Bangkok  – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday shut down its “relief air bridge” to Myanmar after delivering 4 million tons of cargo from Bangkok to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.

Thai authorities were quick to offer Don Mueang, Bangkok’s old international airport, as a logistics hub for the massive relief effort for neighbouring Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which hit the impoverished country in May, leaving about 140,000 dead or missing and another 2.4 million badly in need of food, medicine and shelter.

The international relief effort was initially stalled by Myanmar’s ruling military junta, which was reluctant to allow an unhindered influx of cargo and foreign aid workers into the cloistered country.

By establishing a logistics hub in Bangkok, the United Nations was able to eventually speed up air deliveries to the cyclone victims in Myanmar once the regime eased their restrictions.

“For the WFP and the wider UN and NGO community, the air hub was critical for the provision of vital relief supplies to the people of Myanmar,” said Tony Banbury, Asia regional director for the WFP.

In the three months since the opening of the Don Mueang humanitarian air bridge on May 24, 232 relief flights were dispatched to Myanmar, he said.

Nearly 4 million kilograms of cargo were delivered, including shelter materials, medical supplies, mosquito nets and water-purification equipment.

Ten chartered WFP helicopters were also sent through the Bangkok air bridge, arriving in Yangon in early June, where they flew relief supplies into the heart of the disaster zone in the Irrawaddy Delta.

Two helicopters remain in operation there.

The UN relief effort for the victims of Cyclone Nargis was expect to continue for months, but the delivery system has largely shifted to the affected areas in Myanmar and is being handled by ships and trucks, WFP officials said.

http://www.topnews.in/un-ends-bangkok-air-bridge-myanmar-261013

Myanmar charter vote a first step – ASEAN

By Nopporn Wong-Anan in Stars

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Myanmar’s ruling generals should be given the benefit of the doubt if they are serious about moving the country toward democracy, Surin Pitsuwan, chief of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said on Tuesday. 

Incoming Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan listens to a question during an interview with Reuters in Singapore November 22, 2007. (REUTERS/Tim Chong)

“It has to begin somewhere and now it has a clear, definite beginning,” Surin said of the junta’s planned May referendum on an army-written constitution, followed by elections in 2010.

“I think it is a development in the right direction,” the former Thai foreign minister told Reuters on the sidelines of a business seminar in Bangkok.

The announcement by the military, which has ruled the former Burma in various guises since 1962, has been derided as a “sham” by the United States and pro-democracy activists who say the vote will be held in a “climate of fear”.

Surin said the international community’s growing frustration at Myanmar’s intransigent generals was understandable, but he said they should be given a chance to fulfil their pledges.

“Everybody has their own agenda on the issue,” said Surin, who leads one of the few international groupings that allow Myanmar into the club.

“We have to wait and see how things are going to develop and unfold. Whether these steps are going to lead to true national reconciliation which is what people inside have been asking for and the international community has been waiting for,” he said.

The army held elections in 1990, but refused to hand over power to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, which boycotted the constitution-drafting process while its leader remained under house arrest.

Although not yet completed, snippets of the charter revealed in state-controlled media suggest the army commander-in-chief will be the most powerful figure in the country, able to appoint key ministers and assume power “in times of emergency”.

Surin said Myanmar’s announcement would be discussed by ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Singapore later this month.

“I am sure they will be very keen to ask some questions and to consult among themselves how they can contribute or help,” said Surin, who was critical of Myanmar when he served as Thailand’s foreign minister from 1997-2000.

Western governments have called on Myanmar’s neighbours — ASEAN, India and China — to put pressure on the generals after they ordered the army to crush the biggest pro-democracy protests in 20 years last September.

Despite rare expressions of discomfort at last September’s crackdown, in which at least 31 people were killed, Myanmar’s neighbours refuse to contemplate sanctions, saying words are more effective tools.

…

ASEAN is just trying a Birth Certificate for the BASTARD. Please read my article in full.

Illegitimate SPDC government

trying to legalize the bastard

 I hope Burma Digest leaders could forgive me for using some rough words that may cross the red line in normal polite literature but then only the truth could be seen easily. But as even our dear Bogyoke Aung San had also used in his brilliant speeches, to hit point blank, we may need some times to refrain from the wavering diplomatic jargons (Speech or writing having unusual or pretentious vocabulary, convoluted phrasing, and vague meaning) and utilize some direct hit words that could be seen as a little bit rough, uncouth or vulgar. (bastard=son born out of wedlock)

By MARINA MAHATHIR

Read more in The Star

We see the constant blaming of foreign workers for all our ills, but none of it can really stand up to scrutiny. 

IT’S a tried and true political strategy that when things aren’t quite rosy, one should distract the people by focusing on something else or coming up with a bogeyman.  

The former diverts attention from what is really on peoples’ minds, while the latter seeks someone or something else to blame. Sometimes politicians even attempt a combination of both. 

Peopleare concerned about ethnic inequalities; and third, about crime and public safety. Everything else, including politics, corruption, drug abuse and illegal immigrants rank much further down the list. 

People are concerned about how they may go about their daily lives at a reasonable level of comfort and safety.  

Can their lives carry on as before, or even improve? And can they and their families walk about without fear for their personal safety? 

They obviously also see ethnic inequalities as a contributing threat to the peaceful environment in which they can earn a living, work and play securely. 

But are these what matters to those up there? Instead, we have old stories regurgitated to distract from what is new.  

The bogeyman tactic is, we see the constant blaming of foreign workers for everything,

• from lack of jobs,

• to crime

• and violence,

• and to the spread of diseases.

• None of it can really stand up to scrutiny.  

It may be politically correct to complain about foreign workers taking jobs from locals, but these are not jobs that locals want.  

Who exactly wants to work in plantations, clean toilets or care for other people’s babies?  

If it were true that locals want these jobs, then we should set up job agencies specialising in filling up these vacancies with only locals. 

It is disingenuous to say that foreigners keep “pouring in” to take up employment here when we know that many of these foreigners are being duped into selling everything they have to pay unscrupulous agents, and then finding that no jobs await them here.  

If these jobs do not exist for them, then obviously they don’t exist for locals either. 

Neither is it honest to say that foreigners are contributing to the rise in crime in this country. The police statistics themselves dispute these.  

According to a fascinating paper by the Royal Malaysian Police, in 2004, the proportion of crimes committed by foreigners was only 2% of the total crime index, and on a per capita basis Malaysians commit more crimes than foreigners.  

Incidentally, the police statistics do not really support the perception that there is a huge rise in violent crime. Most crimes in the country are in fact property crimes such as car theft. 

But it serves political purposes to fuel this negative perception of foreigners with racist and stereotyped “facts”. For instance, it is not true that foreigners are running around full of disease and infecting locals.  

Malaysians still make up the vast majority of people infected with HIV, and they are certainly infecting each other and not foreigners.  

To imply that we should bar foreigners from coming in because of their alleged criminal intent and diseases is actually not going to contribute much to any sustainable solution.  

Incidentally, the same police paper puts the blame on economic inequalities and unemployment as the reasons for crime, a situation not unlike many countries in the world. 

Ahead of elections, we need to keep focused on the real issues, even while politicians try to distract us with fairytales.

Kudos to honest foreign worker at food court

JOANNE CHONG RODRIGUES,  Kuala Lumpur.  

I AGREE with Marina Mahathir’s “The bogeyman’s to blame,” (The Star, Jan 30). She provided examples and statistics to clear the misconception that the influx of foreign workers is the reason behind the increasing crime rate. 

I attest to the fact that foreigners cannot be blamed for the rising crime rates.  

We are expatriates from Singapore living in KL for the past year. On Jan 19, my family and I were dining at the MidValley Food Junction. Due to my carelessness, I left my wallet there. 

I lodged a police report with the hope of retrieving the wallet with important documents intact.  

The next day, my bank contacted me to say that someone had found my wallet and called them as the telephone number was on my bankcard.  

When I went to collect my wallet, I was amazed to note that it was a staff of the Food Junction who found my wallet on the table.  

The money was still in it and no documents were missing. 

I would like to thank Omar Faruk who took the effort to report the matter to his branch manager Kassim Lakana. 

It was the latter that took the initiative to contact my bank. 

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Omar for his integrity. 

Your actions have definitely changed our perception of foreign workers in KL. 

and the Starling Theory

By Goldie Shwe and Terry Evans

Following is excerpt of the Original Article,

In Burma, where the gun-toting junta is the only authority, it is hardly surprising that most people just keep their heads down and get on with the daily struggle of putting enough food on the table. Making yourself conspicuous in the eyes of the military or their plain-clothes thugs could result in imprisonment on the slightest pretext.

So how on earth have the people of Taunggok, located about 50 miles north of Thandwe, a major seaport in Southern Burma, managed to taunt the all-powerful junta in a defiant display of resistance?

These days most Burmese civilians are too frightened even to look a son or daughter of a military officer straight in the eye when they are out shopping in a big super store. However, in Taunggok, people openly express their displeasure at the corrupt officials who are ruining their country. While the majority of Burmese in towns and cities were still nursing the wounds inflicted by the generals during last September’s protests, the people of Taunggok regrouped and planned a fresh round of demonstrations. When forced to abandon this idea by an increased military presence in the town, they started a poster war against the junta instead.

Where do they get their courage? How do they manage to display these never-say-die attitudes? The answer is quite simple: they just stick to basics, and use their animal instincts to take on the predatory military. The repressed residents of Taunggok have worked out that, when you are so far from the top of the food chain, you must be united to survive against the increasingly violent junta.

Recently, researchers have discovered how vast flocks of starlings manage to stay together when under attack by predators, never leaving any of their number isolated and vulnerable. Each starling constantly tracks seven others as they fly, in order to respond instantly to changes of direction. Cohesion may be threatened under attack, but the flock can regroup very quickly, ready to deal with the next threat.

The courageous citizens of Taunggok have proved that strength flows from unity. They have also shown the importance of responding to a threat without delay. These crucial yet simple lessons learnt from the starlings appear to be gaining traction for the people of Taunggok; the rest of Burma may soon follow their courageous example.

To read the full text

“God save the King”

At Rangoon University Student Meetings

During one of the student meetings, in late 20’s, at the Rangoon University all the students stoop-up to sing the “God save the King” in front of the British Colonial ruler’s Union Jack flag as a respect and salute.

But one student defiantly refused to stand up to sing the song and continue sitting in front of all the students. At the end of the song, he stood-up and addressed the student in English as it was the norm for all the university students.

“Comrade Students, please kindly allow me to speak for a moment. All of us here are Burmese but there is not even a single white English student amongst us, coming here from England to study. During our Myanmar national students’ meeting, if all of you just think over carefully about the song you all just sang, “God save the King”. I am trying to prove here a very important point; every right thinking person with the capacity to see the truth understand that the King of England is the king of the white people but not our king. It is shameful to pray for the occupier colonial master King of England.

He was Ko Htun Sein, a Burmese Muslim Mathematic Tutor, invited by Ko Htun Lu, the famous First (1920) Student Boycott leader. He later resigned from the tutor post and enlisted as a student to read Law at Rangoon University.

Since then, student meetings were held without the singing the “God save the King”. University authorities tried to take action for Ko Htun Sein’s action of instigating, But they were not successful but just let off the hook with stern warnings because of Ko Htun Sein’s smart rebuttals.

We could not blame Christian dominant UNHCR and the donor western Christian countries for failing to assist non – Christian people of Burma/Myanmar with full enthusiasm when all the Muslim countries and Buddhist countries failed to even lift a finger to help Burmese/Myanmar refugees and people.

One Rohingya named, Altaff is a handicapped person. He suffered from ?Motor Neurone disease while staying here in Malaysia. UNHCR/NGO white lady doctor told him mercilessly that he could not be cured for life and WRONGLY accused him as hereditary disease.

One of those white ladies refused to help a Burmese refugee with blood in the urine, but the worse part is, she shouted rudely that he is not going to die tomorrow, does not need the urgent help. But that poor refugee was admitted to a government hospital next day on his own and sadly passed away within few days.

And another Burmese Buddhist lady with Toxic Multinodular goitre, with the proof of blood and ultrasound results, was told by the RUDE WHITE LADY DOCTOR from UNHCR that she could not die the next day or next month. She could even wait for a year and given the medicines and sent back.

The patient throw away the UNHCR afflated NGO Clinic medicine, went to the private hospital, the specialist look at the obvious MNG, glanced at the blood, Ultrasound reports and decided immediately but correctly that she needed operation. But as the prices are high, she went to the government hospital, seen a professor/specialist, done further tests and given her date for operation.

We later heard the rumours that UNHCR and those doctors were taught by some refugees the ways of how to scold the refugees and how to use delaying tactics to get under-table “donations”.

Christian and Buddhist friendships

are superior to the

 Islamic-brotherhood

Michael Jackson – They Dont Care About Us lyrics 

• Sikinhead, deadhead
• Everybody gone bad
• Situation aggravation
• Everybody allegation
• in the suite, on the news
• everybody dogfood
• Bang bang shock dead
• Everybodys gone bad
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
  
• Beat me, hate me
• You can never break me
• Will me, thrill me
• You can never kill me
• Chew me, sue me
• Everybody do me
• Kick me hike me
• Dont you black or
  white me!
  
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care
  about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care
  about us
  
• Tell me what has
• become of my life
• I have a wife and two
• childre who love me
• I am the victim of police
• brutality, now
• Im tired of bein the
• of hate, youre rapin
• me of my pride
• Oh for Gods sake
• i look to heaven to ful-
• fill its prophecy…
• Set me free
  
• Skinhead, deadhead
• Everybody gone bad
• Trepidation, speculation
• Ecerybody allagation
• In the suite on the news
• Everyboda dogfood
  
• Black man black male
• Throw the brother
• in jail
  
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
  
• Tell me what has become
• of my rights
  
• Am I ivisible cause you
• ignore me?
• Your proclamation
• promised me free liberty
• Im tired of bein the victim
• of shame
• Theyre throwinme in a
• clas with a bad name
• I cant believe this is the
• land from which I came
• The government dont
• wanna see, but if
• Roosevelt was livin he
• wouldt let this be, no,no
  
• Skinhead, deadhead
• Everybody gone bad
• Situation, specultaion
• Everybody litigarion
• Beat me, bash me
• You can never trash me
• Hit me, kick me
• You can never get me
  
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
  
• Some things in life they
• just dont wanna see
  
• But if Martin Luther was
• livin, he wouldnt let
• this be no, no
• Skinhead, deadhead
• Everybodys gone bad
• Situation Segregarion
• Everybody allegation
  
• In the suite an the news
• Everybody dogfood
• kick me Hike me
• Dont you wrong or
• right me
  
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
  
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
  
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us
• All I wann say is that
• They dont really care about us

•  Michael Jackson – They Dont Care About Us lyrics

Dear loving son,

Don’t cry for me dear son.

This is my fault that I wrongly refused to accept the sponsor of my relatives in US, UK and Australia and had decided to migrate to this Muslim country, about one quarter of the century ago. I am willing to pay for my wrong judgment.

Actually nowadays in this so called Muslim country, discriminations on all the Burmese citizens, from the refugees up to the Muslim professionals is obviously practiced without caring for the numerous appeals and requests from NGOs, UNHCR and etc..

You should understand that we, Myanmars/Burmese are the 14th ++ Grade foreigners in this country and may be at the similar status in all the other Islamic Nations around the world. [Face of George Washington (USD) is practically more precious for these OIC Muslims than portrait-less Prophet. (pbuh)]

The rank of foreigners here_

1. US,

2. UK,

3. EU,

4. Australia

5. Japan,

6. Korea,

7. Taiwan,

8. Singapore,

9. Saudi Arabia

10. Indonesians (In some fields of getting citizenships, they stand far in front of all others.)

11. Other ASEAN countries,

12. Common Wealth countries

13. Other rich countries

14. Other Muslim countries

15. +++++ may be Myanmar/Burmese

I wrote directly about this unfair, discriminations to the relevant authorities but there is no improvement in the treatment even on Myanmar Muslim professionals.

Dear son, I hope you had read my article about Islam Hadari. If not, read this_

Humble request to the Prime Minister of Malaysia

Dear son, there are a lot of BIG little Nepoleans successfully introducing one RED TAPE after another on all the different type of Burmese Migrants in this country.

Dear son, I hope you could remember a great towerring Muslim, Allahyarham Prof Dato’ Dr Syed Hussein Alatas (May Allah allow his soul to rest in peace). Because of my letter to him to tap the brain drain from Burma after 88 revolution, he circulated my letter to every head of department of UM and even invited me to work in UM. He decided to send a team to recruit the Burmese Specialists. It is now history! There are a lot of Myanmar doctors, MOs and Specialists working in University Malayia and UHKL.

Dear son, 

1. Because of the newly implemented another RED TAPE requiring the police security clearance, some of the  police officers are unnecessarily delaying  the reply and some of the PR applicants need to wait for numerous months.

2. As the saying goes, “Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

3. I wrongly believed that grass in our neighbour Muslim country would be more halal and Islamic grass would be greener than the grass from the non-Islamic countries.

4. When looked from the far, the blurred vision of the democracy was flawless and perfect.

5. I wrongly believed in the so called Muslim brotherhood.

6. Ha, Ha, brothers-in-Islam?

7. How naived I was!

8. I erroneously believed all these bullshits.

9. For those rich Muslims, we are non-existent entity.

10. For them, rich Arabs are their brothers-in-Islam.

11. Blue blooded Bosnia orang puteh Muslims are their brothers.

12. Only Malay blooded refugees like:

• Indonesians

• Pashus from Burma,

• Thailand,

• Vietnam,

•  are their Brother-in-Islam to take care of and earmarked for first track citizenship.

All the OIC leaders will shout emptily for Palestinians and Iraqis as their mantras.

• They all just used to condemn the US and Israel as a popular slogan to gain votes from their Muslim citizens.

• And later paid the US middlemen lobbyists million of USD to arrange for the audience with US Presidents to apologize their public shoutings by giving lame excuses as if to trick their local radical Islamist voters.

• Rohingyas are also in and out of detention camps.

When I read about_

• The Thai King granting citizenships to Myanmar Ethnic Minority villages at the border

• The issuing of Pink Cards to the Burmese Refugee Children which gives them the to get all the rights of the Thai Children.

• Thai Chiang Mai’s  mayor and police chief’s attendance to the Mosque opening ceremony Burmese Muslim refugee from Taungoo. (But cruel Myanmar Tatmadaw government refused to allow local Muslims to repair the damaged Taungoo Mosques)

• The Islamic school at the border is funded by Christian missionaries.

• American Jew, Soros is also helping the Burmese Muslims.

When even the government servant Myanmar professionals’ children were refused admission to the government schools nowadays, all the Myanmar Illegals’ Children’s education is out of question.

But the government newspapers’ front page report with the photograph about 3000 schools built by the government for Indonesian Illegals shows the extent of unfairness and the lack of level playing field.

Although we were government servants, my children were blatently denied places even in our respective universities and mercilessly advised to send our children to private universities.

Even if we use all of our monthly pay for our children’s private university fees, it may not be enough. (Doctors’ salary here is lower than nurses’ salary in the west and almost equivalent to the ambulance drivers’ salaries. No wonder no Orang Puteh doctors accept to work here and they have to rely on third world doctors, South Asia and Myanmar doctors.)

So once we got the PR, I sadly left government service and my carrier for the sake of children’s education.

But I need to take the house refinancing for three times for your private education. Even that is not yet enough for your youngest sister.

Be patient my son, don’t angry, you are going to be a doctor soon. I hope you and your younger brother could chip in for this youngest one.

Sorry son, I tried my best, working more than twelve hours every day without any rest. I worked on public holidays and rest on two Eids only. (Sometimes give lame excuses as not getting Locum replacement doctor and tried to sneak back to the clinic on those Eid days!)

I know that you are angry and sad because even that is not enough for the repayment of your education loans.

And instead of helping the migrants, some people take our hard earned money by overcharging us. ( But they were generous with the Bosnia Muslims. Each family was given apartments free of charge. Water, electricity and health were free. They were given ID cards stating that they were not subject to Immigration laws, they were allowed to stay and work anywher without limits.) Their lame excuse was, those Bosnias suffered really from war and WRONGLY accused all of us that we are the economic migrants.

Dear son, why do you want to be one month older than me, as the Burmese saying goes. I know the Esoup fable you whisper to me. The wolf would accuse that if that if it was not that sheep it may be its father, who dirtied the water, last year. Whether the sheep explain that it was down stream or it was not born yet last year would be not accepted as the truth.

Yes son, I was wavering and almost miss the point!

Blue IC holders around the world got the privileges as the citizens except for the voting rights (In Ireland PR are even granted that chance) and right to be elected as people’s representative.

All of the  PR Students up to the Universities got the same rights as citizens, including loans and scholarships. Here only they even denied this humanitarian assistances and have the heart to further take our hard earned money at the PRIVATE HIGH PAYING UNIVERSITIES.

Burmese Muslims were still given places in International Islamic Universities but nowadays they are denied to be accepted in_

1. Medical,

2. Engineering and

3. it is even quite difficult to get the Law

One Rohingya named, Altaff is a handicapped person. He suffered from ?Motor Neurone disease while staying here. For his daughter’s school admission, one Samaritan with the good connection sent him up to the MOE, director. Director told him that only if he has a Passport his daughter could get the special permission to go to government school.

That was the last straw that breaks the camel’s neck. Altaff retorted that even that cruel Myanmar Military Generals had allowed him to go to the government school and that the Director’s country Muslims are worse than the Kafir Generals!

Anti-Muslim, notorious Military Dictator Ne Win had allowed your father, me, to study in the Medical College

And the another Rohingya Medical doctor who had earned a MSc Computer  Science from the National Government University and worked here in two universities for 14 years was denied PR here. What a shame when this government could easily grant citizenship to Indonesian taxi-drivers, sweepers, toilet cleaners etc.

He was holding Bangladeshi Passport, and the another SO CALLED MUSLIM brother country, Bangladesh refused to renew his PP. So he has no choice but to join the tour group to Australia. He was granted refugee with PR status in less than three months. Next week, he got the letters from his children’s school his wife’s college and his University,  congratulating him for the PR and advising to collect back the refunds he had paid.

Here, although they CAN give numerous scholarships with different naming to the SPDC chosen students (read their children and military top generals’ relatives) they are denying us all the government help.

After-all almost all of the GLC or government linked companies had refused to grant our clinic as panel. Those companies who joined the Health Care Management companies that we are serving selected out our clinic. Even when the Income tax department, which collects tax on every person irrespective of race and origin, discriminated us and appointed their own race clinics.

My son, with God’s will, you are going to earn a Medical Degree at a reputed university soon. Be patient and you should be proud of. However, it was more sadness than pride that ruled the day when you are crying for me. Don’t worry dear son, I hope Allah would be on our side.

Dear son, I was like you, very sad and angry in 60’s.

