minister of Burma. During this time, he began to work to gain independence for the Karen people. In September 1945, he was one of the leaders of the Karen Central Organization. He and the KCO asked the British that they be granted their own homeland. On 25 August 1946, he and other Karen leaders arrived in London to get Karen their homeland. At this time, the British controlled Karen land and he went to Great Britain in an effort to regain control of the land for his people, but the British refused and did not give it back to them. Instead the British gave it to Burma. On 27 January 1947, the British agreed with Aung San-Attlee, the Burmese president, and gave him and the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) rule over Burma. Saw Ba U Gyi had joined the AFPFL in 1944 which was struggling for Burmese independence. He disagreed with the AFPFL political line and resigned to lead the Karen National Union. His corpse was reportedly transported four miles out to sea where it was thrown overboard.

Ba U Gyi's four principles are still held as the guiding Principles of the Revolution of the Karen National Union: Surrender is out of the question The recognition of the Karen State must be completed. We shall retain our arms. We shall decide our own political destiny.