26 May 2025
Karen State, Burma

We are so sad to report the passing of Htoo Htoo Lay, who died on May 17 after fighting cancer for several years. Htoo Htoo Lay was one of the cofounders of the Free Burma Rangers and was one of the top leaders of the movement for freedom in Burma. He had many nicknames, but one of his favorite was “Old Original Ranger.”

As a leader of the Karen National Union (KNU), the Burma Lawyers Association, and numerous other pro-democracy and peace-building groups, Htoo Htoo Lay was the most inspiring and trusted of all leaders in Burma. He was also a man of God, and, to him, more important than any of his roles was being an ambassador for Jesus wherever he went. He was a colonel in the Karen National Liberation Army,  (KNLA) and at the same time was a lay pastor and prayer leader. He had no boundaries of service and treated everyone, from the lowest ranking private to the highest general, from the poorest to the richest, all the same — as children of God deserving of respect. He was physically brave and was wounded multiple times in battle. He always led from the front in war, in church, and in politics. He was the quintessential servant leader, always putting others first.

In 1996, we met as he led the Ethnic Nationalities Seminar. He was the main driving force for ethnic unity and did more than anyone for the cause of freedom, reconciliation, justice, and the growth of democracy in Burma. He had the ability to make enemies into friends, which he said was from God. In 1997, Htoo Htoo Lay helped Eliya and I found the Free Burma Rangers. He has been a guiding light throughout and called himself the old original Ranger, OOR! Everything the Free Burma Rangers have accomplished can be directly attributed to Htoo Htoo Lay’s leadership.

Htoo Htoo Lay was a close friend and helped raise our three children, who always called him “uncle.” From the time each one was born, he carried them in and out of the jungles of Burma. We heard about his passing as we were traveling in US attending the graduation of our daughter Sahale from nursing school, from which she planned to serve Htoo Htoo Lay in Burma. We were actually just getting ready to surf in the ocean before heading back overseas when we saw the news that he had passed. So we took a knee and gave tribute to our dear friend and leader.

His passing is a great loss for us personally, for everyone in FBR, the KNU, and all in Burma, as well as around the world. He traveled extensively advocating for the people of Burma and other countries under oppression, and had friends everywhere. I remember on one of our earliest trips, as we were walking in the jungle with the Burma military close by, my wife Karen asked him how he prayed. Htoo Htoo Lay responded, “I do not pray for protection. I pray that I’m obedient to God‘s will, and do the service of my master Jesus with joy. That way when it’s my time to die, God will welcome me into heaven saying, ‘Well done, Htoo Htoo Lay, my dear servant, faithful and true, come into your rest and come into joy in heaven!'” This is the way Htoo Htoo Lay always lived and we will miss him greatly. We thank God there is a heaven and he is there. We also thank God that Htoo Htoo Lay made the world more like heaven.

Before he passed away, he was able to see with his own earthly eyes the progress that had been made towards freedom in Burma, and people who had been helped because of his leadership and his service. We thank God for him, the greatest leader in Burma we have ever known, and we salute him. We will carry on with hearts of sorrow because we won’t see him on this earth again but also with hearts of joy because we see him forever in heaven. Finally, we also have hearts of gratitude because we had a friend and a leader in him and what we can do because he helped us do it. The Free Burma Ranger motto was made, agreed upon, and prayed over by Htoo Htoo Lay, Eliya and myself in 1997 and the words are:

“Love each other. Unite and work for freedom, justice and peace. Forgive, and don’t hate each other. Pray with faith, act with courage and never surrender!”

These are the words that Htoo Htoo Lay lived by. We thank God for him, his family, his people, and we continue everything in his honor and in the service of God.

Thank you and God bless you,
David, Karen, Sahale, Suu, and Peter Eubank, and all the Free Burma Rangers
Proverbs 3:5-6