Arabs shamefully lost the six day war and Mohamed Ali also lost his heavy weight title. This adds salt to my lost at the national level student completion. From that day onwards, when I perform my regular prayers (could only fullfil/perform about three times out of five) but I refrained to lift my hands and refused to pray/ask anything from God for about a year. (May Allah forgive me for that sin) But I think, all knowing, merciful Allah had forgiven a child’s misbehaviour and rewarded me with unimaginable rewards.

I hereby thanked Tun Dr M and family for their kind change of heart on our family members and the interview granted to us.

I hereby salute DSAI and friends for the helps extended to us when they were in office and for the brilliant lecture give in Hong Kong last week. We also thank Datin Seri for the kind interview and continuous support for our cause.

But dear children, I understand that although we are here for about a quarter of a century but still denied the right to even apply for the citizenship here.

The Rohingya doctor who had migrated to Australia one and a half year ago, telephoned me that his family is going to get the citizenship within six months.

So if you get a chance,

• go son,

• migrate to the non Muslim country

• as Muslim Governments around the world are hopeless.

• I had made a mistake not to accept my relatives’ invitation from UK, US and Australia.

• For me it is too late as I am at the end of my carrier.

My youngest daughter was born here and never been to Burma, could not even read a Burmese word. But she is same as all of us, discriminated because of the creed.

In today’s increasingly common parlance, I wish to remind all of my children that even your children would be treated as a third generation ‘pendatang’. Although we all are Muslims, your children’s father’s name (that is you) has no bin and he could be denied his rights. You and I, i.e. all of the Myanmar migrants are not like the certain Chief Minister, whose father was an Indonesian migrant lorry driver.

As the DPM declared that illegal immigrant children would be rewarded with instant citizenship rewards. I wrote to the present PM to grant direct citizenships to our family because one of his deputies’ wife told me to stop complaining and ask what I want, when I wrote to Tun Dr M. She could not understand and even refused to accept the truth that I complaint only when our requests are denied. I wrote to the YAB PM whether we should tear off our Myanmar PPs to become illegals in order to qualify for that offer. We were replied to follow the procedure, that is waiting for another few years to be eligible to APPLY for that. It is a gross unfair practice as some of the people are giving short cut.

And Dr Kamal, Rohingya Myanmar Muslim they denied PR after 14 years was granted the same status within three months in a Christian Australia.

 He is sure going to get the Australian citizenship in six months but we need to wait more than that to be eligible to apply for the citizenship here. I would definitely die before getting it.

We could not sponsor our relatives; parents, brothers and sisters etc. My parents went for Umrah (small Haj) and on the way back home came and visit us here. We never meet for ten years, so they puasa (fasting) almost the whole month of Ramdam. Their visa finished few days before Eid or Hari Raya. The Malay Muslim Immigration officer refused to extend their visa regardless of our appeal.

Dear son, I know you were sad because your grandparents could not spend the Eid with us. You were puzzled because my grand uncle (my father’s elder brother, a Burmese Muslim, who was holding UK passport was allowed to stay here. You were very young son. For him there is a special Immigration counter, no need to queue and although we requested for one week extension, the Immigration officer smiled and stamed three months’ extension. That was free of charge and she advised my uncle to just take a round trip to Singapore, just pass the Singapore Immigration, turn round into the check-in countre to come back here. He could stay forever like this by doing this every six months! ASEAN membership and ASEAN Charter is just bull shit! Useless for Myanmar citizens!

My brother came here to invest and do a business in view of migrating later. Although he needs to show RM 300,000, he showed RM 500,000 and bought a company. Our Malay friend advised and pointed out that we need a local partner, PRINCE OF THE LAND with 30% investment. So we paid that 30% share, free of charge, to one of our trusted friend, who believed to be able to pull the cables, appointed him a Chairman. Of course we need to pay him the necessary service fees and salary. As that man was over confident and avoid to pay the necessary officials, our business application was rejected and the Malaysian Immigration refused to extend his visa. THE LAME EXCUSE WAS, BECAUSE OUR BUSINESS APPLICATION INVOLVED A LOCAL, Visa for the foreign partner could be approved or the extension of the social visa, the business must be started. Catch 22? I wrote to the PM about these unfair restrictions but sadly DSAI is the only person who dares to give a speech about this in Hong Kong, last week.

Dear son, if I had decided to migrate to the more HUMAINE Christian west, I would definitely allowed by their just laws to legally  sponsor my parents, brothers, sisters and relatives not only to stay there, but to migrate and get citizenships! Sorry dear Papa and Ar Mar and brothers. I migrated to the wrong place; I cannot help you all to be free from the KILLER THAN SHWE’S MILITARY.

After seeing the latest Rambo, many of my patients, especial teenagers asked me about my parents and relatives back home. They advised me to bring them here but I have to bluff with a smiling face, although my heart is crying, that they have business and properties and refused to migrate. But I could not pretend for long if the inquisitive kids probe more. My tears flow automatically and my voice trembled. Then only they understand that I am trying to cover the truth.

So what are we griping about in the land of blue skies and ‘ais kachang’?

Our land of blue skies could and should have been a land of milk, honey and plenty. Instead, we have increasingly Burmanization every where here.

Now I sadly know my dear son_

1. “The grass may not be greener on the other side,

2. but the skies are more blue.

3. And even if the grass is not greener,

4. it is grass you can stand on with your head held high.

5. Don’t follow the footsteps of a fool like me

6. To believe in the illusion of Islamic-brotherhood,

7. Chasing the mirage Islamic Paradise

8. Try to migrate to the Christian West

9. There may be a glass ceiling  above you

10. But your status would not be 15++ foreigner like here

11. And at least at the same status as Indonesians,

12. not far below them like here.”

Khoda Hafiz

Your loving father

Dr San Oo Aung

Post Script

One of the most important values of Islam is to_

1. ‘propagating good and

2. forbidding evil’.
   

‘Propagating good and forbidding evil’ _

1. is not optional.

2. It is compulsory.

3. Islam makes it mandatory that we oppose evil.

We are asked to oppose evil with our hands.

Our Prophet (pbuh) has been asked by God:

1. “I have been ordered to dispense justice between you.”

2. “Whenever you judge between people, you should judge with (a sense of) justice” (4:58).

Your prayers are between you and God. Whether you perform them or not is between you and God. But if you do not stand up for justice and fight against evil, oppression, persecution, etc., then it is no longer between you and God.

But by not opposing evil you have not sinned against God. On the fellow human beings.  God can forgive you for not praying. God can forgive you for the beer you drink every night. But God will never forgive you for your sins against society.

Islam lays down rights for man as a human being. In the Holy Quran, God has said:

• “And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved the lives of all mankind” (5:32).

•  A man may be ill or wounded, irrespective of his nationality, race or colour.

• If you know that he is in need of your help, then it is your duty that you should arrange for his treatment for disease or wound.

• If he is dying of starvation, then it is your duty to feed him so that he can ward off death.

• If he is drowning or his life is at stake, then it is your duty to save him.

• And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and destitute. (51:19)

• Anyone who needs help, irrespective of the race, religion or citizenship has a right in the property and wealth of the Muslims.

• If you are in a position to help and a needy person asks you for help or if you come to know that he is in need, then it is your duty to help him.

• “Indeed, the noblest among you before God are the most heedful of you” (49:13).

See also_

1. Humble request to the Prime Minister of Malaysia 
2. Some Islamic values that rich muslim leaders try to ignore

3. Myanmar/Burmese Muslims under SPDC

4. Myanmar Refugee/Migrant pilot Project Proposal I

5. Myanmar Refugee/Migrant pilot Project Proposal II

6. Interview with Chairman of Global Peace Malaysia (English)

7. Advising OIC to re-brand and repackage the image of Islam

8. Islamic practices Vs Islamic values

9. I dream of speaking with DSAI, former D.P.M. of Malaysia

10. Wake up call for UNHCR

11. UN, US and EU should investigate the discriminating ASEAN laws on Burmese citizens

12. “Brain Drain” to “Brain Gain”

13. Exploiting Human Beings…A Global Disease? Marina Tun Mahathir Mohamad, daughter of former Malaysia PM

14. Redundant Rela

15. Asean embraces a rogue regime while inking a Charter for Big Business

16.  UN, US, EU and ASEAN must consider for the Restitution to Myanmar/Burmese Citizens

17. Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar 

18. 6. Justice 7. Equality of Humans 8. The Right to Co-operate or Not to

19. Myanmar’s Muslim sideshow

20. THE SITUATION OF MUSLIMS IN BURMA 

21. Easy Targets: The Persecution of Muslims in Burma

22. The Outsiders: Burmese Muslims

23. Rohingya refugees’ dilemma remains unsolved

24. Rights and moral conducts of the Muslims

25. ASEAN’s moral fibre

26. DREAMS OF MYANMAR/BURMESE MUSLIMS

27. OUR REQUEST TO THE SPDC GOVERNMENT

28. Last appeal letter to God

29. Common virtues of Buddhism and Islam 

  

          

while inking a Charter for Big Business

By_Anilnetto

So the Asean leaders have signed a Charter in the “wonderfully democratic nation of Singapore” in the company of leaders from Burma’s rogue regime. (Check out this excellent documentary “Burma’s Secret War”.)

Each member nation now has to take the Charter back to their home countries so that it can be ratified by their respective parliaments -

• which shouldn’t be much of a problem,

• considering how democratic Asean member nations are

• and how much their governments have the interests of the people at heart.

• Which leads to the question: why not a referendum as this is a hugely important document that affects the peoples of 10 nations? That will be the day…

Civil society groups that lament that_

• the charter is too state-centred

• rather than people-centred are missing the point.

It was_

• never meant to be people-centred

• - even though that is what most ordinary people would have wanted,

• had they been consulted.

• That is why most of the work of drafting the charter was carried out behind closed doors -

• Although an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) did briefly consult a sample of civil society groups.

The EPG leader, Musa Hitam, had told civil society representatives that_

• he considered the inclusion of a reference to a human rights mechanism or body as a great achievement.

• But such a body would predictably be toothless -

• if and when it is formalised – for some time to come.

So let’s not get side-tracked by_

• the lip-service paid to human rights

• or the sweet -sounding, but ultimately unenforceable, pledges about democracy.

The Charter is not about_

• protecting the rights of ordinary people

• including migrant workers,

• refugees

• and asylum seekers.

If it was, do you really think those undemocratic or authoritarian governments among the Asean member nations would have signed it?

Instead, it’s all about_

• facilitating the interests of Big Business

• as well as providing an institutionalised framework

• that would, among other things, pave the way for the EU-Asean FTA

• and further the “free trade” and neo-liberal agenda.

How terribly, terribly sad for the people of Asean!

Charo Says:

Yeah Anil.

ASEAN is and was always paying lip service and showing face to each other.

That has not changed.

If the mentality has not changed for the last 50 years -

• situations like Burma will remain the same.

• Besides, ASEAN does not want to face China, if they go against Burma.

• China has vested interests in Burma.

• My Dreams come true.

• Actions speak louder than words.

• Indirectly confirmed by DSAI’s speech/lecture that I was not wrong in my dreams in reading his mind.

• A written word is more effective than thousands of spoken words.

• The Chinese proverb says it best: “the faintest ink lasts longer than the best memory.”

• Harold Adams Innis : As the oral tradition of speech gave way to the dominance of writing_

• The written record, signed, sealed and swiftly transmitted was essential to military power and the extension of government. Small communities were written into large states and states were consolidated into empire.

• In Burmese, we have a saying, “Nhote Ta’ Yar_Sarr Ta’ Lone”, meaning: A hundred of spoken words are equivalent to just one written word.
  

  Keynote eynote address by Anwar Ibrahim at the Institute of Social Sciences conference on Democracy in India, December 6, 2007 in New Delhi 

  The following speech was delivered at the Institute of Social Sciences Conference on Democracy in India.

  Justice J.S. Verma, Former Chief Justice of India and Former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of India, opened the conference.

  Other speakers are: Mr. Roel von Mijenfeldt, Director, Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (www.nimd.org), Carl Gershman, Director of the National Endowment for Democracy (www.ned.org), and Dr. Farooq Abdallah, Former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, and etc.

  Your Excellencies and Distinguished Guests. Dr. George Matthew and Dr. Ash Roy, Carl Gershman. Ladies and Gentleman.

  Please read DSAI’s lecture because I hereby just presented some gist s only as notes.

  Please permit me to begin by _

  • Quoting the great Rabindranath Tagore,
  • from his book of poems known as A Flight of Swans – Poems from Balaka:

  • I hear the countless voices of the human heart
  • Flying unseen,
  • From the dim past to the dim unblossomed future
  • Hear, within my own breast,
  • The fluttering of the homeless bird which,
  • In company with countless others,
  • Flies day and night,
  • Through light and darkness,
  • From shore to shore unknown

  • Tagore was of course referring to the flying swans, or Hansa-balaakaa in Bengali.
  • I understand that this word is to pious Hindus a symbol of the human soul winging its way to its heavenly resting-place.
  • To my mind, the celebration of the human spirit may also be likened to Tagore’s metaphor of the eternal flight of the swans.

  •  
    1. a nation that is completely diverse,
    2. a world unto itself with respect to religious, linguistic, and cultural heterogeneity
    3. and yet in its sixty years of independence has remained
    4. peaceful
    5. and has never wavered from its democratic course.
    • I believe democracy is also about pluralism, 
      • without which (pluralism)
      • dissenting views will not find expression
      • and a healthy vibrant opposition will not materialize.
    • It has been said that our current understanding of constitutional democracy may be traced to the ideas of John Locke, (he influenced the framers of the American constitution & the European governments).
    • the number of countries that are classified as free has increased significantly
    • so that some areas in which democratically elected governments were scarcely present
    • now see democracy as the primary form of government. This clearly reflects the aspirations of the people.
    I recall as a student activist my first encounter with Nehru’s compelling words to the Constituent Assembly in 1947. One must appreciate the Indian experience bears testament to that fact – In the last two decades_Freedom_
    • has a demonstrative effect
    • and the appetite for it is whetted
    • when one sees others_ o       enjoying liberty, o       freedom of conscience o       and the right to property

      o       and the pursuit of a decent livelihood.

      But there remain_

    • pockets of resistance
    • and certain entrenched interests
    • which are resolved against the continued advance of freedom and democracy.
    • submissiveness to the state is a traditional value.
    • They say that before the supremacy of the State and the well-being of its citizens,
    • there is no place for individual liberty.
    • the control of the media,
    • restrictions on free assembly
    • and restraints on the freedom of expression
    •  
      • are further justified as necessary for the achievement of certain economic priorities.
    • who has thoroughly debunked the false discourse of Asian values
    • and proven the intrinsic value of democracy
    • as well as the intimate and inseparable relationship between democracy and development.
    • starvation
    • and freedom.
    • overcome poverty
    • and tyranny
    • without compromising in the struggle against either.
    • the one that garners the most attention and admiration today is that act of voting
    • which represents the empowerment of a people
    • over those who will govern and execute laws upon them.
    • elections feature so prominently in the democracy discourse,
    • is whether the mere phenomenon of elections means_
      • that democracy is alive and well,
      • or are there still fundamental issues to be resolved?
    • free,
    • fair
    • and transparent.
    • which includes equal access to a free media,
    • open debates
    • and a conduct of elections that can stand up to international scrutiny.
    • When the results of elections are called into question
      • an independent judiciary
      • free from political influence must be able to arbitrate
      • and rule on the matter without bias.
    • Speaking of an independent judiciary,
      • many an Asian country wherein judges have fallen prey to
        • the machinations of dictators
        • and autocrats alike regardless
          • whether they purport to act as_
            • army generals
            • or civilians!
    • What is an election_
      • if political parties in the opposition do not have_
        • access to the freedom of speech,
        • assembly,
        • and movement
          • necessary to voice their criticisms of the government openly_
            • and to bring alternative policies
            • and candidates to the voters?
    • the opposition is_
      • barred from the airwaves,
      • rallies are not allowed,
      • and opposition newspapers operate underground.
    •  
      • then the existence of a vibrant opposition is essential
        • as the bulwark against the tyranny of absolute power.
      • as indeed it should be,
      • we will find that many countries today are dismal failures.
      • And this is not just confined to_
        • fledgling democracies
      • but we also see it manifest in constitutional democracies-
        • that have enjoyed independence for more than half a century.

    In this regard, we may say that

    democracy is about_

    The same principles of freedom and justice have been expressed elsewhere and in different contexts with the same goal in mind.

     The great freedom fighters of our time_

    We must contend with leaders who are of the view that_

    The subversive tactics of the state such as_

    On this we owe a debt of gratitude to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen

    Democracy is not about the choice between_

    It is about the freedom to_

    Of the many symbolic acts and institutions which democracy tends to create_

    Elections are an essential component of any democracy.

    Elections of course must be_

    But beyond that there must be a “level playing field” –

    Where I come from,

    I am sure mine is not a unique experience.

    If democracy is participatory government in its fullest sense_ 

  •  
    • • the practice of democracy
      • and the work that is being done to support it around the world.

      Similarly, if pluralism is the final test of democracy,

      We must therefore take a deeper and more profound look at_

      Decisions_

    • which undermine freedom and democracy
    • that are made in places where the rule of law is considered sacrosanct
    • have global implications_
      • and we must recognise that:
        • they quickly become the pretext
          • which tyrants
          • and dictators
        • use to justify their intransigence.

      Here we can lay some of the blame for this alarming trend on the mantle of the War on Terror,

      which is the rubric under which_

    • various illegal actions are
      • justified
      • and sanctioned,
    • be they_
      • encroachment on the sovereignty of other nations
      • or a curtailment of the civil liberties of one’s own citizens.

      This vaguely conceived war_

    • with all its bluster and bravado,
    • has paved the way in many U.S.-allied countries for_
      • brutal
      • and unchecked repression,
    • which in some places threatens to nullify the reform efforts of an entire generation.
      • as inherently anti-democratic
      • and tending towards extremism
      • and violence.

      In ascribing the mantra of_

    • radical Islam indiscriminately:
      • organisations,
      • and the millions of people they represent,
    •   to any group that professes
      • to be founded on Islamic precepts the advocates of the War on Terror have pigeonholed

      This reflects a profound misunderstanding of

    • the nature of these groups
    • and the underlying causes of
      • radicalism
      • and terrorism.

      It is also emblematic of the discourse that tends to place democracy and Islam as inherently incompatible.

      I for one disagree. There is certainly nothing in the religion itself which is opposed to freedom – the higher objectives of the sacred law are in fact committed to the preservation of those basic inalienable rights of freedom of conscience and the pursuit of wealth.

      The Muslim world faces a deficit of democracy because of_

    • the proliferation of autocrats who rule in the name of religion
    • but are often openly hostile and opposed to
    • those who express its teachings,
    • and are hell-bent on preserving their rule
      • in contravention of conventions of governance
      • and the Rule of Law.

      By expanding our conception of the Muslim world beyond the confines of the Arab-Middle East,

      we find the forces of democracy advancing with much greater fortitude and conviction.

      The democratic success of Turkey and Indonesia are shining examples that the world would benefit by paying closer attention to. Indonesia,

    • while still grappling with the vexing problems of corruption and poverty,
    • represents a success story of immense significance
    • if one considers that the largest Muslim country in the world emerged from_
      • three decades of authoritarian rule,
      • practically overnight,
      • and without a single foreign troop stepping foot on her soil,
      • nor the shedding of a single drop of blood.
      • The AKP of Turkey represents the logical progression of democracy in Turkey –
      • a government that is at ease with the nation’s cultural and religious heritage as it is with the secular underpinnings of the government.
      • India,
      • Indonesia,
      • Turkey,
      • Japan,
      • and South Korea
      • which emphasises issues of governance
      • and accountability,
      • greater economic potential
      • as well as the unleashing of the creative energies of the human spirit. 

      Asia’s rise to prominence in the latter part of the 20th century was monopolised by the fascination with the economic prowess of some of its stronger nations. That lens continues to influence engagement with the region –

      India and China being the leaders

      but other countries proving their mettle in an increasingly competitive and globalised marketplace.

      While economic strength will continue to be a key indicator of the region’s overall development, I am quite confident that with leadership of burgeoning democracies like_

    • 3 Responses to “Keynote address by Anwar Ibrahim at the Institute of Social Sciences conference on Democracy in India, December 6, 2007 in New Delhi ”

    • I agree with your comments regarding Turkey, Dato Seri. There should be a clear separation of religion and government.
      Your continuing to “fight the good fight” is inspiring.

      • 2 Malaysian Dec 15th, 2007 at 11:22 am

        Religion is one’s personal communication with one’s God. Politics cannot be intertwined with one’s religious beliefs. Where politics is concerned it should practice the universal law of justice, equality and freedom within a discipline outlined by a just and fair govt. Though a group may fall within a religious philosophy, in practice each individual will definitely differ. So how can we have a govt. that uses a religious philosophy to outline public behaviour? So how come there are countries that favour certain religious and ethnic groups? There is much to think about for future politicians if they want to be respected and remain in office

The Burmese Chinese or Chinese Burmese are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma (Myanmar).

Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population, this figure may be underestimated because of _

1. intermarriage between them and the ethnic Bamar,

2. and because of widespread discrimination against minorities (which compels many to declare themselves as Bamar when applying for birth certificate or national identification card).

The Burmese Chinese_

1. dominate the Burmese economy,

2. have a disproportionately high percentage of the educated class.

Generally, the Burmese Chinese in Lower Burma fall into three main groups:

1. Burmese called eingyi shay, or let shay lit. long-sleeved shirts to Hokkien and Hakkas from Fujian Province

2.  Burmese called eingyi to, or let to lit. short-sleeved shirts to Cantonese and Hakka   from Guangdong Province

3. So Burmese sometimes called zaka, lit. mid-length sleeve to all the Hakka  from Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

4. But Hakkas are further subdivided into those with

5. ancestry from Fujian Province, called ein-gyi shay ha-ka

6. and Guangdong Province, eingyi to haka respectively.

The Hokkien and Cantonese comprise 45% of the ethnic Chinese population.

The groups have different stereotypical associations.

1. The Cantonese are commonly thought of as the poorest of the Chinese,

2. the Hokkiens are generally wealthier,

3. occupying high positions in the economy,

4. and having connections to the government.

In Upper Burma and Shan Hills,

1. the Panthay

2. and Kokang, are speakers of a Mandarin dialect of the Southwestern Mandarin branch, most akin to Yunnanese.

Combined, they form 21% of Burmese Chinese.

Kokang are_

1. mountain-dwellers

2. and farmers

3. classified as a part of the Shan national race, although they have no linguistic or genetic affinity to the Tai-Kadai-speaking Shan.

Muslim Panthay_

1. are considered as separate local nationalities

2. rather than a Chinese diaspora community.

The Tayoke kabya of mixed Chinese and indigenous Burmese parentage.

1. The kabya (Burmese: mixed heritage) have a tendency to follow the customs of the Chinese more than of the Burmese.

2. Indeed those that follow Burmese customs are absorbed into and largely indistinguishable from the mainstream Burmese society.

