Saw Eh Htoo was born in the Irrawaddy River Delta in 1976, to a Karen family. He later moved to Yangon where he studied Philosophy (B.A.), Christian Studies (M.A.) and Cultural Anthropology (M.A.). At the time of his death he was completing his PhD dissertation at Payap University, Chiangmai, on which this book is based. He founded a Myanmar NGO Kaw Lah Foundation which did applied field research in Rakhine, Chin, Shan and Kayin (Karen) States; and Bago Region in Myanmar.
Tony Waters is a Professor of Sociology currently at Leuphana University (Germany). Previously he taught at Payap University in Thailand, and at California State University, Chico, USA. He is the author of academic books and articles dealing with issues of social theory, East Africa, mainland Southeast Asia, refugees, and other sociological subjects.