A frightening yet fascinating 17 minute film '
Twin Crusade' shot in 2000, can be watched
here.
Where are they now?Luther Htoo and his twin brother Johnny were the boy leaders of God's Army, a Karen militant group in Burma. Only nine years old at the time they founded the group, the boys would eventually surrender to Thai authorities in 2001 after the Burmese army had all but destroyed the operational strength of their outfit.
Much of the publicity surrounding the God's Army was a product of its young leadership. The group became famous after a picture (see right) of the two brothers was published in newspapers around the world. Luther is widely regarded as more vocal and gregarious then his twin, but it is possible that this information was simply extrapolated from this famous image.
According to sources within the tribe, in 1997 a local pastor (the Karen believe in a blend of Christianity and animism) brought the two boys to a military commander, saying they had been touched by God and they could bring salvation to the Karen who had been fighting against the Burmese government for nearly 50 years. The story continues that the two brothers then led a successful military operation against the Burmese army, despite overwhelming odds.
The story of the brother's prowess soon spread to the rest of the tribe, and men flocked to join the God's Army from other Karen militant outfits. Rumors spread that the boys had magical powers and were immune to bullets. At peak strength, the boys reportedly commanded 500 militants.
Despite this, the God's Army soon found itself the target of a renewed Burmese crackdown, and by 2001, the boys' supporters had been whittled down to about 20 fighters. Exhausted, the two brothers crossed the Thai-Burmese border and surrendered to Thai authorities in late January of that year. Johnny and Luther were 13 years old at the time.
The Thai government re-settled Johnny and Luther in a Karen refugee camp where they were re-united with their mother. Despite efforts to bring the Htoo's to the United States, the family continues to reside in this camp.
In July 2006, Johnny reportedly left the camp to return to Burma where he promptly surrendered to Burmese authorities. It is unknown why Johnny left the camp, and by all accounts, Luther remains in Thailand.
Some have speculated that Johnny and Luther were nothing more then figureheads for the God's Army. Thai military officials have commented that the boys were a front for older militants in an effort to raise morale and attract fighters. While this theory certainly seems plausible, and a great deal of information surrounding the Htoo brothers is clearly myth, Johnny and Luther are still widely considered the youngest military commanders in history.
(WikiAnswers)
From David Sylvian’s label Samadhi Sound we hear about an upcoming release from David Sylvian titled Manafon. According to the release, this album is a “powerfully bold, uncompromising work.” The sessions for this album were apparently recorded in December, 2007 and included Evan Parker, John Tilbury, Keith Rowe, Christian Fennesz, Otomo Yoshihide, and others.