3. A large portion of Burmese is thought to have some kabya blood,

4. because immigrants could acquire Burmese citizenship through intermarriage with the indigenous Burmese peoples.

Culture

Language

1. Most Burmese Chinese typically speak Burmese as their mother tongue.

2. Those with higher education also speak Mandarin

3. Those with higher education also speak Mandarin and/or English.

4. Some modern educated use English.

5. Some use, Chinese dialects/languages.

   • Hokkien is mostly used in Yangon as well as in Lower Burma,

   • while Taishan Cantonese and

   • Yunnanese Mandarin are well preserved in Upper Burma.

Conditions of Chinese-language schools_

1. General Ne Win’s (1962-1988) banned on the Chinese-language schools caused a decline of Mandarin speakers.

2. Chinese schools are growing again nowadays because of the increase in investors and businessmen from Mainland China and Taiwan, who uses Standard Mandarin,

Religion

Most Burmese Chinese practice_

1. Theravada Buddhism,

2. incorporating some Mahayana Buddhist

3. and Taoist beliefs,

   • such as the worship of Kuan Yin.

   • Chinese New Year celebrations,

   • as well as other Chinese festivals, are subdued and held privately.

   • Clan associations are often the only places where the Chinese culture is retained.

The Panthay or Chinese Muslims practice Islam.

Education

The Burmese Chinese_

1. place a high importance on education,

2. a disproportionate big share with advanced (medical, engineering or doctorate) degrees. (SOA’s note: it is partly because Muslims are labeled Kala and denied the place for postgraduate educations. The Chinese not only escaped that kind of discrimination but they got the special privileges given by the Chinese blooded political, military and education authorities.)

3. The number would be higher still had it not been for the longstanding ban on those without Burmese citizenship from pursuing advanced degrees.

4. Nowadays, many wealthy Burmese Chinese send their children overseas for further studies especially in US, UK, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Names

The Burmese Chinese have_

1. Burmese names

2. and many also have Chinese names.

Names in various Chinese dialects are roughly transliterated into the Burmese.

1. For example, a person named ‘Khin Aung’ may have the Chinese name of ?? (pinyin: Qìngf?ng), with ‘?’ (pinyin: qìng) corresponding to ‘Khin’, and ‘?’ (pinyin: f?ng) corresponding to ‘Aung’.

2. However, variations of transcription do exist (between dialects),

3. and some Burmese Chinese do not choose to adopt similar-sounding Burmese and Chinese names.

4. Because the Burmese lack surnames, many Burmese Chinese tend to pass on portions of their given names to future generations, for the purpose of denoting lineage.

According to publications of Longsei Tang, a clan association based in Yangon, the ten most common Chinese surnames in Yangon are:

1. Li (?)

2. Peng (?)

3. Shi (?)

4. Dong (?)

5. Min (?)

6. Niu (?)

7. Bian (?)

8. Xin (?)

9. Guan (?)

10. Tsui/Hsu(?)

Cuisine

The Burmese Chinese cuisine is based on Chinese cuisine, particularly from

1. Fujian,

2. Guangdong

3. and Yunnan provinces, with local influences.

4. Spices such as turmeric and chili are commonly used.

   • Pauk si

   • Bhè kin

   • Igyakway

   • Htamin kyaw

   • La mont

   • Mewswan

   • San-byoat

   • Panthay khaukswè

   • Sigyet khaukswè

History

1. The earliest records of Chinese migration were in the Song and Ming dynasties.

2. In the 1700s, Ming Dynasty princes settled in Kokang (the northern part of Burma).

3. Chinese traders, however, traveled up to the capital city, northern towns on the Irrawaddy such as Bhamo.

4. There was a Chinese community at Amarapura.

5. Another wave of immigration occurred in the 1800s under the British rule.

6. They came to Burma via Malaysia.

7. When the Chinese Communists expelled the Kuomintang, many fled to Burma and Thailand over the borders of Yunnan Province.

8. The Burmese government fought and removed the armed KMT and forced them to Taiwan; those who managed to stay prospered.

9. The Chinese dominate the highly lucrative rice and gem industries.

10. Many became merchants and traders owning both wholesale and retail businesses.

11. The northern region of Burma has seen an influx of mainland Chinese immigrant workers, black market traders and gamblers.

12. In the Kachin State, which borders China in three directions, Mandarin Chinese is the lingua franca.

They integrated well into Burmese society because they, like the Bamar,

1. were of Sino-Tibetan stock

2. and were Buddhists,

Their success_

1. is reflected in the Burmese saying, “Earn like the Chinese, save like the Indian, and don’t waste money like the Bamar”.

2. They got the nickname pauk hpaw (lit. sibling).

3. During the 1950s, Burma was one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China as a nation.

However, its own Chinese population was treated as aliens.

1. The Burmese Chinese were issued foreign registration cards (FRC), which declared that they were citizens of China.

2. A similar discrimination policy was set up for Indians.

In 1962, Ne Win led a coup d’état and declared himself head of state. Although a kabya himself, he banned Chinese-language education, and created other measures to compel the Chinese to leave.

1. Ne Win’s government stoked up racial animosity and ethnic conflicts against the Chinese, who were terrorized by Burmese citizens,

2. the most violent riots taking place at the time of the Cultural Revolution in China.

3. When Ne Win implemented the “Burmese Way to Socialism”,

   • a plan to nationalize all industries,

   • the livelihoods of many entrepreneurial Chinese were destroyed

   • and some 100,000 Chinese left the country.

4. All schools were nationalized, including Chinese-language schools.

 Beginning in 1967 and continuing throughout the 1970s, anti-Chinese riots continued to flare up and many believed they were covertly supported by the government.

1. Many Burmese Chinese left the country during Ne Win’s rule, largely because of

   • a failing economy

   • and widespread discrimination.

2. The first government-sponsored racial riots to take place in Burma was in 1967, during General Ne Win’s rule.

3. In the riots, the general populace went on a killing spree

   • because of sedition

   • and instigation against the Chinese

   • by various government departments.

4. The massacre lasted for about five consecutive days, during which_

   • thousands of Chinese died

   • or were left dying in the streets of Rangoon.

   • Some of the Chinese were thrown alive from the second and third floors of buildings in downtown Rangoon.

   • The dead and wounded Chinese were hauled up unceremoniously and dumped onto army trucks and taken to ‘htauk kyan’ incinerators and the ‘carcasses’ were sent up in smoke.

5. That showed the true bestial and cruel side of the character of the ruling Burma Military Junta.

6. The only “crime” the Chinese committed was the wearing of Chairman Mao’s badges on their shirts.

7. Latha Secondary School

   • was torched by the henchmen of General Ne Win’s government,

   • where school girls were burnt alive.

8. Chinese shops were

   • looted

   • and set on fire.

9. Public attention was successfully diverted by Ne Win

   • from the uncontrollable inflation,

   • scarcity of consumer items

   • and rising prices of rice.

Today, the majority of Burmese Chinese live in the major cities of_

1. Yangon,

2. Mandalay,

3. Taunggyi,

4. Bago, and their surrounding areas.

   • According to Global Witness_

   • 30 to 40% of Mandalay’s population consists of ethnic Chinese.

   • Although there are Chinatowns (tayoke tan) in the major cities,

   • the Chinese are widely dispersed.

Notable Burmese Chinese

1. Aung Gyi – leading army dissident and Ne Win’s former deputy/co-conspirator in the 1962 coup

2. Aw Boon Haw (Hakka) – Inventor of Tiger Balm

3. Aw Boon Par (Hakka) – Brother of Aw Boon Haw

4. Eike Htun (Kokang) – Managing director of Olympic Construction Co. and deputy chairman of Asia Wealth Bank, two large conglomerates in Burma

5. Khun Sa (Kokang) – Major Southeast Asian druglord

6. Khin Nyunt – Former Prime Minister (2003-2004) and Chief of Intelligence (1983-2004) of Myanmar

7. Lo Hsing Han (Kokang) – Major Southeast Asian druglord

8. Steven Law (also known as Tun Myint Naing; Kokang) – Managing director of Asia World Company, a major Burmese conglomerate and son of Lo Hsing Han

9. Ne Win (Hakka) – Leader of Burma from 1960s to 1980s

10. San Yu (Hakka) – President of Burma in the 1980s

11. Serge Pun – Proprietor of Yoma Bank, a major banking chain in Myanmar and chairman of First Myanmar Investment Co. Ltd (FMI), one of Myanmar’s leading investment companies

12. Taw Sein Ko (Hokkien) – eminent Director of Archaeology (1901-1915)

13. Thakin Ba Thein Tin – Communist leader from the 1970s to the 1990s

14. Maung Aye – Vice chairman of SPDC and Chief of Staff of Armed Forces

15. Major General Kat Sein – former Minister of Health

16. Dr. Kyaw Myint – Present Minister of Health

17. Myo Thant – Former Minister of Information under SLORC

18. Colonel Tan Yu Sai – Minister of Trade under Ne Win’s government

19. Colonel Kyi Maung- NLD member (1989-2004) and Army Commander of Rangoon in 1960s

20. U Thaung – Minister of Labour & Technical Science, Retired Legion and Ambassador

21. Lun Thi – Minister of Energy

22. Thein Sein – First Secretary of SPDC

23. Kyaw Ba – General Formal Minister of Hotel and Tourism

Reference

Wikipedia

See also:

Malaysian Chinese feelings of his country on Chinese_

(We need to understand the other’s feelings also)

Of course I love my country…

John Lee | Feb 6, 08 3:24pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Anwar: Bumi policies affect investments.

I consider myself lucky that I have traveled to almost all the Asean countries and have managed to observe, albeit shallowly, the socio-political structures of our neighbouring countries.

I identify myself as a Malaysian Chinese – the ‘Malaysian’ is an adjective and the ‘Chinese’ is the noun. This is inevitable in Malaysia because the country’s laws and policies are based on racial and religious lines.

I am part of the fourth generation of Hua Ren – the overseas Chinese. The Hua Ren are noticeable in every country – Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and, of course, Singapore.

The Malaysian Chinese are unique in the sense that we continue to carry our ancestors’ name without alteration, unlike all of our neighbours, except for Singapore. We are also unique in that, unlike our neighbors, we choose to practice faiths – Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity – different from the majority race.

None of our neighbours have decided to endorse apartheid, er sorry, affirmative action or bumiputera policies. They seem to be doing well, namely Thailand and Vietnam. In fact, there is a special term for overseas Vietnamese returning home after the war with their fortunes – the Viet Kieu.

I am counting the years before Vietnam overtakes Malaysia as an economic powerhouse. I should know a bit better because in my profession, I assist Malaysian businesses in setting up shop there.

I was born in Malaysia. My identification card says I am a citizen. However, I am classified as a non-bumiputera. My religion is kafir. My economic value is low in my own country because I am a non-bumiputera and a non-Muslim. Yet my economic value is high overseas.

Chinese Malaysian professionals are highly sought after. Malaysian accountants find success in China, London and Australia because they are multi-lingual and very hard working. Being cheaper and less arrogant than Singaporeans is another plus point. The ability to converse in English and Mandarin is highly prized by multinational corporations in China.

Heck, half of all Chinese Malaysian professionals are actually future Singaporean citizens.

Even in the Middle East, the Chinese Malaysians are sought after to support the Islamic banking industry because of their hard work and ability to assimilate easily. The Middle Eastern people in the finance industry don’t discriminate against you, but then your women had better wear the burqa and hide in their homes.

In then end, the Chinese Malaysian will continue to actively seek migration, just as their forefathers did. They will accumulate the necessary skills and talents, and then use their entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to work hard and move on once Malaysia becomes a barren place.

The oil will run dry here. The country will be carpeted with palm trees. Malays will overwhelmingly dominate the population. It will look like Indonesia. Then it will look like Pakistan. Finally, it will settle into an Afghanistan.

At last, the Malays will be able to proudly claim that they are no longer contesting for 30 percent of the economic pie. They will actually own 100 percent. I am not too sure of my personal future, as well as my children’s future, but I am not worried about the future of the Hua Ren.

In conclusion, do I love my country? Of course I do. I love my country as much as my country loves me.

The Golden days of the

Great Mon  Empire I

References 

1. Wikipedia
2. Cambodia History
3. Thailand History
4. Mon Web pages
5. Hariphunchai, Wikipedia 
6. Bo Aung Din, Nan letters, Burma Digest

Mon state Flag

 The Mon are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia. They live in Mon State, historic lower Burma and the area around the southern Burmese-Thailand border.

New Mon State Party Flag

There are believed to be around 8 million people who claim Mon ancestry and retain their culture and language, but the majority of the Mon (possibly 4 million) use the modern Burmese language for daily business and are literate only in Burmese (not in their native language).  The majority of Mon live around the city of Bago or the site of their historic capital, Thaton and the port of Mawlamyaing.

Mon Children (boys)

They also constitute a significant percentage of the population further south along the lowland coast to the city of Ye, Burma.

Mon Children (girls)

 Early history of Burma_ 

Humans lived in the region that is now Burma as early as 11,000 years ago, but the first identifiable civilization is that of the Pyu although both Burman and Mon tradition claim that the fabled Suvarnabhumi mentioned in ancient Pali and Sanskrit texts was a Mon kingdom centered on Thaton in present day Mon state.

Khmer Arts

The Mon were one of the earliest distinct groups to occupy Burma, moving into the area as early as 1500 BCE or possibly earlier. The Mon are primarily associated with the historical kingdoms of Dvaravati and Haripunchai.

Ankor Wat

Up until the 14th century, outposts of Mon culture continued to spread very Far East, including modern Thailand and Isan plateau cities such as Lampang and Khon Kaen.

Mon Khmer Empire

Look, Thai’s Upper or North Western region was under Pagan.

Remaining Thai, Laos, Upper Malaysia and Lower Burma

was under Mon-Khmer rule.

As late as the 14th and 15th centuries, it is believed that the Mon were the ethnic majority in this vast region, but also intermarried freely with Khmer and Tai-Kadai populations.

Archaeological remains of Mon settlements have been found south of Vientiane, and may also have extended further to the north-west in the Haripunchai era.The Mon converted to Theravada Buddhism at a very early point in their history.

Mon Buddha

Unlike other ethnic groups in the region, they seem to have adopted Theravada orthodoxy before coming into contact with Mahayana tendencies, and it is generally believed that the Mon provided the link of transmission whereby both the Thais and Cambodians converted from Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism to Theravada Buddhism (increasingly from the 1400s).

Mon Buddha (side view)

Although the precise date cannot be fixed, it seems that the Mon have been practicing Theravada Buddhism continuously for a longer period than any other extant religious community on earth, except for Sri Lanka, as the lineage was destroyed in India.

Mon Scripture Wheel

Like the Burmese and the Thais, some modern Mons have tried to identify their ethnicity with the semi-historical kingdom of Suwarnabhumi. Today, this claim is contested by many different ethnicities in South-East Asia, and contradicted by scholars. Historical scholarship indicates that the early usage of the term (as found in the edicts of Ashoka) indicated a location in Southern India, and not in South-East Asia. However, from the time of the first translations of the Ashokan inscriptions in the 19th century, both the Burmese and the Thais have made concentrated efforts to identify place-names found in the edicts with their own territory or culture. Sometimes these claims have also relied upon the creative interpretation of place-names found in Chinese historical sources.

(Mon Khmer) Grand Palace Bangkok

The 6th century Mon kingdom of Dvaravati in the lower Chao Phraya valley in present day Thailand extended its frontiers to the Tenasserim Yoma (mountains).  With subjugation by the Khmer Empire from Angkor in the 11th century the Mon shifted further west deeper into present day Burma.  

Khmer Women in the field

Oral tradition suggests that they had contact with Buddhism via seafaring as early as the 3rd century BC and had received an envoy of monks from Ashoka in the 2nd century BC. 

The Mons adopted Indian culture together with Theravada Buddhism and are thought to have founded kingdoms in Lower Burma including Thaton in the 6th or 7th century and Bago (Pegu) in 825 with the kingdom of Raman’n’adesa (or Ramanna which is believed to be Thaton) referenced by Arab geographers in 844–8.The lack of archaeological evidence for this may in part be due to the focus of excavation work predominantly being in Upper Burma. 

The first recorded kingdom that can undisputedly be attributed to the Mon people was Dvaravati, which prospered until around 1000 AD when their capital was sacked by the Khmer Empire and most of the inhabitants fled west to present-day Burma and eventually founded new kingdoms.  These, too, eventually came under pressure from new ethnic groups arriving from the north. 

Mon kingdoms ruled large sections of Burma from the 9th to the 11th, the 13th to the 16th, and again in the 18th centuries. About the same period, southward-migrating Burmans took over lands in central Myanmar once dominated by Pyu city-states and the Tai started trickling into South-East Asia.  

The Burman (Bamar ) established the kingdom of Bagan.  In 1057, Bagan defeated the Mon kingdom, capturing the Mon capital of Thaton and carrying off 30,000 Mon captives to Bagan. 

After the fall of Bagan to the invading Mongols in 1287, the Mon, under Wareru an ethnic Tai (Shan), regained their independence and captured Martaban and Bago, thus virtually controlling their previously held territory. 

Shampoo Island

Mon kingdoms A main body of ethnic Shan / Tai migration came in the 13th century after the fall of the Kingdom of Dali to the Mongol Empire and filled the void left by the fall of the Bagan kingdom in northern Burma forming a loose coalition of city-states. These successive waves of Bamar and Tai groups slowly eroded the Mon kingdoms, and the next 200 years witnessed incessant warfare between the Mon and the Burmese, but the Mon managed to retain their independence until 1539. 

The last independent Mon kingdom fell to the Burmese when Alaungpaya razed Bago in 1757.  Many of the Mon were killed, while others fled to Thailand. Hanthawaddy (or Hanthawady; in Thai ??????? Hongsawadi) is a place in Burma.  Hongsawatoi ( Bago/Pegu/ Handawaddy )  Hongsawatoi, Capital city of old Mon kingdom.  

It was destroyed by Burman King, U Aungzeya or Aloungpaya in 1757.  Hongsawatoi (Mon language pronounce) (Pali Hamsavati) Bago is about 50 miles from Rangoon. 

Shampoo Island

According to legend, two Mon princess from Thaton founded Bago in 573 AD.  It was written in the chronicles that eight years after enlightenment, Lord Buddha along with his disciples went air-borne around Southeast Asian countries. 

The earliest mention of this city in history is by the Arab geographer Ibn Khudadhbin around 850 AD.  At the time, the Mon capital had shifted to Thaton. The word Mranma, in both Mon and Myanmar inscriptions came into being only at about the same time, lending support to this claim that the Pyu were an earlier vanguard of southward Tibeto-Burman migration who were entirely absorbed into a newly formed identity by later waves of similar people.  

The Pagan Kingdom grew in relative isolation until the reign of Anawrahta (1044-77) who successfully unified all of Burma by defeating the Mon city of Thaton in 1057. The area came under rule of the Burmese from Bagan in 1056.  

Kyansittha, Alaungphaya, Bayintnaung and Nga Paw

Consolidation was accomplished under his successors Kyanzittha (1084–1112) and Alaungsithu (1112-67), so that by the mid-12th century, most of continental Southeast Asia was under the control of either the Pagan Kingdom or the Khmer Empire.  The Pagan kingdom went into decline as the Mongols threatened from the north. The last true ruler of Pagan, Narathihapate (1254-87) felt confident in his ability to resist the Mongols and advanced into Yunnan in 1277 to make war upon them. He was thoroughly crushed at the Battle of Ngasaunggyan, and Pagan resistance virtually collapsed. The king was assassinated by his own son in 1287, precipitating a Mongol invasion in the Battle of Pagan.  

The Mongols successfully captured most of the empire, including its capital, and ended the dynasty in 1289 when they installed a puppet ruler in Burma.  

After the collapse of Bagan to the Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence. From 1369-1539, Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon Kingdom of Ramanadesa, which covered all of what is now lower Burma.  

The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King Tabinshweti to his Kingdom of Taungoo.  

The kings of Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539-1599 and again in 1613-1634, and used it as a base for repeated invasions of Siam.     A Mon dynasty ruled Lower Burma after the fall of the Pagan dynasty from 1287 to 1539 with a brief revival during 1550–53. At first Martaban was the capital of this kingdom and then Pegu.

Mawlamying jetty

The Mon king Rajadhirat, who waged war with the northern Burman kingdom of Ava during the whole duration of his reign, unified and consolidated the Mon kingdom’s domains in Lower Burma.The most famous Mon monarchs during this period were Queen Baña Thau (Burmese: Shin Sawbu; reigned 1453–1472) followed by Dhammazedi (reigned 1472–92). Queen Baña Thau personally chose Dhammazedi to succeed her. Dhammazedi had been a monk before he became king of Pegu. Under Dhammazedi, Pegu became a centre of commerce and Theravadan Buddhism. These two devout Buddhist monarchs initiated a long period of peace in Lower Burma.Many foreign traders were attracted to the capital, which became well-known to the outside world as a centre of commerce. As such it is mentioned by the Russian merchant, Nitikin, who traveled in the East about 1470.

Its fifteenth century rulers were, like those of old Pagan, chiefly interested in the development of religion. Missions were sent to Ceylon and on their return stimulated an important religious revival, which affected the whole of Burma.

Its centre was the Kalyani thein near Pegu, so named because its original monks had been ordained on the banks of the Kalyani River in Ceylon. Kalyani ordination became the standard form for the whole country. The story of the reforms is told in the Kalyani inscriptions erected by King Dammazedi (1472-92). Dammazedi was the greatest of the rulers of Wareru’s line. His reign was a time of peace and he himself was a mild ruler, famous for his wisdom. A collection of his rulings, the Dammazedi pyatton, is still extant. He maintained friendly intercourse with Yunnan and revived the practice of sending missions to Buddhagaya. He was a Buddhist ruler of the best type, deeply solicitous for the purification of religion. Under him civilization flourished, and the condition of the Mon country stands out in sharp contrast with the disorder and savagery which characterized the Ava kingdom. When he died he was honoured as a saint and a pagoda was erected over his bones.

The Mon kingdom possessed two great pagodas of especial sanctity, the Shwemawdaw at Pegu and the Shwe Dagon at the small stockaded fishing-town of Dagon, now Rangoon, the capital of modern Burma.

Shwe Dagon

The last Mon kingdom was Hongsavatoi—they re-conquered much of their lost territory until the energetic Burman leader U Aungzeya forced them back and captured the kingdom by 1757, massacring a considerable part of the population. The Mon religious leaders were forced to flee to Siam and the Mon have been harshly repressed from the 1750s to the present day. 

