Johnny Htoo and Luther Htoo (pronounced 'too', 'H' is silent; born ) are twin brothers who jointly led the God's Army guerrilla group, a splinter group of the Karen National Union, in Myanmar (Burma) during the late 1990s.
Formation of God's Army (1997)
The Htoo twins are from an area of eastern Burma populated by the Karen ethnic group. The Karen and Burmese army had fought at various times for over fifty years, but in the early 1990s the Burmese army launched a major operation to secure the route of an oil pipeline through the area. In March 1997, a local pastor brought the two illiterate nine-year-olds to the local military chief and said the Lord had spoken to them and they would save the Karen people. According to the legend among followers, the twins then rallied defenders of their village by shouting "God's Army!", leading them to a victory over Burmese troops. Various legends claimed that the brothers had numerous magical powers, including invulnerability to bullets and mines, and that they could hand out magical bullets. Supposedly, they could kill by pointing a rifle at the ground and concentrating. One tale claims that Johnny turned himself into an old man and back when bathing in a river. The legend of the boys was embraced by locals who viewed the existing Karen National Union as corrupt and ineffective. A new rebel group called God's Army of the Holy Mountain, or God's Army for short, was thus formed under the nominal leadership of the Htoo twins.
The Htoos came to worldwide attention in January 2000 when 10 members of God's Army seized a hospital in Ratchaburi, Thailand. The group held 700 to 800 patients and staff members hostage for 22 hours. They demanded the Thai government stop shelling Karen positions in Burma and treatment for their wounded. Thai security forces stormed the hospital, killing all 10 of the gunmen.
Surrender and life after God's Army (2001– )
The twins surrendered to Thai soldiers in January 2001 and requested sanctuary. By that time, the number of their followers had dwindled to less than 20.
In 2009, Luther Htoo sought status as a refugee in Sweden and settled in Götene while Johnny Htoo moved to a Thai refugee camp while attempting to go to New Zealand to join his mother and sister. Luther married another Karen refugee in Sweden and fathered three children (boys) with her before divorcing.