11 - The Shan in Myanmar

Summary

Introduction

The Shan sawbwas agreed in 1947 to join Ministerial Burma because of the provision provided for self-determination and the right of secession after ten years of independence. Aung San had correctly noted that it would be a failure on the part of the Myanmar leaders if the Shan still wanted to secede from the Union after the said period. Aung San's guarantee had moved the Shan sawbwas to join Myanmar forgetting what had happened to the Shan states during the past Burmese kings. Because of the decision of the Shan, the Kayah, whose state had been regarded to be in subordinate alliance by the British Government also came into the Myanmar Union. The sincere desire of the Shan and Kayah to live together with the Bamar could be seen at the outbreak of armed insurrections in 1949 by the Kayin, factions of the Burma Communist Party and army mutineers. Altogether thirty-one towns were reported to have been occupied by the rebels (Tinker 1957, p. 45). During that critical period it was the Shan, the Kayah, the Kachin and the Chin leaders who steadfastly stood with the Union government in suppressing the rebellions. Recruits for the Burmese Army were taken from hill people in forming the emergency battalions. In Shan state itself levies (volunteer forces) were formed in every sawbwaship state to repel the insurgents. These facts were provided as proof when the Shan denied the accusation of the Burmese leaders in the 1960s that the federal proposal of the hill people would only lead to the disintegration of the Union.

After the withdrawal of the KNDOs, the Pa-O insurgents remained in the Shan state primarily to disrupt the administration of the Shan state government run by the sawbwas. The Pa-O cause is interesting. The Kuomintang (KMT) intrusion into the Shan state and the actions taken against them by the Union government was also a question that remained to be answered.