Shwe Maw Daw (Pegu)

King Mingyinyo founded the First Toungoo Dynasty (1486–1599) at Toungoo, south of Ava, towards the end of the Ava dynasty. After the conquest of Ava by the Shan invaders in 1527 many Burmans migrated to Toungoo which became a new center for Burmese rule. The dynasty conquered the Mohnyin Shan peoples in northern Burma. By this time, the geopolitical situation in Southeast Asia had changed dramatically. Mingyinyo’s son king Tabinshwehti (1531-50) unified most of Burma. The Shan gained power in a new kingdom in the North, Ayutthaya (Siam), while the Portuguese had arrived in the south and conquered Malacca. With the coming of European traders, Burma was once again an important trading centre, and Tabinshwehti moved his capital to Pegu due to its strategic position for commerce. Tabinshwehti was able to gain control of Lower Burma up to Prome, but the campaigns he led to the Arakan, Ayutthaya, and Ava in Upper Burma were unsuccessful. When Tabinshwehti’s brother-in-law, Bayinnaung (1551-81), Tabinshwehti’s brother-in-law, succeeded to the throne he launched a campaign of conquest invading several states, including Manipur (1560) and Ayutthaya (1569). An energetic leader and effective military commander, he made Toungoo the most powerful state in Southeast Asia, and extended his borders from Laos to Ayutthaya, near Bangkok.  His wars stretched Myanmar to the limits of its resources, however, and both Manipur and Ayutthaya, which had remained under Myanmar domination for 15 years, were soon independent once again.  Bayinnaung was poised to deliver a final, decisive assault on the kingdom of Arakan when he died in 1581. Faced with rebellion by several cities and renewed Portuguese incursions, the Toungoo rulers withdrew from southern Burma and founded a second dynasty at Ava, the Restored Toungoo Dynasty (1597–1752). Bayinnaung’s grandson, Anaukpetlun, once again reunited Burma in 1613 and decisively defeated Portuguese attempts to take over Burma. Encouraged by the French in India, Pegu finally rebelled against Ava, further weakening the state, which fell in 1752.                 

         Mon Shan dominence

Great Shan Empire VII

(I hope BD readers  won’t mind the changing of my BLUE HEADINGS into black, as this is the darkest chapter of Myanmar and Myanmar Tatmadaw History) 

Detention of Ethnic Shan

and other opposition Leaders

Read detail in Irrawaddy,

“Detained Ethnic Leaders Denied Outside Medical Aid”

By Shah Paung on January 8, 2008

Detained ethnic Shan leaders are being denied medical treatment from outside for serious health problems, according to the Shan National League for Democracy.

SNLD chairman Hkun Htun Oo

SNLD spokesman Sai Lek told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that prison authorities had rejected or ignored requests by the families of SNLD chairman Hkun Htun Oo and SNLD member Sai Hla Aung for medical attention from outside.

Hkun Htun Oo suffers from_

1. prostate problems,

2. diabetes,

3. heart disease

4. and high blood pressure.

Sai Hla Aung has_

1. a hyperthyroid condition,

2. diabetes

3. and heart disease.

They were arrested in February 2005, together with_

1. SNLD General-Secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin,

2. Shan State Peace Council President Maj-Gen Sao Hso Ten

3. and Shan politician Shwe Ohn, who was later released.

They were arrested days before a resumed session of the National Convention opposed by Shan leaders.

• Hkun Htun Oo was sentenced to 92 years imprisonment and is detained in Putao prison, Kachin State.

• Sai Nyunt Lwin received a 75 year sentence and is in Kalay prison, Sagaing Division.

• Sao Hso Ten was sentenced to a total of 106 years imprisonment and is in Hkamti prison, Sagaing Division.

• Sai Hla Aung received a sentence of 75 years and is in Kyauk Pyu prison, Arakan State.

• Meanwhile, arrests of National League for Democracy members continue. NLD spokesman Nyan Win said five members of the NLD youth wing had been arrested between Burma Independence Day on January 4 and January 6. No reason has yet been given for the arrests.

• According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), based in neighboring Thailand, there are more than 1,400 political prisoners in Burma.

SPDC Junta and Myanmar Tatmadaw failed to understand that patriotism is not the sole property of the Myanmar Tatmadaw and its Generals alone.

Each and every citizen_

• regardless of his race,

• religion,

• social status

• or political alignment,

has the right and is duty-bound to show his sense of patriotism to the country he loves in his own way.

Tatmadaw failed to acknowledge that the opposition parties like NLD, SNLD etc are equally patriotic, if not more so than SPDC leaders.

Many opposition leaders, to name a few_

1. U Gambari lead real Buddhist monks,

2. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led NLD leaders like U Tin Oo,

3. U Hkun Htun Oo led SNLD Shan leaders,

4. Min Ko Naing lead 88 Student leaders, like Ko Ko Gyi etc,

5. Burmese Muslims such as, Daw Win Mya Mya (NLD Mandalay, Panthay) and Ko Mya Aye (88 Student leader)

Are unlike those in the SPDC and Tatmadaw,

• have given up much of their comforts in life,

• endured so much pain and humiliation

• and even have been detained

• and tortured

• under the illegal, undemocratic, unjust, draconian laws of the SPDC.

SPDC Junta should answer my question even if their brain is slightly larger than a bird’s brain.

If sacrificing the major part of one’s life for the nation is not patriotism, what is it then?

Not only the different Races and religions have become the cause of disunity, hate, violence and turmoil but the Myanmar Generals and Tatmadaw show the world that they are even willing to assault, arrest, torture and kill their own monks to stop the momentum of people’s peaceful struggle to initiate the changes to democracy.

So what’s left now to think about the safety or guarantee of other minority races and religious groups’ fate, life and property ?

We all now witnessed that Myanmar Tatmadaw is even willing to sacrifice and annihilate any one or any obstacle on their way to the road to their permanent dominance of Myanmar. 

But the whole world looks quite cool, slow and looks like willing to patiently waiting forever for the SPDC promised, “Rice presenting on the moon-plate”

SPDC Generals should stop playing the politics of fear and intimidation on the unarmed Myanmar civilians. They should not politicise or use the national security as an excuse because it would be the most unpatriotic act, amounting to treachery.

We have journeyed together, sharing a common brotherhood for 60 years and we have attained wisdom and maturity to effect change that would create an environment where all of the Burmese/Myanmar citizens can have our voices heard, rights respected and continue to live together without fear or suspicion of each other.

We should not allow selfish Military Generals to sow the seeds of disunity, suspicion, hate and jealousy that will only be detrimental to us in this multi-racial and multi-religious nation of Burma/Myanmar.

As Barrack Obama, the US presidential candidate, said after his first defeat in the primaries:

‘Change is hard. Change is always met by resistance from the status quo. The real gamble is to have the same old folks doing the same old things over and over and over again and somehow expect a different result’.

We cannot and should not expect a better outcome from the same old Tatmadaw system over and over again. They will try to keep all the issues and dialogue in the back burner.

In order to create a just government for all of the Burmese/ Myanmars, we must strive to effect a change.

We have no much time to wait for the evolution, until or unless, UN and Mr Gambari could forced the snail paced present (almost effectively stalled) dialogue on the rocket louncher to install on to the fast track.

To bring about that change may not be that easy, it may be a monumental task, but there must be a beginning for all good things to happen.

Why shouldn’t it be now?

Is the saying, “Time and Tide wait for no man” irrelevant to the inhumane, noncivilized uniformed Tatnadaw?

Why did UN and the whole world allow the Junta to procrastinate when all of us already know that what the SPDC want was TIME only.

SPDC stupidly thought that time could heal the bleeding hearts of the people seeing their beloved revered monks beaten, arrested and killed.

It is now in our hands to make that change.

Do we have the will and courage to do so?

Except for the USA and EU leaders,

• are ASEAN leaders,

• OIC leaders,

• Common Wealth leaders,

• Non Allied movement leaders

• and UN member countries’ leaders

all became cowards? Eunuchs with any B-ls? Greedy Crooks?

Or are they all willing to close their eyes, as the Burmese saying, “Myauk Thar_ Sar Chin Yin_Myaul Myet Nher_Ma Kyi Ne’.” meaning. “if you want to eat the flesh of the monkey, avoid looking at the face of the monkey.”

So carry on world leaders, just close your eyes to avoid seeing us beatened, tortured, arrested and killed by the Than Shwe Junta.

Please continue to enjoy the following article I republished from Irrawaddy.

Pro-Democracy Political Prisoners in Poor Health Condition
By Shah Paung
January 16, 2008

At least four detained political prisoners in Burmese prisons are in poor health and need medical attention, according to their family members.

The four political prisoners are Hla Myo Naung and Kyaw Soe of the 88 Generation Students group, who are both in Insein Prison in Rangoon; Win Maw, a pro-democracy activist, also in Insein Prison; and Myint Oo, a committee member of the Magwe Division of the National League for Democracy, who is in Mandalay Prison.

Hla Myo Naung has eye problems and is nearly blind in both eyes, according to a family member. He has had eye problems since October 2007, and was arrested while he was enroute to a Rangoon clinic to have an operation on the left side of one eye.

After he was arrested, authorities performed an operation on one of his eyes, but it was not successful and an eye nerve was damaged.

Family members of both Win Maw and Kyaw Soe said they received medical treatment in prison after they were tortured by the authorities in an interrogation center.

However, Win Maw has now contracted pneumonia. Kyaw Soe suffers from fainting spells. Both men were victims of water torture, according to sources.

A family member of Win Maw said they have not been allowed to visit him for nearly three weeks.

Myint Oo, who also suffers from pneumonia, began receiving medical treatment in a Mandalay prison hospital three days ago, according to family members.

Tate Naing, the secretary of the exiled-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said that since August 2007, the military government has arrested more than 7,000 people, including pro-democracy activists.  Prisoners are not allowed to receive outside medical treatment.

88 Generation Students leaders Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi also have health problems, say their family members. They were arrested by authorities in August 2007.

According to the AAPP, there are more than 1,850 political prisoners in Burmese prisons.

 |

Great Shan Empire VI

Country Profile 

Size:
Lies between 19 and 24 degrees latitude North, and Stretches from 96 to 101 degrees longitude East, covering approximately 64,000 square miles; shares boundaries with Burma, China, Laos, Thailand and the Karenni.

Topography and Drainage:

Bisected north to south by the Salween River, one of the longest rivers in Asia. It lies at an average of 2,000 feet above sea-level, and the highest point, Mount Loilaeng, is 8,777 feet. It is composed of broad valleys, thickly wooded mountain ranges and rolling hills forming scenic landscapes.

Jong-ang, the biggest waterfall (972 feet) can be found near the town of Kengtong in Mongnai State.

Climate

There are three seasons:

1. Monsoon (May to October),
2. Cold season(November to January)
3. and Summer (February to April).

Annual rainfalls average between 40-60 inches.

The overall temperature is equable throughout the year: not too cold and not too hot.

Vegetation

Pine and evergreen forests can be found in abundance. Teak and various kinds of hardwood cover over 47,210 square miles.

Minerals
The bulk of the so-called Burmese natural resources are in the Shan State: silver, lead, gold, copper, iron, tin, wolfram, tungsten, manganese, nickel, coal, mica, antimony, fluorite, marble, gemstones and even uranium.

Major Operating Mines are:

• the Mogok (Mognkut in Shan) and Mongsu ruby mines,
• and the Namtu Bawdwin silver mines discovered by the Chinese traders and renovated in 1904 by none other than Herbert Clerk Hoover (1874-1964) who became the 31st President of the United State.
• A study of the Indian geological reports made by Drs Cogging and Sondhi in 1993 reveals Northern Shan States as incredible mining potential…
• As for Southern Shan’s remarkable resources, they can be studied from the reports made by a G.V. Hovson (Shanland’s Grievances, by Htoon Myint of Taunggyi, )

People :

The population of these multi-racial people, described by ancient travelers as the most peace loving people who trust everybody and envy nobody is estimated at 7-10 million, the majority of whom are Tai, of the same ethnological stock as Thai and Laos, plus several other racial groups including Pa-o, Palaung and Wa of Mon-Khmer stock; and Kachin, Akha and Lahu of the Tibeto-Burman stock.

All in all, it’s various indigenous races have lived harmoniously together for centuries. This fact is supported by the political analyst Josef Silverstein, who say’s:

“Although the Shans dominated the people in the area both politically and numerically, they never assimilated the minorities; as a result, cultural pluralism existed through out the Shan States”. (Politics in the Shan State, The Question of Secession from the Union of Burma, 1958, by J. Silverstein).

The Shan’s stand on the racial question is best described by Sao Shwe Thaike, who in his capacity as the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly,

countered the objection that Muslims could not be considered as being indigenous by saying :

“Muslims of the Arakan certainly belong to one of the indigenous races of Burma. If they do not belong to the indigenous races, we also cannot be taken as indigenous races.”

Culture:

Shan is still the first language of the majority, though due to 60 years under the British Protectorate and 40 years under Burmese neo-colonialism, usage of English and Burmese has become fairly common.

As for attire, Shan men, unlike the Burmese, who wear longyis or long skirts, don long baggy trousers. Theravada Buddhism is the pre-eminent faith, and perhaps due to this tolerant religion, Hinduism, Christianity, Islamism and even animisms flourish in this land.

Agriculture:

Primarily a self-sufficient agricultural economy, being blessed with fertile soil, it produces rice, tea, cheroot leaves, tobacco, potatoes, oranges, lemon, pears, and opium.

Cattle-and horse-breeding is also a common sight in low grasslands. Added to the fact that it is rich in mineral resources and abundant in teak timber, there is no reason why the Shan State could not become one of the richest and most economically dynamic countries in Southeast Asia, given a favorable political climate. 

Shan States is a beautiful and fertile land, with green hills and mist-covered mountains. 

Shans are on the whole, good natured gentle, independent people.

Shan States have a diverse mix of ethnic groups; Tai Yai, Tai Khurn, Tai Lui or Tai Neir, Tai Keiy, Pa-O or Daung Su, Daung Yoe, Palaung, Kachin, Dai Nawng or in Burmese Intha, Danu, Lisu, Lahu, Wa, Kaw, Padaung, as well as Chinese, Indians, Burmans and others. 

The Shans are the most widely scattered of the ethnic people in Myanmar and they can be found in every part of the country.

Their Mans (villages), Mongs (city-states) and settlements stretch from the northernmost region of Hkamti Long down to Tharrawaddy and then to southern Taninthayi (Tenasserim) and from the tip of Kengtung in the east to Hsawng Hsup, Kabaw valley and Ta-mu in the west.

In central Myanmar many Shan settlements can be found around Ava, Pinya, Sagaing, Toungoo, Pyinmana and Pyi (Prome). 

Now-a-days, Shan people are spread around the world, many having left Burma to escape the persecution and brutality of the SPDC, many to study overseas. 

Shans live overseas in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Europe, Taiwan, China, Japan and elsewhere.  Many overseas groups are actively campaigning for freedom in Shan States and Burma. 

Until recently many groups worked almost independently.  In recent years the more widespread use of e-mail and internet technology means that overseas Shan groups can communicate more easily with one another, sharing ideas, discussing campaigns and global change.

Shans feel immensely sad that their beautiful homeland has been ravaged and abused by SPDC, and because they have deep love for their motherland, they feel deeply bereft and betrayed.

Two Soa Hso Kham Pha is the eldest son of the late Last year Soa Hso Kham Pha, also known as Tiger Yawnghwe, founded the Interim Shan Government with the cooperation of a group of Shan elders. Recently the ISG has established a freedom fighting force called Shan State Army (Central) with thousands of troops to fight against the neo-fascist military regime in Burma.  

List of Shan state rulers

 Read more in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.The Shan State of Burma (Myanmar) was once made up of a large number of traditional monarchies or fiefdoms. Three ranks of chiefs where recognized by the Burmese king and later by the British administration. These ranks were Saopha or Chaofa (Shan for king or chieftain) or Sawbwa in Burmese, Myosa (”duke” or chief of town), and Ngwegunhmu (silver revenue chief).

Contents

1 Shan states

1. 1.1 Hierarchy and Precedence

2. 1.2 Baw (Maw)

3. 1.3 Hopong (Hopon)

4. 1.4 Hsahtung (Thaton)

5. 1.5 Hsamönghkam (Thamaingkan)

6. 1.6 Hsawnghsup (Thaungdut)

7. 1.7 Hsenwi (Theinni)

   1. 1.7.1 North Hsenwi

   2. 1.7.2 South Hsenwi

8. 1.8 Hsihkip (Thigyit)

9. 1.9 Hsipaw (Thibaw)

10. 1.10 Kehsi Mangam (Kyithi Bansan)

11. 1.11 Kengcheng (Kyaingchaing)

12. 1.12 Kenghkam (Kyaingkan)

13. 1.13 Kenglön (Kyainglon)

14. 1.14 Kengtung (Kyaingtong)

15. 1.15 Kokang

16. 1.16 Kyon

17. 1.17 Kyawkku Hsiwan (Kyaukku)

18. 1.18 Laihka (Lègya)

19. 1.19 Lawksawk (Yatsauk)

20. 1.20 Loi-ai (Lwe-e)

21. 1.21 Loilong (Lwelong)

22. 1.22 Loimaw (Lwemaw)

23. 1.23 Mawkmai

24. 1.24 Manglon

25. 1.25 Monghsu

26. 1.26 Mawkmai (Maukme)

27. 1.27 Mawnang (Bawnin)

28. 1.28 Mawsön (Bawzaing)

29. 1.29 Möngkawng (Mogaung)

30. 1.30 Mongkung

31. 1.31 Möngleng (Mohlaing)

32. 1.32 Mönglong

33. 1.33 Möngmit (Momeik)

34. 1.34 Mong Nai (Monè)

35. 1.35 Mongnawng

36. 1.36 Mong Pai (Mobye)

37. 1.37 Mong Pan

38. 1.38 Mong Pawng (Maing Pun)

39. 1.39 Möngping (Maingpyin)

40. 1.40 Möngsit (Maingseik)

41. 1.41 Möngtung (Maington)

42. 1.42 Möngyang (Mohnyin)

43. 1.43 Möngyawng

44. 1.44 Namhkai (Nanke)

45. 1.45 Namhkok (Nankok)

46. 1.46 Namhkom (Nankon)

47. 1.47 Namtok (Nantok)

48. 1.48 Namkhok-Nawngwawn

49. 1.49 Panglawng

50. 1.50 Pangmi

51. 1.51 Pangtara (Pindara)

52. 1.52 Pwehla (Poila)

53. 1.53 Sakoi

54. 1.54 Samka

55. 1.55 Tawngpeng

56. 1.56 Wanmaw (Bhamo)

57. 1.57 Wanyin (Banyin)

58. 1.58 Yawnghwe (Nyaungshwe)

59. 1.59 Ywangan (Yengan)

60. 1.60 Bibliography

Shan states

State	Area (sq. mi)	Classical Name	Notes
Sawbwas
Kengtung	12,400	Khemarata Tungaburi
Hsipaw	4,524	Dutawadi
Mongnai	2,717	Saturambha/Nandapwa
Yawnghwe	1,392	Kambawsarata
Tawngpeng	800	Pappatasara
South Hsenwi	2,400	Siwirata or Kawsampi	Also known as Mongyai
North Hsenwi	6,330	Siwirata or Kawsampi
Mongmit	3,733	Gandhalarata
Mongpai	730
Lawksawk	2,362	Hansawadi?
Laikha	1,560	Hansawadi
Mawkmai	2,557	Lawkawadi
Mongpan	2,988	Dhannawadi
Mongpawn	366	Rajjawadi
Manglun		Jambularata
Kantarawadi	3,015
Samka	314
Mongkung	1,593	Lankawadi
Myosas
Nawngwawn	28	Pokkharawadi	Amalgamated with Mong Pawn, 1931
Mongnawng	1,646	Nandawadi
Mongsit
Kehsi-bansam	551
Mawnang			Amalgamated with Hsamongkham, 1934
Loilong (Pinlaung)	1,098
Hsahtung	471
Wanyin	219
Hopong	212
Namkhok	108		Amalgamated with Mong Pawn, 1931
Sakoi	82
Mongshu	470	Hansawadi
Kenglun	54		Amalgamated with Kehsh Bansam, 1926
Bawlake	565
Kyetbogyi	700
Hsamongkham	449
Baw	741
Pwela	178
Ngwegunhmus
Yengan (Ywangan)	359
Pangtara (Pindaya)	86
Pangmi	30
Loi-ai	156		Amalgamated with Hsamongkham, 1930
Kyaukku	76		Amalgamated with Pwela, 1928
Loimaw	48		Amalgamated with Yawnghwe, 1928
Kyone	24
Namtok	14		Amalgamated with Loilong, 1931

    Chinese provinces with the name Shan

1. Shan is another name of the Dai, an ethnic group in China.

2. Shan, an abbreviation for the Shaanxi province of the People’s Republic of China

3. Shan, or Shan county, also refers a county in Shandong province of PRC

4. Shan, or Shantou (??), a city in Guangdong province of PRC

5. Shan, name for a region in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

6. Shan, also refers to the name of ancient Western Regions (??)

Shan also means hill, peak, or mountain in Chinese languages and Japanese There is also Chinese surname, Shan (surname), is a in Chinese.There is also river name with Shan , in Zhejiang Province of PRC

Photos of the His Royal Highness Tzao Hso Khan Pha, President and Head of States, Interim Shan Government of the Federated Shan States.The remaining  are Shan Freedom Fighters’ photos, Six photos are copyright of Chris Sinclair mailto:csinclair@pobox.com.Four…….. Four other photos are courtesy of TSY taisamyone@yahoo.co.uk. All are taken from Burma Digest.

Great Shan Empire V

Shans around the world (Tai peoples) 

The Tai or Tai-Kadai ethnicity

The Tai or Tai-Kadai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from_

• Hainan to eastern India

• and from southern Sichuan to Laos,

• Thailand, and parts of Vietnam,

which speak languages in the Tai-Kadai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including Songkran or Thingyan water festival.  

• Despite never having a unified nation-state of their own,

• the peoples also have historically shared a vague idea of a Shan or Tai or “Siam” nation, corrupted to Shan in Burma or Assam in India, and most of them self-identified themselves as “Tai”. 

Origin of the Tai Comparative linguistic research seems to indicate that the Tai people were a proto Tai-Kadai speaking culture of southern China, and that they may have originally been of Austronesian descent.

Prior to inhabiting mainland China, the Tai are suspected to have migrated from a homeland on the island of Taiwan where they spoke a dialect of Proto-Austronesian or one of its descendant languages.

After the arrival of Sino-Tibetan speaking ethnic groups from mainland China to the island of Taiwan, the Tai would have then migrated into mainland China, perhaps along the Pearl River, where their language greatly changed in character from the other Austronesian languages under influence of Sino-Tibetan and Hmong-Mien language infusion.

The coming of the Han Chinese to this region of southern China may have prompted the Tai to migrate in mass once again, this time southward over the mountains into Southeast Asia. 

While this theory of the origin of the Tai is currently the leading theory, there is insufficient archaeological evidence to prove or disprove the proposition at this time, and the linguistic evidence alone is not conclusive.

DNA Analysia

1. However, in further support of the theory, it is believed that the O1 Y-DNA haplogroup is associated with both the Austronesian people and the Tai.

