Tha Byu

Who was Tha Byu?

Ko Tha Byu was the first Karen Christian and a notable evangelist to the Karen.

He was born in U Twa village near Bassein. In his early life, he reportedly engaged in robbery and was involved in many murders. After being sold as a slave to a Christian Burmese, he was converted to Baptist Christianity by Adoniram Judson in 1828. "Ko" means "older brother" in Burmese; he was called "Maung Tha Byu" by Judson when they first met. Judson recalls that Tha Byu was a vicious and angry person when they first met, and Tha Byu confirms this. After his conversion, though, Tha Byu became an energetic missionary to the Karen people. After twelve years, 1270 Karen had been baptized, with many other believers.