These two little chain smoking tough guys are Johnny and Luther Htoo, the pint-sized leaders of “God’s Army”, a rebel group from Burma (or “Myanmar’ if you want to get technical. I don’t). These twins were 9 years old when their village was attacked by the Burmese army (they are member of the Karen ethnic minority which apparently the government of Burma has it out for) and where heralded for taking up arms and defending their village from the invaders. Both have given up their struggle and live in Thailand now, but at the height of their rebel careers (around 1999/2000. When they were 12 years old) they boasted several hundred followers who believed, among other things, that they could not be harmed by bullets and land mines, could shape shift, could kill with the power of their minds, and commanded armies of ghosts to aid them in battle. Well holy shit. Thanks to my former teacher and all around cool guy Tomer Hanuka for cluing me in on these guys.
Man, my childhood was a WASTE.
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