2. The prevalence of Y-DNA Haplogroup O1 among Austronesian and Tai peoples also suggests a common ancestry with the Sino-Tibetan, Austro-Asiatic and Hmong-Mien peoples some 35,000 years ago in China. 

3. Y-DNA Haplogroup O1 is a subclade of O Y-DNA haplogroup, which itself is a clade of Y-DNA Haplogroup K, a genetic mutation that is believed to have originated 40,000 somewhere between Iran and Central China. 

4. In addition to the ethnicities previously mentioned, the progenator of Haplogroup K was probably the ancestor of nearly all modern Melanesian people, as well as the Mongols and the Native Americans.

5. Haplogroup K, in turn, is a clade of Y-DNA Haplogroup F, which is believed to have originated in Northern Africa some 45,000 years ago.

6. Haplogroup F is believed to be associated with the second major wave of migration out of the African continent.

7. In addition to the ethnicities previously mentioned, the progenator of Haplogroup F was probably the ancestor of all Indo-Europeans. 

Subdivisions of the Tai Ethnic Group

The exact structure of the clades of the Tai ethnicity are a topic of present debate among linguists and other social scientists.

There is only a general consensus as to the existence of the following distinct groups: 

1. the nuclear Tai peoples of China and much of Southeast Asia,

2. including most notably the  Thai, Lao, Isan, Shan and Zhuang

3. the Li people of China (also known as the Hlai people)

4. the Kadai peoples of China and Vietnam (also known as the Geyan peoples)

5. the Kam-Sui peoples (which may or not include the Biao people)

6. the Saek people of Laos and Thailand

7. the Biao people of China  

Other Tai-Kadai speaking ethnic groups of non-Tai ethnic descent 

There is an ethnic group called the Lakkia in the Guangxi Province of China (Tai Lakka in neighboring portions of Vietnam) which is ethnically of Yao descent whose members speak a Tai-Kadai language called Lakkia. These Yao were likely in an area dominated by Tai speakers and assimilated an early Tai-Kadai language (possibly the language of the ancestors of the Biao people).

The Lingao people in the Hainan Province of China speak a Tai-Kadai language called Lincheng, although the ethnicity of the Lingao traces back to the Han nationality.

Geographic Distribution 

1. The Tai have historically resided in China, India and continental Southeast Asia since the early Tai expansion period.

2. Their primary geographic distribution in those countries is roughly in the shape of an arc extending from_

3. northeastern India through southern China and down to Southeast Asia.

4. Recently Tai migrated to Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina and North America as well.

5. Greatest ethnic diversity within the Tai occurs in China. 

6. Nuclear Tai peoples throughout China, India and Southeast Asia 

Further information:

• Tai ethnic groups in China, 

• Tai ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, 

• and Tai ethnic groups in India

Li people

The Li reside primarily, if not completely, within the Hainan Province of China. 

Kadai peoples

The Kadai peoples are clustered in the Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan and Hainan Provinces of China, as well as the Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai and Son La Provinces of Vietnam.

Kam-Sui peoples

The Kam-Sui peoples are clustered in China as well as neighboring portions of northern Laos and Vietnam.

Saek people

The center of the Saek population is the Mekong River in central Laos. A smaller Saek community makes its home in the Isan region of northeast Thailand, near the border with Laos. 

Biao people

The Biao people are clustered in the Guangdong Province of China.

Lakkia people

The Lakkia are an ethnic group clustered in the Guangxi Province of China and neighboring portions of Vietnam, whose members are of Yao descent, but speak a Tai-Kadai language called Lakkia.

These Yao were likely in an area dominated by Tai speakers and assimilated an early Tai-Kadai language (possibly the language of the ancestors of the Biao people). 

Lingao people

The Lingao people are an ethnic group clustered in the Hainan Province of China who speak a Tai-Kadai language called Lincheng.

They are categorized as Han Chinese under China’s system of ethnic classification. 

Other Tai populations throughout Asia

There is a large Shan community within Sri Lanka which settled in Sri Lanka from mainland India.

In other parts of Asia, substantial Thai communities can be found in Japan, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.

 Tai of North America

The United States is home to a significant population of Thai, Lao, Tai Kao, Isan, Lu, Phutai, Tai Dam, Northern Thai, Southern Thai, Tay and Shan people.

There are a significant number of Thai and Lao people living in Canada as well. 

Tai of Europe

The most significant communities of Tai peoples in Europe are in_

1. the Lao communities of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Switzerland,

2. the Isan communities of the United Kingdom and Iceland,

3. the Thai communities of Finland, Iceland and Norway,

4. the Tai Dam and Tay communities of France,

5. and the Southern Thai community of the United Kingdom. 

Thai of Oceania

There is a sizable Thai community in Australia, as well as a Northeastern Thai community in New Zealand.  

Lao of Argentina

In recent times, large numbers of Lao have migrated to Argentina.  

Common CultureLanguage 

The languages spoken by the Tai people are referred to as the Tai-Kadai language family.

The most widely spoken of the Tai-Kadai languages are_

1. the Tai languages, including Thai, the national language of Thailand,

2. Lao or Laotian, the national language of Laos,

3. Burma’s Shan language,

4. and Zhuang, a group of languages of southern China.

These languages are tonal languages,

• meaning variations in tone of a word can change that word’s meaning. 

Festivals 

The Tai throughout Asia celebrate a number of common festivals, including a holiday known as Songkran, which originally marked the vernal equinox. 

Thailand

The Tai migration from the northern mountains into Thailand and Laos was a slow process, with the Tai generally remaining near to the mountainous regions within the region, where they were able to use their specialized agricultural knowledge relating to the use of mountain water resources for rice production.

The earliest Tai settlements in Thailand were along the river valleys in along the northern border of the country. Eventually, the Tai settled the central plains of Thailand (which were covered with dense rainforest) and displaced and inter-bred with the pre-existing Austro-Asiatic population.

The languages and culture of the Tai eventually came to dominate the regions of both modern-day Laos and Thailand.

In more recent times, many of the Tai tribes of Laos also migrated west across the border establishing communities in Thailand. The Laotian Tai ethnic groups, often referred to as the Lao), are largely clustered in the Isan region of Thailand.

The coming of the Han Chinese to this region of southern China may have prompted the Tai to migrate in mass once again, this time southward over the mountains of southern China into Southeast Asia via the mountains of Burma and Laos to the north of Thailand.

It is believed that the Tai ethnic groups began migrating southward from China and into Southeast Asia during the first millennium A.D.

Tai ethnic fusion

Over the years, the Tai intermarried and absorbed many of the other populations who co-inhabited and/or politically occupied the region, particularly populations of Mon-Khmer, Burmese, and Chinese descent.

This fusion of ethnicity has led to considerable genetic diversity in the modern Thai people, and has resulted in a Tai population significantly different in culture, language and physical appearance from the Tai ethnic groups who remained in China.

In addition, many of the individual Tai ethnic groups have merged under a common Thai identity, and have adopted a nationalistic view of their culture. 

Individual Tai ethnic groups in Thailand

There are presently upwards of 30 distinct Tai ethnic groups within Thailand, making up nearly 85% of the nation’s population. The genetic stratification of the ethnic clades of the Tai ethnicity is a topic of present debate among linguists and other social scientists.

Great Shan Empire IV

The date 7th February 1947 is a defining moment in the record of the Shan history as a modern nation.

On that day, Shan princes and the people’s representatives of the Shan States demonstrated their newfound unity to declare it a “national day” which were followed by the resolutions of “Shan National Anthem”, “Shan National Flag” and the formation of “Shan State Council” on the 11th and 15th of February, 1947 respectively.

The people of Shan States and leaders decided in this very year later at Panglong, on the 12th of February, to join with U Aung San and the AFPFL (Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League) and leaders of other nationalities, to live together under one flag as co-independent and equal nations. This marks the birth of a nation-state now known as “Union of Burma”.

National flag

1. The design of the national flag is as sanctioned at the Panglong Treaty conference in 1947.
2. The size of the flag is ( 5ft. x 3ft)
3. Diameter of the Moon is (1. ½ ft)
4. The breath of the three colors: yellow, green and reddish (1 ft) each.

Example

The meaning of the color:

1. yellow is religion
2. green is forest, and rich in natural resources and peace
3. red is  bravery,
4. white is purity

Saopha-loong, Soa Shwe Thaike was the first President of the Independent Burma. When Burma fell under military dictatorship, Soa Shwe Thaike was put into jail by the military regime, and later died in jail under suspicious circumstances.

Failed Cohabitation

• The experiment to living together in harmony within the Union of Burma has been a disaster.
• In 1962, the General Ne Win led Burmese military sized state power in a coup and declared the Union Constitution abolished.
• In so doing, the Burmese terminated the only existing legal bond between them and the other ethnic nationalities.
• So much time has gone by since February 7 1947…
• A lot of changes have occurred, and many of them have been very painful and unfair. 
• The leaders of Burma from Prime Minister U Nu in 1948, to General Ne Win in 1962, to General Than Shwe (now), have missed the opportunity_ 
  •  
    • to build a peaceful and prosperous nation based on
    • mutual respect,
    • understanding
    • and cooperation.
• The problem that exist is not ethic “minority” rights versus the “majority” Burmese rights but rather of equality of rights for all.
• The 1948 Union of Burma was understood by us to be a federal  union of equals.
• And though the intent of the 1948 Constitution was federal, in rushing it through the Constituent Assembly by the AFPFL [Fa-sa-pa-la], the federal Union  in practice became unitary. 
• We during 1958-62 tried to institute constitutional reforms in the Union Parliament towards a more equitable federal system as envisaged by the 1947 Panglong Agreement.
• Ne Win staged his military coup and he and his successor Burmese military troops in Shan country raped, murdered & tortured to oppress, suppress and intimidate.
• “Since then, Shan State has been treated as a de facto colony and occupied territory by the Burmese army.
• Its forced assimilation and Burmanization policies to subdue our national identity have devastated the Shan homeland and make the people homeless and refugees.

Looking at the contemporary situation, one could only term the Shan nation as a downtrodden and battered one, reeling under the occupation of the oppressive Burmese military regime.

Gross human rights violations, genocide and cultural genocide, population transfer designed to make the Shan a minority in their homestead, and robbing them of their birthright sovereignty and self-determination are glaring injustice, which push the Shan into the category of sub-human or slaves, especially in the eyes of their occupiers.    

But even under such circumstances and after more than four decades of brutal suppression and occupation, the Shan sense of “national identity” and the aspiration to be the master of their own faith have not diminish but have grown stronger.

• The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy’s (SNLD) victory in 1990 nation-wide election in the whole Shan State;
• the continued political activities of the Shan State Army North within the limited political space provided by the Burmese military junta;
• the active armed resistance of the Shan State Army South,
• together with the bulk of Shan State National Army;
• and the highly self-conscious Shan civil societies in keeping the national identity alive under intense pressure of the Burmese military junta; are indications of a nation, which refuses to be cowed.
• the mainstream Shan organizations are endorsing the notion to rebuild a new Federal Union – together with all the other ethnic nationalities, Burman included

Practically, the Shan are faced with a dilemma to choose between secession and genuine federalism. But it is also important to note that the Federal Proposal of 1961, before the military coup,

• is the brainchild of the Shan leadership at that time,
• which was aimed at changing the Burman dominated unitary system into a genuine federal structure
• with equal status for all ethnic nationalities.
• All non-Burman ethnic groups endorse this as a balanced and acceptable solution until today.
• Meanwhile, this proposed arrangement also find acceptance among most of the Burman opposition camps as a way to resolve the conflict as a whole.

This is perhaps lowering the aspiration to a certain degree but nevertheless, a pragmatic approach and in line with the international mood. But this is not to say that the global trend will stay forever in favor of status quo. The people concerned would eventually adjust their needs and value system, according to the prevailing international norm and structure of the time.    

Finally, if the Shan wants to be heard and advance their aspirations, they would need to seriously think globally and act locally.

• It would need to sell the idea
• that it is part and parcel of a viable force,
• in collaboration with all non-Burman ethnic nationalities
• and Burman opposition groups,
• to replace the illegitimate military junta.
• To do this, “broad coalition-building” among all the opposition is essential,
• even those within the rank of the enemies, who are ready to reform, embrace justice, equality and democracy should not be neglected.
• The Shan cannot win this fight alone
• and it is crucial that the “multi-pronged” approach is employed,
• coupled with the motto of “diverse actions, common goal”, as urged time and again by the late Chao Tzang Yawnghwe.

If we can bring about change now, in twenty years, Burma can still be a peaceful and prosperous country.

“Yugoslavia did break up into its components parts. The Shan States are larger both in population then Cambodia for instance and larger in area than some 24 States of the US and 20 or so Nation-States in Europe.

“I support all ethnic groups’ rights to have their own federal states, probably in US style or Canadian style. I understand that Quebac Province in Canada is an autonomic federal state. Shan state can be like that.

I never believe that “total separation of Union of Burma/Myanmar into a large number of totally separated & independent but very small tiny little countries” might be a wise decision.”

(From the “Dialogue with a Shan Leader“_ Interview with Tiger Yawnghwe )

To understand the History of Shans, we need to review or revised the brief history of Burma (Pagan) 1044.

The brief history of Burma (Pagan) 1044

Anawrattha (d. 1077) seized royal power at Pagan and made it the political, religious, and cultural center of Burma; the Burmese written language was developed and Buddhist scriptures translated;

• architectural monuments followed the inspiration of Ceylon and southern India.
• In 1057, conquest of Thaton, Mon kingdom, which was in maritime contact with Ceylon and the Indian subcontinent and was a center for Buddhism as well as overseas trade.
• Mon had a strong cultural influence at Pagan.
• In 1060s-1070s, Anawrata initiated communication and exchanges with Vijayabahu I, Ceylon’s ruler (1055-1110), including the sharing of Pali Buddhist texts and monks.  

Rule of Kyanzittha, (1084-1112 )best known for his _

• synthesis of various cultural developments
• and the process of assimilation of different ethnic groups that took place during his reign.
• He created a distinctive Burman style.  
• In 1106, a Burmese embassy at the Sung capital in China was received as from a fully sovereign state.    

Pagan disintegrated into smaller states in ( 1287 )_

• Following the rejection of Mongol demands for tribute in 1271
• and later, Burmese raids into Yünnan,
• and the death of Narathihapate (who ruled 1254-87),
• Mongol forces looted Pagan and destroyed its power.
• The invasion of Shan tribes, forced southward by the Mongols, led to the division of Burma into a number of petty states.

The chief states among them being_

• Toungoo (established 1280),
• Pegu in southern Burma,
• and Ava in the middle and lower Irrawaddy Valley (established as capital 1365).

After the collapse of Pagan authority, Burma was divided.

Sagaing had been established as a capital, but later Sagaing fell to the Shan, the court moved across the river to Ava.

1. Burmese Ava Dynasty (1364-527) was eventually established at the city of Ava by 1364.
2. The kings of Ava set about restoring Burmese supremacy, which had disintegrated after the collapse of Pagan to the Mongol invasion under Kublai Khan that ended the First Burmese Empire founded by King Anawrattha in 1057.
3. The kingdom lacked easily defendable borders, however, and was overrun by the Shan in 1527.
4. There were repeated Shan/Tai raids on the capital of Ava and Ava sent military northwards to attack Tai fiefdoms such as Mong Mao.
5. The Kingdom of Ava was involved in continuous warfare with Tai (Shan) princelings to the north on the frontier with Yunnan.
6. The Ming dynasty that ruled China from the late fourteenth century often tried unsuccessfully to put an end to this warfare through traditional Chinese diplomacy.
7. Ava occasionally became involved in the warfare between the Ming and Tai in Yunnan such as in the Luchuan-Pingmian Campaigns (1436-49).

Toungoo Dynasty  

King Mingyinyo founded the First Toungoo Dynasty (1486-1599) at Toungoo, south of Ava, towards the end of the Ava dynasty.

1. After the conquest of Ava by the Shan invaders in 1527 many Burmans migrated to Toungoo which became a new center for Burmese rule.
2. The dynasty conquered the Mohnyin Shan peoples in northern Burma.By this time, the geopolitical situation in Southeast Asia had changed dramatically.
3. Mingyinyo’s son king Tabinshwehti (1531-50) unified most of Burma.
4. The Shan gained power in a new kingdom in the North, Ayutthaya (Siam), while the Portuguese had arrived in the south and conquered Malacca.
5. With the coming of European traders, Burma was once again an important trading centre, and Tabinshwehti moved his capital to Pegu due to its strategic position for commerce. Tabinshwehti was able to gain control of Lower Burma up to Prome,
6. but the campaigns he led to the Arakan, Ayutthaya, and Ava in Upper Burma were unsuccessful.
7. When Tabinshwehti’s brother-in-law, Bayinnaung (1551-81), Tabinshwehti’s brother-in-law, succeeded to the throne he launched a campaign of conquest invading several states, including Manipur (1560) and Ayutthaya (1569).
8. An energetic leader and effective military commander, he made Toungoo the most powerful state in Southeast Asia,
9. and extended his borders from Laos to Ayutthaya, near Bangkok.
10. His wars stretched Myanmar to the limits of its resources, however, and both Manipur and Ayutthaya, which had remained under Myanmar domination for 15 years, were soon independent once again.
11. Bayinnaung was poised to deliver a final, decisive assault on the kingdom of Arakan when he died in 1581.

 The Toungoo rulers withdrew from southern Burma and founded a second dynasty at Ava as the Restored Toungoo Dynasty (1597-1752), because_

• they Faced with rebellion by several cities
• and renewed Portuguese incursions

Bayinnaung’s grandson, Anaukpetlun, once again reunited Burma in 1613 and decisively defeated Portuguese attempts to take over Burma.

Encouraged by the French in India, Pegu finally rebelled against Ava, further weakening the state, which fell in 1752.

To further understand the History of Shans, we need to also review or know at least the brief history of   Thailand.

Siam (Thailand)

Early in the 11th century, Dvaravati (See Mainland Southeast Asia) was annexed to Cambodia; Haripunjaya retained its independence.

• In the 13th century, Haripunjaya was overrun by a migration of Tai, or Shan, peoples from the north.  
• In the year 1281, Tai leader Mangrai (1239-1317) conquered the kingdom of Haripunjaya at Lamphun. For two decades he fought Mongols who were threatening Tais from the north.
• He is known as the founder of the kingdom of Lan Na, centered at Chiengmai, with cultural contributions influenced by Buddhist thought.  
• In the year 1279-98, Ramkamhaeng ruled over the kingdom of Sukothai,
• which he extended from Vientiane in the east to Pegu in the west.
• Most important contributions were in areas of literature, sculpture, and religion; these developments strongly influenced Tai (+ Myanmar) cultural attainments as well.  
• In the year 1350, migration of Tai, or Shan, accelerated by the Mongol conquest of the Tai state of Nan-chao (in modern Yünnan and southern Szechwan) in 1253,
• led eventually to the suppression of the Khmer kingdoms

and the setting up of the Tai kingdom of Siam, with its capital at Ayuthia, founded by Rama Tiboti.

The early Siamese state was from the first under the influence of both Hinayana Buddhism and Chinese political institutions. The location of the Siamese state at a center of maritime commerce gave it a distinct advantage in its power struggle with Angkor. The ability to_

• adopt the Angkorian-style administrative skills of the Mons and Khmers,
• the martial skills of the Tais,
• and the wealth and commercial skills of the local Chinese merchant communities was its legacy to the Tais’ cultural development.

Toward the end of the 13th century, a form of writing had been invented for the Siamese language.  

Siamese invasion of Cambodia in 1350-1460  finally led to the abandonment of Angkor (1431) and collapse of the Khmer Empire.  

In the year 1371, Siamese embassy at Nanking inaugurated tributary relations with the newly founded Ming dynasty.    

Intermittent friction between Siam and the Tai state of Chiengmai in the northern Menam Valley in 1376-1557 _

• ended with the destruction of Chiengmai by the Burmese.  
• During the 14th and 15th centuries, strong Siamese influence was exerted over the disunited states of Burma
• and the northern part of the Malay Peninsula.

 Siam (Ayutthaya) (Because of this first capital of Thai, Ayuttha, we Burmese called Thais as Yow Da Yar)

Administrative centralization of Siam attributed to efforts of King Trailokanat (r. 1448-88); but most of institutionalized form of government probably resulted from reign of King Naresuen the Great (r. 1590-1605).

• Under this king, Siam regained its independence from Burma
• and emerged as most powerful kingdom in mainland Southeast Asia.  
• Development of overseas trade can be dated as early as 1368. By the early modern period, Siam was a major source for sappanwood and pepper in the Chinese trading network.  
• Siamese adopted Hinduism along with Theravada Buddhism.
• Hindu concept of divine kingship,
• and accompanying rituals, provided important sources of legitimation.

But in Siamese society, the claim to divinity operated without the internal checks characteristic of India, for Brahmans had little influence at the court. This may explain the pronounced aspect of absolutism in Siam.

• Yet Buddhism was dominant in the cultural system that emerged in the early modern period, particularly in providing signs of legitimation (and delegitimation in the face of popular unrest) for rulers.
• Royal interaction with sangha (groups of monks) provided especially important occasions for public statements of rulers’ support of Buddhist precepts; nevertheless, Thai rulers closely controlled the sangha through cultural patronage (their support ranged from sponsorship of architecture and sculpture to public processions).  

In 1569, first fall of Ayutthaya to invading Burmese army although_ 

• In 1538, as a measure of impact of military technology, King Phrachai (r. 1534-46) retained 120 Portuguese to instruct Siamese soldiers in musketry.  
• In 1550, new fortification style was introduced around the Siamese capital.
• King Maha Thammarcha (r. 1569-90) also purchased large supplies of foreign cannon.

In 1590, King Naresuen the Great regained independence and utilized political, economic, and military forces to transform fragmented kingdom into relatively centralized state.  

• Portuguese trading stations were established in the 16th century.
• Around the beginning of the 17th century large numbers of Japanese were active in Siam in war and trade.
• In 1602 a Dutch trading post was established at Patani,
• where the English soon followed, until their withdrawal from Siam in 1623.
• R. 1656-88 King Narai most energetic in pursuit of trade with foreigners.
• His curiosity about Persian and French cultures made his court known for its openness.  
• 1664 By a commercial treaty, the Dutch gained a monopoly of Siamese foreign trade,
• which was, however, thwarted by French intrigue; a French embassy and military expedition (1685) in turn failed to secure the acceptance of Christianity and French influence and led to 
• In 1688 a popular revolt that began a period of prolonged civil war. Prompted in part by reaction against Narai’s openness, it became anti-European. European trade languished,
• But Chinese and Muslim trade continued at a high level to take up the slack.  
• In 1690s, a dramatic decline in trade with Muslims and Europeans could be measured, although the Chinese trade helped to fill the gap. 

In 1767, Burmese invasion destroyed Ayuthia

• and compelled temporary acceptance of Burmese rule until 1782,
• when Rama I founded a new Siamese dynasty, with its capital at Bangkok.
• Even in period of political anarchy, great cultural activity emerged.
• Rama issued royal decrees aimed at controlling the sangha and addressing the need to harness the manpower represented by idle monks.

Now the time is ripe to look at the Contemporary Shan State.

Contemporary Shan State

 From the Wikipedia enclyclopedia_

Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. Shan State comprises 69 townships, including 24 newly-created townships in Special Region 2 (Wa Area). Its capital is Taunggyi. The state is largely rural. Major cities of Shan State are Lashio, Kengtong and Taunggyi.

Contents

1. Sub states, districts and townships
2. Geography
3. Education
4. Economy
5. Population History References

Continue to read about the Shan State in the Wikipedia enclyclopedia.

Contemporary Shan Nationals 

From the Wikipedia enclyclopedia_ 

The Shan (Burmese: ; IPA: [?án lùmjó?]; Chinese: ??; pinyin: d?n zú) are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan live primarily in the Shan State of Burma (Myanmar), but also inhabit parts of Mandalay Division, Kachin State, and Kayin State, and in adjacent regions of China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Shan are estimated to number ~6 million; a reliable census has not been taken since 1935. The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi, a small city of about 150,000 people. Other major cities include Thibaw (Hsipaw), Lashio, Kengtong and Tachileik.

The valleys and tableland are inhabited by the Shans, who in language and customs resemble the Thais, Dai, and the Lao. They are largely Buddhists and are mainly engaged in agriculture. Among the Shans live the Bamar, Chinese, and Karens. The hills are inhabited by various peoples, notably the Wa, who are numerous in the north and along the Chinese border.The Palaung People are numerous in the Northern Shan State, in Namkham, Muse, Nampaka, Kut Kai, and Lashio Townships along the Burma China Border and also in the middle of Shan State, in Namsarn, Kyat Mae and Thipal Townships. The population of the Palaung people is over 1 million. Some of the Palaung people in Kalaw and Aung Pan in the Southern Shan State. There is a dwindling population of Anglo-Burmese in major hill stations, such as Kalaw and in Taunggyi, a hold-over from the colonial period.

Contents

1. Etymology  
2. Culture
3. Language
4.  History List of Shan States and rulers
5. Politics Independence and exiled government

Etymology

The Shan identify themselves as “Tai”, which means “free men” while “Shan” is a Burmese language term.[1] The Shan share their creation myth with the Lao people and believe their race was founded by Khun Borom the first king to establish Sip Song Pan Na (12 thousand Fields) along the Mekong (Mae Nam Kong).

The Shan people as a whole can be divided into four major groups:

1. The Tai Yai or “Shan Proper”
2. The Tai Lue, located in Sipsong Panna (China) and the eastern states
3. The Tai Khuen, the majority of Keng Tung (Thai:????????)
4. The Tai Neua, mostly in Sipsong Panna(Thai:??????????? or ???????????).

Culture

The Shan are traditionally wet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, and artisans. Most Shan are Theravada Buddhists and/or observe their traditional religion, which is related to animist practices.

Language

The Shan language, which is spoken by about 5 or 6 millions is closely related to Thai and Lao, and is part of the family of Tai-Kadai languages. It is spoken in Shan State, some parts of Kachin State, some parts of Sagaing Division in Burma, parts of Yunnan, and Mae Hong Son Province in northwestern Thailand.[2] The two major dialects differ in number of tones: Hsenwi Shan has six tones, while Mongnai Shan has five.[3] Its written script is an adaptation of the Mon script (like Burmese), although several other scripts exist.[3] However, few Shan are literate, and many are bilingual in Burmese.

History

The Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as Tai Long (Great Tai) or Thai Yai (Big Thai). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as Tai Noi (or Tai Nyai), while those in parts of northern Thailand and Laos are commonly known as Tai Noi (Little Tai – Lao spoken) [1] The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century AD. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century AD but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Bagan (Pagan)(1044-1077). Note: the Mao people are consider a Shan subgroup.

After the Bagan kingdom fell to the Mongols in 1287, the Tai-Shan people quickly gained power throughout South East Asia, and founded:

• Lan Xang (Laos)
• Lanna (Chiang Mai)
• Ayutthaya (Siam)
• Assam
• Ava by Burmanized Shan kings
• Bago by Monized Shan kings
• Several Shan states in the Shan hills, Kachin hills, Yunnan and parts of Vietnam.

Many famous Ava and Bago kings of Burmese history were of (partial) Shan descent.

• The Burmanized Shan kings of Ava fought Monized Shan kings of Bago for control of Ayeyarwady valley.
• Various Shan states fought Burmanized Shan kings of Ava for the control of Upper Myanmar.
• The Shan kingdom of Monyin (Mong Yang) defeated the Ava kingdom in 1527, and ruled all of Upper Myanmar until 1555.

Burmese king Bayinnaung (1551-1581) conquered all of the Shan states in 1557. Although the Shan states would become a tributary to Ayeyarwady valley based Burmese kingdoms for many centuries, the Shan Saophas retained a large degree of autonomy and often allied themselves with either ChiangMai, Ayuttaya or Siam.

After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, the British gained control of the Shan states and pushed the borders to the mountains, thereby robbing Siam of thousands of square miles of territory.

(The last Burmese king Thibaw was half-Shan.)

Under the British colonial administration, the Shan principalities were administered separately as British protectorates with limited monarchical powers invested in the Shan Saophas.

After World War II, the Shan and other ethnic minority leaders negotiated with the majority Burman leadership at the Panglong Conference, and agreed to gain independence from Britain as part of Union of Burma. The Shan states were given the option to secede after 10 years of independence. The Shan states became Shan State in 1948 as part of the newly independent Burma.

General Ne Win’s coup d’etat overthrew the democratically elected government in 1962, and abolished Shan saopha system. In an effort to extract themselves from under the Burmese thumb, various Shan political organizations have attempted ro reassert Siam’s (Thailand) ancient claim to the Shan States, but without success.

Politics

The Shan have been engaged in an intermittent civil war within Burma for decades. There are two main armed rebel forces operating within Shan State: the Shan State Army/Special Region 3 and Shan State Army/Restoration Council of Shan State. In 2005 the SSNA was effectively abolished after its surrender to the Burmese government, some units joined the SSA/RCSS, which has yet to sign any agreements, and is still engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Burma Army.

During conflicts, the Shan (Thai Yai) are often burned out of their villages and forced to flee into Thailand. There, they are not given refugee status, and often work as undocumented laborers. Whether or not there is an ongoing conflict, the Shan are subject to depredations by the Burmese government; in particular, young men may be impressed into the Burmese Army for indefinite periods, or they may be enslaved to do road work for a number of months – with no wages and no food. The horrific conditions inside Burma have led to a massive exodus of young Shan males to neighboring Thailand, where they typically find work in construction, at daily wages which run about 100-200 baht. However unsatisfactory these conditions may be, all of these refugees are well aware that at least they are being paid for their work, and that every day spent in Thailand is another day that the Burmese government cannot impress or enslave them. Some estimates of Shan refugees in Thailand run as high as two million, an extremely high number when compared with estimates of the total Shan population at some six million.

Independence and Exiled Government

His Royal Highness Prince Hso Khan Fa (sometimes written as Surkhanfa in Thai) of Yawnghwe, lives in exile in Canada. He is campaigning for the government of Burma to respect the traditional culture and indigenous lands of the Shan people, and he works with Shan exiles abroad helping to provide schooling for displaced Shan children whose parents are unable to do so. He hopes to provide Shan children with some training in life skills so they can fend for themselves and their families in the future.

In addition, opinion has been voiced in Shan State and in neighbouring Thailand, and to some extent in farther-reaching exile communities, in favour of the goal of “total independence for Shan State.” This came to a head when, in May 2005, Shan elders in exile declared independence for the Federated Shan States.

The declaration of independence, however, was rejected by most other ethnic minority groups, many Shan living inside Burma, and Burma’s leading opposition party, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite this dissenting opinion, the Burma Army has begun a crackdown on Shan civilians as a result of the declaration, and Shan people have reported an increase in restrictions on their movements, and an escalation in Burma Army raids on Shan villages.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khun_Sa

When compare to our other good neighbour, India, you are so cruel on all the countries in South East Asia, including Burma.

You had kicked out or forced out or pushed out almost all the ethnic groups of South East Asia including all the ethnic minorities of Burma/Myanmar and the Bama people’s ancestors. After that you shamelessly bully all of us again by following to our new home land and asked for the protection money or ransom money.

See your neighbour India, it had given the great religions, Hindu, Buddhism and Islam to all the nations of South East Asia including Burma.

India had given culture, arts, literature etc to all of us, including Burma/ Myanmar.

India had just fought two wars in the whole history on our South East Asia. ( We leave behind three wars with China and wars in South Asia.)

( What’s up is an informal question meaning, depending on situation and emphasis: “what are you doing”, “how are you?”, “what is happening” or “what gives.” It is sometimes used as an informal, casual greeting in itself.)

Now I wish to ask China to repent and pay back the the historical debts it had accumulated, instead of the present shameful stance of its hindrance in  our current struggle  for the democratization movements against SPDC Junta. China is actively supporting this pariah Junta and protecting this régime in the UNSC.

Please red my article in Burma Digest, C.C.C.C. or C4 ,Communist Chinese Colonialist’s Cruelties with MAHA BANDULA pseudonym to know about the China.

If we look at the China’s long history of aggressive behaviour on its own citizens, neighbours and the world, it is quite alarming. The world must do something to protect itself from this big bully instead of closing one eye to get the big economic opportunity by supporting its one China policy and undemocratic unruly bullying on its neighbours and on its own citizens.

If we look at the history of South East Asia, including almost all of our ethnic minorities of Burma/Myanmar, almost all of us had to migrate down and out of China because of the violent, aggressive Chinese new comers that pushed or forced all of us out.

Later after settling in the new home land, Chinese Kings tried to continue their bully by demanding to pay tributes regularly. Not only Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Laos but far away countries like, Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Bengal, Europe, Mecca and Medina are also not spared.

And during the late 60’s and 70’s, just because General Ne Win massacred the Burmese Chinese in the anti-Chinese Riots, they supported the Burmese Communist Party with 100,000 Chinese Red army troops, disguised as Wa rebels.

According to the Burmese language, Peking radio reports, 100,000 Chinese soldiers deserted with full ammunition and joined forces with the Burmese Communist rebels. So, the so called, ‘Wa Ethnic Minorities’, who could not even speak or understand a word in Burmese, became full citizens now. They could easily get the Myanmar National Registration Cards and many of them even managed to get the Myanmar Passports. Just look at the various groups of Burmese Muslims’ dilemma in getting the National Registration Cards and Passports. And our cousin brothers, Rohingyas are also unfairly discriminated.

Is that because our skin are darker than Chinese?

Is that because our nose are sharper than Chinese?

Is that because we are Muslims and could not assimilate thoroughly like Chinese who could assimilate easily?

Is that because the Burmese girls need not convert if they marry the Chinese?

Although PURE Chinese Nationals who disguised as ‘Myanmar Ethnic Minority Wa’ could grease the hands of Myanmar local and national authorities, actually just because they-are not-Indian, factor and because of their Chinese features paved their way to get the Myanmar citizenship easily. Even if the real or genune citizen Myanmar Muslims pay the same amount of under-table bribes, it is still quite difficult and sometimes the military authorities even took action on the local Immigration officers who approved the genuine cases of Myanmar Muslim National Registration Card applications.

But anyway please look back the history of South East Asia, India. [We all are not Indians but anyway Burmese Muslims are called Kalas/Indian (people of the Indian sub-continent) mixed blooded people.]

Except for the South India dynasty of Chola’s attack on Indonesia’s Srivijaya and Moghul  King Aurangzeb, attacked the Arakan once only. His elder brother Shah Shuja’ was the second son of the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan who built the famous Taj Mahal of India. Shah Shuja’ lost to his brother and fled with his family and army in to Arakan. Sandathudama (1652-1687 AD), the Arakan King accepted and allow him to settle there but later arrested and killed. Although Aurangzeb was the enemy of the Shah Shuja’, he was upset by the massacre and attacked Arakan.

India and China shaped the present South East Asia, and the Colonial masters polished into the present finished products.

Indianized kingdoms

The concept of the Indianized kingdom, first described by George Coedès, is based upon the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic cultural and economic influences in Southeast Asia.

Ancient and classical kingdoms

Southeast Asia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The communities in the region evolved to form complex cultures with varying degrees of influence from India and China.

The ancient kingdoms can be grouped into two distinct categories.

The first is agrarian kingdoms. Agrarian kingdoms had agriculture as the main economic activity. Most agrarian states were located in mainland Southeast Asia.

Examples are the Ayutthaya Kingdom, based on the Chao Phraya River delta and the Khmer Empire on the Tonle Sap.

The second type is maritime states. Maritime states were dependent on sea trade. Malacca and Srivijaya were maritime states. A succession of trading systems dominated the trade between China and India.

First goods were shipped through Funan to the Isthmus of Kra, portaged across the narrow , and then transhipped for India and points west.

Around the sixth century CE merchants began sailing to Srivijaya where goods were transhipped directly. The limits of technology and contrary winds during parts of the year made it difficult for the ships of the time to proceed directly from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.

The third system involved direct trade between the Indian and Chinese coasts. Several kingdoms developed on the mainland, initially in modern-day Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The first dominant power to arise in the archipelago was Srivijaya in Sumatra. Very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards.

• Prior to the 13th century, Buddhism and Hinduism were the main religions in Southeast Asia.

• The Jawa Dwipa Hindu kingdom in Java and Sumatra existed around 200 BCE.

• The history of the Malay-speaking world begins with the advent of Indian influence, which dates back to at least the 3rd century BC. Indian traders came to the archipelago for its forest and maritime products and to trade with merchants from China.

• Cambodia was first influenced by Hinduism during the beginning of the Funan kingdom. Hinduism was one of the Khmer Empire’s official religions.

• Cambodia is the home to one of the only two temples dedicated to Brahma in the world. Angkor Wat is also a famous Hindu temple of Cambodia.

• The Majapahit Empire was an Indianized kingdom based in eastern Java from 1293 to around 1500. Its ruler Hayam Wuruk, (1350 to 1389) dominated other kingdoms in the southern Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Bali and the Philippines.

• The Cholas excelled in maritime activity in both military and the mercantile fields. Their raids of Kedah and the Srivijaya, and they influence the local cultures.

• Many of the surviving examples of the Hindu cultural influence found today throughout the Southeast Asia are the result of the Chola expeditions.

• Despite being culturally akin to Hindu cultures to western historians these kingdoms were truly indigenous and independent of India.

• States such as Srivijaya and the Khmer empire developed territories and economies that rivalled those in India itself.

• Borobudur, for example, is the largest Buddhist monument ever built.

• Despite being culturally akin to Hindu cultures to western historians these kingdoms were truly indigenous and independent of India.

• States such as Srivijaya and the Khmer empire developed territories and economies that rivalled those in India itself.

• Borobudur, for example, is the largest Buddhist monument ever built. Southeast Asian rulers were founders of these states_

• and then imported the Indian ritual specialists as advisers on raja dharma, or the practices of Indian kingship.

• The Indianized kingdoms developed a close affinity

• and internalised Indian religious, cultural and economic practices without significant direct input from Indian rulers themselves.

• Indianization was the work of Indian traders and merchants, although later the travels of Buddhist monks such as Atisha became important. Southeast Asian rulers enthusiastically adopted elements of raja dharma,

• (Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, codes and court practices)

• to legitimate their own rule • and constructed cities, such as Angkor,

• to affirm royal power by reproducing a map of sacred space derived from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

• Southeast Asian rulers frequently adopted lengthy Sanskrit titles

• and founded cities, such as Ayutthaya in Thailand, named after those in the Indian epics.

• Most Indianized kingdoms combined both Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and practices in a syncretic manner.

• Kertanagara, the last king of Singhasari, described himself as Sivabuddha, a simultaneous incarnation of the Hindu god and the Buddha.

• Also a significant part of the current population in South East Asia has a trace of Indian ancestry from distant antiquity. Indian and Chinese cultures blended with native cultures These kingdoms prospered from the Spice Route, trade among themselves and the Indian kingdoms.

• The influence of Indian culture is visible in the script, grammar, religious observances, festivities, architecture and artistic idioms even today.

• The influence of Indian and Chinese cultures blended with native cultures, created a new synthesis. The Southeast Asian region was previously called by the name Indochina.

• The influence of Indian and Chinese cultures are both strongly visible in this region even today, with the majority of the region being Indianized and Vietnam Sinocized.

• The reception of Hinduism and Buddhism aided the civilization maturity of these kingdoms but also subjected them to aggression by Indian and Chinese rulers.

• Cultural practices like the performances of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana across all of Southeast Asia.

• Traces of Hindu culture are visible also in the Sanskrit etymology of words in Myanmar language, Malay language, Indonesian and other regional languages as well as personal names. The Chinese ruled Vietnam for a millennium, while the Chola dynasty of South India ruled over Srivijaya briefly.

• And though Southeast Asia is an economic powerhouse in its own right, the need to balance Chinese economic and political influence with that of India remains an important factor for the region.

• Cultural and trading relations between the powerful Chola kingdom of South India and the South East Asian Hindu kingdoms, led the Bay of Bengal to be called “The Chola Lake”

• and the Chola attacks on Srivijaya in the tenth century CE are the sole example of military attacks by Indian rulers against Southeast Asia. The Pala dynasty of Bengal, which controlled the heartland of Buddhist India maintained close economic, cultural and religious ties, particularly with Srivijaya.

• The subsequent arrival of Islam, by Arab traders,

• and Christianity, by Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch colonial rulers significantly weakened the connection with India.

• Chinese influence grew with the gradual migration of Chinese traders and merchants. Chinese influence dominated in Vietnam, although other states such as the Khmer empire and Malacca were drawn into Chna’s diplomatic orbit.

• While Buddhism remains the dominant religion in mainland Southeast Asia,

• Hinduism survives in Bali and

• Christianity is the dominant religion in the Philippines and eastern Indonesia.

The History of Burma (or Myanmar) is long and complex.

Several races of people have lived in the region, the oldest of which are probably the Mon or the Pyu. In the 9th century the Bamar (Burman) people migrated from the then China-Tibet border region into the valley of the Ayeyarwady, and now form the governing majority.

‘Bamars are descendants of Sakyans who are of the Aryan Race or of some other descendants of Aryans’.

Though there is ‘scarcely any race that can claim descent from exclusively one original race’, nevertheless, Burma’s proximity to India permits the claim that the Burmans have ‘an ornamental Aryan superstructure on the existing Mongoloid foundation’, resulting in some historians proclaiming that ‘Myanmars were descendants of Aryans’.

The history of the region comprises complexities not only within the country but also with its neighbouring countries, China, India, Bangladesh, Viet Nam, Laos and Thailand.

India has been particularly influential in Burmese culture as the cradle of Buddhism, and ancient Hindu traditions can still be seen in brahmins presiding over important ceremonies such as_

1. weddings

2. and ear-piercings

3. but most notably in Thingyan, the Burmese New Year festival.

Traditions of kingship including coronation ceremonies and formal royal titles as well as those of lawmaking were also Hindu in origin.

India has been particularly influential in Burmese culture as the cradle of Buddhism, and ancient Hindu traditions can still be seen in brahmins presiding over important ceremonies such as_

1. weddings

2. and ear-piercings

3. but most notably in Thingyan, the Burmese New Year festival. Traditions of kingship including coronation ceremonies and formal royal titles as well as those of lawmaking were also Hindu in origin.

1. Early history of Burma Humans lived in the region that is now Myanmar as early as 11,000 years ago, but the first identifiable civilisation is that of the Mon. The Mon probably began migrating into the area in about 3000 BC, and their first kingdom Suwarnabhumi (pronounced Suvanna Bhoum), was founded around the port of Thaton in about 300 BC.

Oral tradition suggests that they had contact with Buddhism via seafaring as early as the 3rd century BC, though definitely by the 2nd century BC when they received an envoy of monks from Ashoka. Much of the Mon’s written records have been destroyed through wars. The Mons blended Indian and Mon cultures together in a hybrid of the two civilisations.

By the mid-9th century, they had come to dominate all of southern Myanmar. From that time, Northern Burma was a group of city-states in a loose coalition.

The ‘King’ of each city-state would change allegiance as he saw fit, so throughout history.

1. Pyu, one of the three founding brothers of Shwe Bama village was believed to be mixture of three groups;

(i) one local inhabitant since Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age,

(ii) another came from India bringing in Hinduism and Buddhism along with their cultures and literatures successively

(iii) and the another group believed to came down from north, Tibeto-Burman group. Mon was also rumoured to have two groups of ancestors:

(i) One came down from above like

Shan, (ii) and another from India , Orrisa village and Talingna village bringing in Hinduism and Buddhism to our land. Talaings originated from the Talingana village of India and arrived to lower  Burma , met and intermarried with Mons, who came down from Yunnan, spreads through Burma up to Thailand, Laos and Kambodia.

They give us the Buddhism arts, culture, literature etc.. Our  Burmese spoken language was from Tibeto-Burman family and there are a lot of similarities with Chinese spoken language.

But our Burmese writing language was from India, Brami Script we took not from our native Mon but her cousin Mons resided in Thailand.

Settlements of Indian Migrants in Ancient Burma Orissa

Orissa, Indian Buddhist colonists, arrived lower Burma, settled and built pagodas since 500 BC.

Andhra Dynasty Hindu colonists, of Andhra Dynasty, from middle India (180 BC) established Hanthawaddy (Mon town) and Syriam (Ta Nyin or Than Lyin) in Burma.

Talaings or Mons Mons or Talaings, an Ethnic Minority Group of Myanmar, migrated from the Talingana State, Madras coast of Southern India. Mon

Early History of Burma_

Humans lived in the region that is now Burma as early as 11,000 years ago, but the first identifiable civilisation is that of the Pyu although both Burman and Mon tradition claim that the fabled Suvarnabhumi mentioned in ancient Pali and Sanskrit texts was a Mon kingdom centred on Thaton in present day Mon state.

The 6th century Mon kingdom of Dvaravati in the lower Chao Phraya valley in present day Thailand extended its frontiers to the Tenasserim Yoma (mountains). With subjugation by the Khmer Empire from Angkor in the 11th century the Mon shifted further west deeper into present day Burma.

Oral tradition suggests that they had contact with Buddhism via seafaring as early as the 3rd century BC and had received an envoy of monks from Ashoka in the 2nd century BC.

The Mons adopted Indian culture together with Theravada Buddhism and are thought to have founded kingdoms in Lower Burma including Thaton in the 6th or 7th century and Bago (Pegu) in 825 with the kingdom of Raman’n’adesa (or Ramanna which is believed to be Thaton) referenced by Arab geographers in 844–8.

The lack of archaeological evidence for this may in part be due to the focus of excavation work predominantly being in Upper Burma.

The first recorded kingdom that can undisputedly be attributed to the Mon people was Dvaravati, which prospered until around 1000 AD when their capital was sacked by the Khmer Empire and most of the inhabitants fled west to present-day Burma and eventually founded new kingdoms. These, too, eventually came under pressure from new ethnic groups arriving from the north.

Mon kingdoms ruled large sections of Burma from the 9th to the 11th, the 13th to the 16th, and again in the 18th centuries. About the same period, southward-migrating Burmans took over lands in central Myanmar once dominated by Pyu city-states and the Tai started trickling into South-East Asia.

The Burman ( Bamar ) established the kingdom of Bagan. In 1057, Bagan defeated the Mon kingdom, capturing the Mon capital of Thaton and carrying off 30,000 Mon captives to Bagan.

After the fall of Bagan to the invading Mongols in 1287, the Mon, under Wareru an ethnic Tai, regained their independence and captured Martaban and Bago, thus virtually controlling their previously held territory.

Mon kingdoms A main body of ethnic Shan / Tai migration came in the 13th century after the fall of the Kingdom of Dali to the Mongol Empire and filled the void left by the fall of the Bagan kingdom in northern Burma forming a loose coalition of city-states. These successive waves of Bamar and Tai groups slowly eroded the Mon kingdoms, and the next 200 years witnessed incessant warfare between the Mon and the Burmese, but the Mon managed to retain their independence until 1539. The last independent Mon kingdom fell to the Burmese when Alaungpaya razed Bago in 1757. Many of the Mon were killed, while others fled to Thailand.

Hanthawaddy (or Hanthawady; in Thai ??????? Hongsawadi) is a place in Burma. Hongsawatoi ( Bago/Pegu/ Handawaddy ) Hongsawatoi, Capital city of old Mon kingdom. It was destroyed by Burman King, U Aungzeya or Aloungpaya in 1757. Hongsawatoi ( Mon language pronounce) (Pali Hamsavati) Bago is about 50 miles from Rangoon. According to legend, two Mon princess from Thaton founded Bago in 573 AD.

It was written in the chronicles that eight years after enlightenment, Lord Buddha along with his disciples went air-borne around Southeast Asian countries. The earliest mention of this city in history is by the Arab geographer Ibn Khudadhbin around 850 AD. At the time, the Mon capital had shifted to Thaton. The area came under rule of the Burmese from Bagan in 1056. After the collapse of Bagan to the Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence. From 1369-1539, Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon Kingdom of Ramanadesa, which covered all of what is now lower Burma.

The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King Tabinshweti to his Kingdom of Taungoo. The kings of Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539-1599 and again in 1613-1634, and used it as a base for repeated invasions of Siam.

They mixed with the new migrants of Mongol from China and driven out the above Andhra and Orissa colonists.

Those Mon (Talaings) brought with them the culture, arts, literature, religion and all the skills of civilisation of present Myanmar. They founded the Thaton and Bago (Pegu) Kingdoms. King Anawrahta of Bagan (Pagan) conquered that Mon Kingdom of King Manuha, named Suvannabumi (The Land of Golden Hues). The conquest of Thaton in 1057 was a decisive event in Burmese history.

It brought the Burman into direct contact with the Indian civilizing influences in the south and opened the way for intercourse with Buddhist centres overseas, especially Ceylon.Many Burmese dishes and breads came as a result of Indian influence, prominently reflected in the Burmese version of Indian biryani.

PYU

The Pyu arrived in Burma in the 1st century BC and established city kingdoms at Binnaka, Mongamo, Sri Ksetra, Peikthanomyo, Halingyi (Hanlin), Kutkhaing in the north, Thanlwin coastal line in the east, Gulf of Mataban and its coast in the south, Thandwe in the southern west and Yoma in the west. During this period, Burma was part of an overland trade route from China to India.

In 97 and 121, Roman ambassadors to China chose the overland route through Burma for their journey.

The Pyu, however, provided an alternative route down the Irrawaddy to Shri Ksetra and then by sea westward to India and eastward to insular Southeast Asia.

Pyu (also Pyuu or Pyus; in Chinese records Pyao) refers to a collection of city-states and their language found in the central and northern regions of modern-day Burma (Myanmar) from about 100 BCE to 840 CE.

The history of the Pyu is known from two main historical sources: the remnants of their civilization found in stone inscriptions (some in Pali, but rendered in the Pyu script, or a Pyu variant of the Gupta script) and the brief accounts of some Chinese travellers and traders, preserved in the Chinese imperial history.

India and Arakan Intercourse

Wesali founded by Hindu Chandras “The area known as North Arakan had been for many years before the 8th century the seat of Hindu dynasties.

In 788 AD a new dynasty, known as the Chandras, founded the city of Wesali (Indian name of Vaisali).

This city became a noted trade port to which as many as a thousand ships came annually; the Chandra kings were upholders of Buddhism,

• … their territory extended as far north as Chittagong;

• … Wesali was an easterly Hindu kingdom of Bengal

• … Both government and people were Indian.

• It seems to have been founded in the middle of the fourth century A.D.

• Thirteen kings of this dynasty are said to have reigned for a total period of 230 years.

The second dynasty was founded in the eighth century by a ruler referred to as Sri Dharmavijaya, who was of pure Ksatriya descent. His grandson married a daughter of the Pyu king of Sri Ksetra. Hindu statues and inscriptions in Wesali

The ruins of old capital of Arakan – Wesali show Hindu statues and inscriptions of the 8th century AD.

Although the Chandras usually held Buddhistic doctrines, there is reason to believe that Brahmanism and Buddhism flourished side by side in the capital.

Chittagong is from Tsit-ta-gung The Arab chief was the Thuratan, in the Arakanese utterance whom the king of Arakan Tsula-Taing Tsandra (951-957 AD.), claimed to have defeated in his invasion of Chittagong in 953 AD.

1. In memory of his victory the Arakanese king set up a stone trophy, in the conquered land. And inscribed on it the Burmese word,

2. “Tsit-ta-gung”

3. meaning “there shall be no war”.

4. And from this remark of the monument, according to Burmese tradition, the district took its name, Chittagong.

Chittagong under Arakanese rule Nearly a century, from about 1580 till 1666 AD

Chittagong was under almost uninterrupted Arakanese rule. Arakanese captured and sent numbers of the inhabitants of Bengal into Arakan as agricultural and slave labours.

Pyu

Pyu, one of the three founding father of Bamar or Myanmar race was believed to be the mixture of three groups;

(i) Few insignificant local inhabitants since Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age,

(ii) many migrants came from India bringing in Hinduism and Buddhism along with their cultures and literatures successively

(iii) and the last group believed to came down from north, Tibeto-Burman group. Pyu language started in 5AD in Southern Rakhine.

The famous Mya Zedi Pagoda stone inscriptions were written in Pyu, Mon, Bama, and Pali in 1113AD.

1. Pyu had written records, dated from 1st century A.D.

2. and Mon from 5th century A.D.

3. and Bama had its own written records only in 11th century A.D. Beikthano (Vishnu) Beikthano (Vishnu) at the end of 4th. AD (9Khmer troops occupied 210-225 AD. (Taung Dwin Gyi) after which the Mons moved in, giving the cities names Panthwa and Ramanna pura.

Religious remains show both forms of Buddhism, Mahayanism and Hinayanism, together with Vishnu worship.

There are large stone Buddhist sculptures in relief in the Gupta style, bronze statuettes of Avalokitesvara, one of the three chief Mahayanist Bodhisattvas, and so many stone sculptures of Vishnu that the city was sometimes referred to as ‘Vishnu City’.

Pyu chronicles speak of a dynastic change in A.D. 94. Sri Ksetra village was apparently abandoned around A.D. 656 it was sacked by the Nan Cho Chinese Shan in the mid-9th century, ending the Pyu’s period of dominance.

Pyu Kings are Maharajas

In Chinese Chronicles they recorded Pyu as ‘P’aio’. But Pyu Called themselves Tircul..

• There are records of Nan Cho and Tibet alliance in 755 AD to defeat Chinese.

• Nan Cho king Ko-lo-fen communicate with Pyu. Pyu Kings were called Maharajas and Chief ministers were called Mahasinas.

• Nan Cho conscripted Pyu soldiers to attack of Hanoi in 863 AD.

• In 832 AD Nan Cho looted Han Lin village from Pyu. Pyu kings named Vishnu as in Gupta, India Inscriptions in Pyu language using a South Indian script, showed a Vikrama dynasty ruling there at least from AD 673 to 718.

• On Pyu’s stone inscriptions, kings names with Vikrama were suffix with Vishnu. The same tradition was noticed in Gupta era India 100 BC. and in Sri Kestia, Mon in south, Thai and Cambodia.

• Statue of Vishnu standing on Garuda with Lakshmi standing on the lotus on left.

• And Brahma, Siva and Vishnu thrones were also found.

• Name, Varman indicated that there was influence of Pallava of India.

• The mentioning of Varman dynasty, an Indian name, indicated there was a neighbouring and rival city, but Old Prome is the only Pyu site so‘ far to be excavated in that area.

Indian Dravidian tribe in Panthwa

In Chinese Chronicles Chen Yi-Sein instead gives an Indian derivation for Panthwa village, as the name of a Dravidian tribe settled in Mon’s areas around the Gulf of Martaban. This group was later one of the pioneers in a ‘Monized’ occupation of Beikthano village, which also led to the village/city being called Ramanna-pura, linked to Mon areas of southern Myanmar (1999:77).

The Tagaung dynasty is explicitly incorporated into the story of Duttabaung’s mother and father; the lineage of the Queen of Beikthano is less consistent, but always intertwined with that of the Sri Kestra village rulers.

In all of these, links are made between territorial control, royal patronage of Hindu or Buddhist sects and supernatural events.

Thamala and Wimala.

Two princes named Thamala and Wimala (Myanmar version of Indian names-Thalma and Vimala.) established the town Bago in 573AD. Tabinshwehti (Taungoo Dynasty) conquered it in 1539 AD.

The evidence of the inscriptions, Luce warns us, shows that the Buddhism of Pagan ‘was mixed up with Hindu Brahmanic cults, Vaisnavism in particular.

Chinese trade Chinese merchants have traded with the region for a long time as evidence of Magellan’s voyage records that Brunei possessed more cannon than the European ships so it appears that the Chinese fortified them.

Malaysian legend has it that a Chinese Ming emperor sent a princess, Han Li Po to Malacca, with a retinue of 500, to marry Sultan Mansur Shah after the emperor was impressed by the wisdom of the sultan.

Han Li Po’s well (constructed 1459) is now a tourist attraction there, as is Bukit Cina, where her retinue settled.

The strategic value of the Strait of Malacca, which was controlled by Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th and early 16th century, did not go unnoticed by Portuguese writer Duarte Barbosa, who in 1500 wrote “He who is lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice”.

The following is a list of tributaries of Imperial China.

• Brunei

• o Malacca (??? / ???) ?????

• Indonesia[citation needed]

o Java

o Lanfang Republic

• Japan

o Wa[3] (also Wae, Wei, ?)

o Nippon (??)

• Korea

• Philippines[10]

o Manila

o Sulu (??)

• Thailand[3]

o Siam ??

• Bhutan ??

• Nepal ???

o Karakum (????)

o Yuli (also Weili, ??)

o Kushana (also Ku???a, Guishuang, ??)

o Boluo’er (???)

• Vietnam[3]

o Âu L?c (??, ??)

o Champa (also Chiêm Thành, Lin-yi, ??, ??)

• Korea (since 1369, first every year or every three years, after 1403 every year)

• Nippon (??)

• Liuqiu (Ryukyu Islands, every two years since 1368)

• Annam (every three years since 1369) • Cambodia (Chenla, since 1371 (?))

• Siam (every three years since 1371)

• Champa (every three years since 1369)

• Java (1372, 1381, 1404, 1407, every three years for some time after 1443)

• Pahang (1378, 1414)

• Palembang (1368, 1371, 1373, 1375, 1377)

• Brunei (1371, 1405, 1408, 1414, 1425)

• Samudra (on Sumatra (?)or Dvarasamudra in Southern India, 1383, 1405, 1407, 1431, 1435)

• Chola (1370, 1372, 1403)

• Sulu (1417, 1421)

• Calicut (1405, 1407, 1409)

• Malacca (1405, 1411, 1412, 1414, 1424, 1434, 1445ff, 1459)

• Borneo (SoLo?) (1406)

• Kollam (1407)

• Bengal (1408, 1414, 1438)

• Ceylon (1411, 1412, 1445, 1459)

• Jaunpur (1420)

• Syria (Fulin?, 1371)

• Cochin (1404, 1412)

• Melinde (1414)

• Philippines (1372, 1405, 1576)

• Maldives,

• Burma (YaWa),

Lambri (NanWuLi),

• Kelatan,

• Bengal (PengJiaNa),

• Kashgar

• Sairam

• SaoLan (identical to Sairam?)

• Badakhshan

• Bukhara(?)

• PaLa(?)

• Shiraz

• Nishapur

• Kashmir

• Samarkand (1387, 1389, 1391 etc, after 1523 every five years)

• Arabia (TienFang, Mecca?) (somewhere between 1426 and 1435, 1517, sometimes between 1522 and 1566)

• Medina (somewhere between 1426 and 1435)

• A number of Tibetan temples and tribes from the Tibetan border or the southwest. Qing Dynasty This list covers states that sent tribute between 1662 and 1875.

Korea (annually, with very few exceptions)

• Siam (48 times, most of them after 1780)

• Burma (17 times, most of them in the 19th century)

• Laos (17 times)

• Sulu (1726, 1733, 1743, 1747, 1752, 1753, and 1754)

• Nepal (1732(?), 1792, 1794, 1795, 1823, 1842, and 1865)

• Russia (1676 and 1727)

• England (1793, 1795 (no tribute presented), and 1816)

• Holland (1663(?), 1667, and 1686)

• Portugal (1670, 1678, 1752, and 1753)

• Holy See (1725)

• Kirgiz (1757 and 1758)

Europeans

Europeans first came to Southeast Asia in the sixteenth century. It was the lure of trade that brought Europeans to Southeast Asia while missionaries also tagged along the ships as they hoped to spread Christianity into the region.

Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead into the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511.

The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region.

The Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641 while Spain began to colonize the Philippines (named after Phillip II of Spain) from 1560s.

Acting through the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch established the city of Batavia (now Jakarta) as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory.

Britain, in the form of the British East India Company, came relatively late onto the scene.

Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire.

They also temporarily possessed Dutch territories during the Napoleonic Wars,

In 1819 Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a key trading post for Britain in their rivalry with the Dutch. However, their rivalry cooled in 1824 when an Anglo-Dutch treaty demarcated their respective interests in Southeast Asia.

From the 1850s onwards, the pace of colonization shifted to a significantly higher gear. This phenomenon, denoted New Imperialism, saw the conquest of nearly all Southeast Asian territories by the colonial powers.

The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies.

Only Thailand was spared the experience of foreign rule, although, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers.

1. By 1913, the British occupied Burma, Malaya and the Borneo territories,

2. the French controlled Indochina,

3. the Dutch ruled the Netherlands East Indies

4. while Portugal managed to hold on to Portuguese Timor.

5. In the Philippines, Filipino revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898

6. but was handed over to the United States despite protests as a result of the Spanish-American War.

Colonial rule had a profound effect on Southeast Asia.

1. While the colonial powers profited much from the region’s vast resources and large market,

2. colonial rule did develop the region to a varying extent.

Commercial agriculture, mining and an export based economy developed rapidly during this period.

Increased labor demand resulted in mass immigration, especially from British India and China, which brought about massive demographic change.

The institutions for a modern nation state like a state bureaucracy, courts of law, print media and to a smaller extent, modern education, sowed the seeds of the fledgling nationalist movements in the colonial territories.

Reference

Wikipedia

Great Shan Empire III

To make it easy for the busy readers who could not give much time to read, I have prepared another version in notes form  below_ 

1. Shan (also known as Tai) lived independently up north round about 650 B.C. in China at the lower part of the Yangtze River.

2. Shan’s (also known as Tai) migrated down through the present day Yunnan and desended further down into Burma and settled in the Shan Plateau.

3. A large group of them made a detour U turn and went up north and climbed the Tibet hills and stayed there forming the Tibeto-Burman ancestors of the whole region. (According to Thailand history books.)

4. One group continued their journey west, up to the present day Rakhine.

5. Another group even decided to continue the long march up into the present day north eastern part of India.

6. One of the group continued south in Burma and settled in lower Burma closely with Mon and  Kayins.

7. Few of them decided to continue to just stay-put in the present day Yunnan.

8. One group broke away from all others and decided to go straight southwards and settled in present Thailand.

9. One of them also broke away from all and moved to the east, settling in present day Lao and Cambodia.

10. Actually they are a little bit different, some had more of the Chinese blood and some even have mixed blood with Khamars and some even went further and said to be settled in Vietnam.

11. One of the group, known as Thet mixed the Pyus and their decedents are part of the ancestors of Bamars.

12. Some of the ethnic groups, who made a detour U turn, went up north, climbs the Tibet hills and later came down and they were known as Kan Yan and formed one of the ancestors of Bama.

13. At last intermarriage of the groups who were the descendents of Pyu, Kan Yan and Thet give rise to the present day Bama ethnic group.

Note (A) : the long march travelers of Shan came down in different times in batches. Because it happened in the prehistoric times, I have searched and collected data, and made it simple and easy from various references below.

I hereby wish to go into some details of what I had given as a gist above: Shan’s other cousins descended from the same ancestors, now inhabit northeast Assam or Asom in India.

Note (B) : they established the Ahom kingdom in Assam, India, where the Burmese General Maha Bandula’s troops committed_

• indescribable cruelties

• and barbarities  as to

• annihilate something like 2/3 of the population

• and certainly 1/3 of the men and boys -

• disemboweling them,

• eating their flesh

• and burning them alive in cages

• to intimidate

• and suppress the Shan Ahom of Assam, India.

This event so weakened and disorganized the Shan Ahom that by 1839 the kingdom was completely annexed by the British.

Before that from about 1220 – 1812 AD they maintained themselves under one Dynasty, (that of Mong Mao 568-1604 AD when its descendants ruled Hsenwi or Theinni in Burmese).

Indeed the Shan Ahom resisted conquest by the Mughals who had conquered much of India before the British incursion.

Some groups of Shan settled along the way, at  Yunnan in the north east of Burma.

Some mixed blooded with Chinese and Khamar, went to the east and founded the Laos and  Cambodia.

Others went down to the southeast and settled in Thailand. No wonder Thailand was known as Siam or we could even easily understand it is just a slang of Shan.

Shans were  gradually pushed south, at about the beginning of the Christian era by the advancement of the Tar Tars.

About 650 A.D. one group of Shans formed a powerful country at Nan Chao, now known as Yunnan.

Nan Chao Shans were quite powerful and could resist Chinese attempts at conquest until 1253.

During the years 754 to 763 A.D. the Nan Chao Shans extended their rule even up to the upper basin of the Irrawaddy River and came into contact with the Pyu.

Pyu was one of three ancestors who founded our Burma: viz, Pyu, Kan Yan and Thet.

Pyu was then the ruler of the Upper  Burmese Plains.

Some of Shan’s descendents ventured beyond Upper Burma into Lower Burma to mingle and live together with the Mons.

During the heydays of the Nan Chao Shans, some of them had even crossed Upper Burma to reach far west and established the once powerful Ahom Shan Kingdom, in the northeastern part of India, now known as Assam or Assom , as stated above.

Shans had moved into the area now known as the Shan Pyae of Burma in large numbers and settled down and were well established by the time our first Burmese King Anawrahta ascended his throne in 1st century.

Nan Chao  Shans tried desperately to defend their Nan Chao  kingdom from the Chinese attackers, but in 1253 the Nan Chao Kingdom fell.

Some of the Nan Chao Shans, unwilling to live under foreign domination there; move towards the south in strength, to seek freedom in present day Tailand area.

They joined forces with the other Shans, who had already settled in that area, and

• in 1262 took over Chiang Rai,
• in 1296 Chiang Mai 
• and in 1315 took Ayuddhaya, and established their own kingdoms.

In Upper Burma the Shans established the kingdoms of

• Mo Gaung (Mong Kawng),
• and Mo Hnyin (Mong Yang),
• and in the Shweli basin, the Mao Kingdom.

Anawrahta ruled the Pagan for 43 year. He was able to unify the whole Burma under his rule for the first time in history.

During this time he sent his armed soldiers into the Shan’s kingdoms to help ensure the security of his Pagan Kingdom. However, he had no intention of annexing or taking over of the Shan’s kingdoms. He merely wished to defend the low lying plains of his Burma from raids by the Shan’s disgruntled militias.

For this purpose he established a string of fortified towns along the length of the foothills.

Relations between Shan and Burma became friendlier under Anawrahta’s successors , but the Burmese Pagan fell to the attackers from China in 1287 A. D. and was destroyed.

Then in 1312 A. D. one of the groups of Shans took the kingly Title of “Thihathu” and ascended as the Burmese king or throned in Pinya.

The (Mao) Shans, who had established kingdoms in Mo Hnyin, Mo Gaung and the Shweli areas then overran the villages of Pinya and Sagaing in 1364 A.D.

After they had withdrawn, Shan’s from Ava, whose title was Thadominbya, combined Pinya and Sagaing and established a new Kingdom, over which he ruled.

So Shans effectively became Kings in Burma from 1282 A.D. to 1531 A.D.

In 1527 A.D. due to the attacks of the Mo Hnyin Saw Bwa on Ava, the Shan’s and Burmese of the area left their homes and descended southwards towards Toungoo, where they established a new kingdom.

Thohanbwa, the son of the Moehnyin Saw Bwa, who became the King of Ava, was soon assassinated due to his lack of skill in statecraft and administration, and in 1543 A.D. Onbaung Khun Maing succeeded him as the King.

Early Shan Settlements in North Myanmar

The successive conquests achieved by Sao Hsam Long Hpa over the northern territory encouraged greater Shan migration to these new areas and led to further establishment of their Ban-Mong system. Territories which now belong to Kachin State were once under the rule of the Mong Kawng Saohpa and many Shans (affiliated to the Thai-Long ethnic group) can still be found dominating the following Bans and Mongs of the region shown below:

1. Alambo
2. Aungthagon
3. Bilumyohaung or Waing Hpai Kao
4. Bilumyothit or Waing Hpai Mai
5. Gurkhaywa
6. Hopin or Ho-Pang
7. Htantabin or Ban Htan Ton Leo
8. Htopu or Ban Hto Hpu
9. Inbaung or ban Kyapt Naung
10. Ingyigon (old) or Ban Kaung Pao Kao
11. Ingyingon (new) or Ban Kaung Pao Mai
12. Kangon or Ban Kong Naung
13. Kanhla or Ban Naung Ngarm
14. Kayuchaung or Ban Nam Haung Hoi
15. Kondangyi or Ban Kong Khay
16. Kyakyikwin Ban Naung Mo Long
17. Letpandan
18. Lwelaw or Ban Loi Law
19. Mahaung
20. Maing Naung or Mong Naung
21. Mamana
22. Manywet or Ban Ywet
23. Mawhan
24. Mogaung or Mong Kawng
25. Mohnyin or Mong Yang
26. Moknaung
27. Myadaung
28. Myohla
29. Myothitgyi or Waing Mai
30. Nam Khwin
31. Namma
32. Nampoke
33. Namti
34. Nanhaing
35. Nansawlaw
36. Nansun
37. Natgyikon or Ban Hpi Long
38. Natyingya
39. Nyaunggaing
40. Nyaunggon or Ban Kon Nyaung
41. Ohnbaung
42. Pinbaw or Ban Pang Baw
43. Pinhe
44. Pinlon or Ban Panglong
45. Pintha or Ban Pyin Hsa
46. Pwinbusu
47. Sahmaw or Ban Mao Khay
48. Shanzu
49. Shwe-in or Ban Naung Hkam
50. Tagwin
51. Ta-paw
52. Taungbaw or Ban Ho Loi
53. Taungni or Ban Loi Leng
54. Tiggyaingsu
55. Theikwagon
56. Thutegon
57. Yawthit or Ban Mai
58. Yawathikyi or Ban Mai Long
59. Thayetta

In Kamaing Township:
1. Chaungwa or Ban Pak Haung
2. Haungpa or Ban Haung Par
3. Hepan or Haipan
4. Hepu or Haipu
5. Kamaing
6. Lawsun
7. Lepon
8. Letpangon
9. Lonsan or Long San
10. Lonton
11. Lwemun or Loimun
12. Maing Pok or Mong Pok
13. Mapyin
14. Maubin Natlatan
15. Nammun
16. Nanhlaing
17. Nankat
18. Nanya
19. Nyaungbin
20. Sezin
21. Taunghaw

In Myitkyina Township:
1. Akye
2. Ayeindama
3. Baingbin
4. Hokat
5. Katcho or Kat Kiao
6. Khaungpu or Hkaunghpu old
7. Khaungpu or Hkaungpu new
8. Kokma
9. Kwitu
10. Legon
11. Maingmaw or Mong Maw
12. Mainga or Mong Na
13. Male
14. Mangin
15. Mankin Saragatawng
16. Mankin Shewzet
17. Manmakan or Man Mark Karm
18. Manpwa
19. Mintha
20. Myitkyina
21. Nampong
22. Nanhe
23. Namkalan
24. Nankwe
25. Nanpomaw
26. Nanwa
27. Naunghi
28. Naungmun
29. Naungpakat
30. Nyaungbintha
31. Okkyin
32. Pamati
33. Panpa
34. Pidaung
35. Pinlontaw
36. Pinlonyana
37. Rampur
38. Sanga
39. Sangin
40. Sekow
41. Sinbo
42. Sitapur
43. Tahona or Ta Ho Na
44. Taiklon
45. Talawgyi
46. Tasaing
47. Talkon
48. Thagaya
49. Tonpakut
50. Ulauk
51. Wainglon
52. Waingmaw
53. Washaung
54. ZigyunSource:

The Kachin Hill Manual. Rangoon: The Superintendent Government Printing, Union of Burma, 1959. pp. 17-18

Appendix II: Shan Kings in Myanmar

The list of Shan kings who succeeded the kings of Bagan and reigned at Myinsaing and Pinya is:

1. The three Shan brothers who acquired power after the fall of Bagan and governed the country with equal status from A.D. 1298:
   • Athinhkaya,
   • Yazathinkyan
   • and Thihathu, Their joint reign lasted fourteen years.
2. Thihathu or Ta-tsi-shin, youngest of the three brothers who made himself king at Pinya in 1312 and reigned for ten years.
3. Uzana son of Kyawswa (1287-98, deposed king of Bagan) and the adopted son of Thihathu.
   
4. Ngasishin Kyawswa (half brother of 3), son of Thihathu, he became king in 1343 and reigned eight years.
5. Kyawswa-nge (son of 4) became king in 1350 and reigned five years.
6. Narathu (brother of 5) became king in 1354 and reigned nine years.
7. Uzana Pyaung (brother of 6) became king in 1364, and was assassinated after three months’ rule by Thadonminbya.

Sagaing Kings

There were seven Shan kings who reigned from 1315 to 1364:

1. Sawyun or Saoyun, the son of Thihathu or Tai-tsi-shin who also reigned at Myinsaing and Pinya. He became king in 1315 and reigned seven years.
2. Tarabyagyi (step brother of 1), became king in 1323 and reigned fourteen years.
3. Shwetaungtet (son of 2), became king in 1336 and reigned three years.
4. Kyawswa (son of 2), became king in 1340 and reigned ten years.
5. Nawrahtaminye (brother of 4), became king in 1350 and reigned seven months.
6. Tarabyange (brother of 5) bcame king in 1350 and reigned three years.
7. Minbyauk Thiapate (brother-in-law of 6) was driven from Sagaing by a Shan army from the north and murdered by his stepson, Thadonminbya in 1364.

Ava 

Ava, the capital of upper Myanmar for many years, was founded with the help of the Shan chief Thadominbya in 1364.

There were nineteen chiefs of Shan descent who reigned in Ava from 1364 to 1555:

1. Thadominbya said to be descended from the ancient Shan kings of Takawng or Tagaung on his mother’s side, he was the grandson of Athinhkaya Sawyun, the Shan king of Sagaing. He founded Ava in 1364, became king in the same year and reigned three years.

2. Nga Nu (usurper), a paramour of Sao Umma, became king in 1368, and reigned only for a few days.

3. Mingyiswasawke, said to be descended from both the Bagan dynasty and the Shan brothers, became king in 1368 and reigned thirty-five years.

4. Tarbya or Sinbyushin (eldest son of 3), became king in 1401 but reigned only seven months, being murdered by his attendant.

5. Nga Nauk Hsan, became king in 1401 and reigned only a few weeks.

6. Minkhaung (another son of 3) hesitated to accept the throne, but his younger brother Theiddat killed a cousin claimant and made him king. He became king in 1401 and reigned twenty-one years.

7. Thiathu (son of 6) became king in 1422 and reigned four years. He was murdered at the instigation of Queen Shin Bo Me.
   

8. Minhla Ngai (son of 7) king in 1426 and reigned only three months before he was poisoned.

9. Kalekyetaungnyo (usurper) became king in 1426 but reigned only seven months.

10. Mohnyithado or Mohnyinmintara, chief of Shan descent who justified his claim to the throne as a descendant of the kings Narapatisithu (1173-1210) and Ngasishin (1343-1350) of Bagan and of the family of the three Shan brothers. He became king in 1427 and reigned thirteen years.

11. Minrekyawswa (son of 10) became king in 1440 and reigned three years.

12. Narapati (Thihathu) (brother of 11), became king in 1443 and reigned twenty-six years.

13. Thihathu or Mahathihathura (son of 12), became king in 1469 and reigned twelve years.

14. Minhkaung (son of 13), became king in 1481 and reigned twenty-one years.
    15. Shwenankyawshin (son of 14), became king in 1502 and reigned twenty-five years. He was killed by Thohanbwa or Hso Hom Hpa.

15. Thohanbwa or Hso Hom Hpa, son of Mohyin Saolon who conquered Ava. He became king in 1527 and reigned sixteen years. He was murdered.

16. Hkonmaing or Hkun Mong, Saohpa of On Baung or Hsipaw and related to Shwenanshin, was elected king of Awa in 1543 and reigned three years.

17. Mobye (or Mong Pai) Narapati (son of 17), Saohpa of Mong Pai became king in 1546 and reigned six years and abdicated.

18. Sithukyawhtin, a Shan chief of Salin, seized Ava and became king in 1552, and reigned three years. He was conqured and deposed by Bayinnaung in 1555.

Source: G.E. Harvey. History of Burma, from “The Earliest Time to March 1824, The Beginning of English Conquest”. London: Frank Case and Co. Ltd., 1967. p. 160.

Appendix III:

Shan Kings of Bago

The following is the list of the Shan kings of Bago of the dynasty established by Wareru in 1287:

1. Wareru, the Shan chief who established the dynasty but had his capital at Madama. He became king in AD 1287 (S 649) and reigned nineteen years.

2. Khun-lau’ or Tha Na’ran Bya Keit who became king in 1306 and reigned four years.

3. Dza’u-a’u or Theng-Mha’ing (nephwe of 2), who became king in 1310 and reigned thirteen years.

4. Dzau-dzip, or Binya-ran-da (brother of 3) who became king in 1323 and reigned seven years.

5. Binya-e’-la’u (son of 2, Khun-lau and cousin of 4) who became king in 1330 and reigned eighteen years.

6. Byinya-u or Tseng-Pyu-Sheng (son of 4 and cousin of 5), who restored the ancient capital Bago or Hansawadi. He became king in 1348 and reigned thirty-eight years.

7. Binya-nwe, or Ra’dza’ Di-rit (son of 6) who became king in 1385 and reigned thirty-eight years.

8. Binya Dham-ma Ra’-dza (son of 7) who became king in 1423 and reigned three years.

9. Binya-Ra’n-kit (brother of who became king in 1426 and reigned twenty years.

10. Binya-Wa-ru (nephew of 9) who became king in 1446 and reigned four years.

11. Binya Keng (cousin of 10) who became king in 1450 and reigned three years.

12. Mhau-dau (cousin of 11) who became king in 1453 and reigned seven months.

13. Queen Sheng Tsau Bu or Binya-dau’ who became queen in 1453 and reigned seven years.

14. Dham-ma Dze-di (cousin of 13) who became king in 1460 and reigned thirty-one years. He did not belong to the royal family.
    

15. Binya Ran’ (son of 14 and son-in-law of 13) who became king in 1491 and reigned thirty-five years.

16. Ta-ka’-rwut-bi (son of 15) who became king in 1526 and reigned fourteen years.He was conquered and deposed by Tabeng-Shweti, king of Taungoo in 1540.
    

Source: Sir Arthur P. Phayre. History of Burma, Including Burma Proper, Taungu, Tenasserim and Arakan. London: 1883. pp. 290-291. 

Meanwhile from Toungoo Kingdom, in the year 1555 A.D. King Bayinnaung succeeded in unifying the whole of Burma for the second time in our history.

He was able to “persuade’ the Shan Saw Bwa to submit his suzerainty. In accordance with the traditions of the earlier Burmese Kings, the administrative setup was that the Shan Saw Bwas who submitted to the suzerainty of the Burmese King retained full powers to rule over their kingdom.

This relationship was based on mutual respect.The military forces of Burma included contingents of Shan soldiers who proved their valour on the foreign battlefields.

That is how Shan and Burmese descendents had lived closely together, like brethren, till the fall of Upper Burma in 1886.

Then the Shan Saw Bwas, with the intention of restoring freedom to Burma and to the Shan State, chose the Burmese Princes Limbin and Saw Yan Naing to head their alliance, and started waging war against the colonialism.

We could see in the above mentioned era how Shans  migrated and grew mightier.

We should study how political, economical, social and philosophical patterns changed according to their coming.

To sum up again, after the fall of Bagan , Ava kingdom was built in 1364 M.E.

Subsequently, until Pinya, Sagaing and Myinsaing  eras, the power of Bagan collapsed and rebellious small kingdoms spread.

When the invading conqueror Shans came across Burmese, they accepted the Buddhist cultures and Burmese customs.

In this case, the saying, ‘conquerors are conquered’ need to be explained thoroughly.

Anyway no one is sure the source of Shan ancestors’ conversion to Buddhism. We should consider the fact that Shans had very good relations with Mon and Khamars. Shans could even get the Buddhism directly from them. (This is my personal idea only without reference. So I may be wrong. Please do not take this fact seriously as I am a non Buddhist and not an historian) We could see that Shan Pagodas look more like Thai and Cambodia Pagodas than our Burmese.

This episode of the history, Shans’ conquering over the  Burma, I have just highlighted is regarded by Myanmar governments as a taboo.  Our successive Bama governments’ history text books just used to mention one line only and always skipped forward to the glorious Burmese warrior Toungoo King Baying Naung who successfully established the 2nd Bama Empire.                         

 The Golden days of the 

Great Shan Empire II

Migration and Settlement of Tai Ethnic Groups

Ethic Dong Shan in China

Like many other ethnic peoples of Burma, the Shans or Tai once had their homeland in China.

Shan Home land

Some historians believe that the Tai people originally were from the north of the Yellow River (Huang Ho), occupying the region known as Hebei and Shanxi round about 2515 B.C.

China Shan Manpo village

The Chinese annals also mention Tai settlements in the middle basin of the Yellow River in 850 B.C.

They made their homeland there for a long time, establishing small feudal kingdoms and spreading their “Na” culture to neighboring regions.

Shans’ Migration or long march

But new emigrants coming from Central Asia later impelled the Tai and other ethnic groups to move southwards to new fertile areas between the Yellow and Yangtze (Chang Jiang) rivers covering the present provinces of Hunan and Hubei.

Lao Shans
With the Yellow River in the north and the Yangtze River in the south as their natural boundaries, the Tai and other ethnic peoples felt safe, and rebuilt their feudal kingdoms and erected their “Na” which lasted for several centuries.

Migration route

However, another wave of emigrants from the north, which became powerful and aggressive, put new pressure on the Tai ethnic group. With inter-state rivalries and an inability to establish unity, the Tai and ethnic people of the south were unable to resist the intrusion from the north, and split up into numerous groups.

Shans’ settlement area

Some took refuge in the neighboring hills and valleys of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, where they picked up new local names which concealed their identity and turned themselves into little-known hill tribes of the region, remaining obscure for centuries.

Laos

Lao Shan man playing music

Other Tai groups who were displaced by the new immigrants migrated into Honan to Hubei, and crossing the Yangtze River, fanned out in different directions to settle in Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma/Myanmar and Assam.

China, Burma, Thai, Lao and Vietnam

We wish to trace the routes of migration of the Tai people and their areas of settlement in Burma.

The Tai in Burma/Myanmar are known_

• to the Burmese people as Shan,
• to Kachins, A-ch’angs, Zis
• and La-shis as Sam,
• to the Ma-ru as Sen,
• to the Palaung as Tsen,
• to the Wa as Shem
• and to the Talaing or Mon as Sem
• and to the Yunnanese as Pai-Yi.
• But they themselves like to be called “Tai.”

Shan Lao woman farmer

The Shans are the most widespread ethnic people in Burma/Myanmar.

• Their Baan or Maans (villages),
• Mongs (city-states) and settlements stretch from the
• northernmost region of Hkamti Long
• down to Taninthayi in the south,
• and from the eastern tip of Kengtung to
• Hsawng Hsup and Ta-mu to the west.
• In central Myanmar their settlements and communities can be found around Ava, Pinya, Sagaing, Taungoo, Phyu, Pyinmana and Pyay.

Kalaw Shan lady

The migration of the Shans into Burma/Myanmar started 2000 years ago citing three reasons:

• 1. first, their restless character which prompted them to find new lands to settle;
• 2. second, their warlike character;
• 3. and third, the pressure of new invasions from the north, such as those of A.D. 78 and A.D. 1253.

Most Shan chronicles say that a big wave of Shan migration took place in the 6th century A.D..

Looking over the shoulder of Shans’ area

The Shans moving from southern Yunnan into the Nam Mao valley and adjacent regions and establishing many Mongs, among them_

• Bhamo,
• Mong Mit,
• Hsipaw,
• and Hsenwi.

Hsipaw

They spread out over the whole of the Shan State, establishing more Mongs and Kengs (towns) like_

• Mong Naung, Mong Nang, Mong Hsu, Mong Kung, Mong Keshi-Mansam, Mong Laihka, Mong Nai, Mong Pan, Mong Maukmai, Mong Yawnghwe, Mong Sakoi, Mong Sam Kar, Mong Hsamongkham, Mong Lawk Sawk, Mong Pai, Keng Tawng, Keng Hkam and Keng Rom.
• From Mong Kawng, Mong Yang, Waing Hso, Kat Hsa, the Shans moved northwards to the Hkamti Long area where they established the eight Mongs of the Khamti Shans: Lokhun, Mansi, Lon Kyein, Manse-Hkun, Mannu, Langdao, Mong Yak and Langnu.
• Moving to the west, they then occupied and established new Mongs like Hsawng Hsup, Sinkaling Hkamti, Mong Kale, Mong Leng (Mohling), Maing Kaing or Mong Kang, Hu-Kawng, Maw Leik, Mong Nyaung, Homalin, Phaungbyin, Hkam-Pat and Ta-Mu, between the Ayeyarwaddy and the Chindwin, along the Uyu river and even up to Manipur and Assam.

The Shan immigrants of north and northeastern Myanmar were recognized as the earliest branch of the Tai migration southwards, and they came to be known as Tai Long or Tai Yai, that is, “Great Tai”.

The later branch of the Tai migration to Laos and Thailand were known as Tai Noi or “Little Tai.“

That Luan Lao-Shan pagoda

More migration of Shans into Burma/Myanmar took place when the powerful Shan kingdom of Mong Mao Long was established in the Mao valley.According to the Shan chronicles, the Mao political power reached its height in the 14th century, especially during the reign of the twin brothers Sao Hso Hkan Hpa and Sao Hsam Long Hpa.

Shan village

All the principalities of northern and southern Shan State were united under the leadership of Sao Hso Hkan Hpa.

He also extended his power to Laos, Cambodia and Thailand around about 1350.

For the westward expansion, he assigned the task to his brother Sao Hsam Long Hpa who marched with his army to Mong Kawng which he easily annexed. Mong Kawng became the second capital next to Mong Mao.

Making Mong Kawng his military base, Sao Hsam Long Hpa crossed the Ayarwaddy and Chindwin rivers to annex more new lands which included all the regions of the Kabaw valley, northern Rakhine, Manipur and Assam.

New immigrants were settled into these newly conquered areas.

Some of the followers who preferred to remain in Assam established their feudal communities along the Brahmaputra river and pledged their allegiance to the king of Tai Ahom.

These Shans along the Brahmaputra river split in the course of time into Tai Ahom, Tai Aton, Tai Hkamyang, Tai Phake and Tai Tarong, to be later joined by Tai Hkamti from Burma/Myanmar. They survive to this day, although some have become Hinduized.

Salween River

During the reign of Sao Hsam Long Hpa in Mong Kawng, several Baans and Mongs were established throughout northern Burma/Myanmar.

Each Mong was under the Chief or Saohpa, and there were altogether ninety-nine Saohpas who who pledged their allegiance to Mong Kawng. The ethnic Tai people who came with Sao Hsam Long Hpa to northern Burma/Myanmar called themselves Tai Leng, but were called Shan-Myanmar by others. They became very Myanmarized.

Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State

Hsipaw

The Tai Leng settlements were scattered all over the present-day Kachin State, which at that time was Shan (see Appendix I).

Shan State

Those who settled at the northern tip of Burma/Myanmar around Putao came to be known as Tai Khamti.

There were also Tai Long, Tai Mao and Tai Nu settlements in Bhamo, Mong Mauk, Waing Maw, Kat Kiao, Nam Ma, Nam Ti, Mong Kawng, Mong Yang and many other places in north and northeastern Myanmar.

The Shans in northern Myanmar were skilled farmers. They brought along with them from Mong Mao Long the art of cultivation and turned the fertile lands of northern Myanmar into Na or rice fields. These Shan farmers concentrated their settlements in places with good soil and fresh water.

Shan Palaung

In the Kyaukse area, they improved the land and irrigation system and turned the place into a rice bowl for Bagan.

After the reign of King Narathihapate (1254-87) Bagan became very weak from the effects of the Mongol invasion.

The Three Shan Brothers, Athinkaya, Yazathinkyan and Thihathu who controlled the economic base of Kyaukse area became very powerful and played a leading role in Bagan power politics.

For two and a half centuries the Shans established their dynasties and made their power felt over Burma/Myanmar (see Appendix II).

In southern Burma/Myanmar there were several Shan settlements around Thaton, Mawlamyine, Madama and Bago.

Wareru was the most prominent and active Shan local chief. He was the son of a Shan immigrant to Thaton and was born in a village called Doonwun near Thaton. When he grew up he went to Sukhotai and became a stable boy of the king. He was assigned to look after the royal elephants and to lead the elephant troops in times of war. He was also a good soldier and after a few successful campaigns he was promoted to the rank of captain of the guards. He later became acquainted with the king’s daughter, eloped with her and brought her to Thaton. He involved himself in the local politics and later became the governor of Madama in 1281. He next turned his attention to Bago and was able to take it over in 1369, following which he established a dynasty which lasted from 1287 to 1539 (see Appendix III).

During the reign of king Wareru, the Shans from Chiangmai and Thailand moved to Lower Burma/Myanmar.

There they mixed and mingled with the Mons and became good cultivators in the delta area which later became the rice bowl of Southeast Asia.

During the period of the Wareru dynasty, trade and commercial relations developed with European countries, bringing prosperity to Bago, Madama and the Taninthayi coastal region.

Native products such as rubies and other gems of northern Myanmar, lac, ivory, horn, lead, tin, Bago or Madama jars, long peppers, and nyper wine made from dani palm were exchanged with products brought by European merchants such as camphor, pepper, scented wood, Chinese porcelain and velvet.
East of the Nam Kong River or the Salween, there are numerous Shan settlements called Waans and Kengs. The region is shaped like a triangle. Although the Shan immigrants of this area were closely affiliated ethnically to the Tai race, they retained local names such as Hkun, Lu, Lem, Ngio, Yun and Tai Nu. Based upon their Waan-Baan-Keng system the Tai ethnic people of this area established several Mongs and Kengs as their feudal states (see Appendix IV).
Kengtung is the largest of the feudal states in the eastern Shan State. It covers an area of over 12,000 square miles and is bounded by Thailand on the south, China on the north, and Laos on the east. Its inhabitants are mostly Hkun, Lu, Tai Long and many other ethnic groups, among them Yun, Ngio, Tai Nu, Lem, Laotian, Wa, La, Tai Loi, Kaw, Mu-Hso (La Hu), Ako, Li Saw, En, Hsen Hsum, Pyen, Palaung, Kwi (La Hu Chi), Kang, Yao, Hsem, Miao, Mang Tam, Sawn (son) and Thai.
The majority of the Tai Nu people have settlements mostly along the Yunnan- Burma/Myanmar border and the upper part of the Salween River in Yunnan where they had several feudal city states.

Inside Burma/Myanmar the Tai Nu people live in Bhamo, Myitkyina, Mong Kawng, Mong Yang, Muse, Namhkam, Mong Kung, Laihka and Kengtung area especially in the northeastern part of the region around Mong Lem.
The Shans penetrated deep into Myanmar in the long course of their history, to occupy its plains, hills and valleys and turn wasteland into Na to produce rice either for their own consumption or for trade. They were hardy farmers and food cultivators and adopted a feudal type of administration and a self-sufficient sustainable economy.

Shan fields

Wherever they migrated they introduced their system of Mong and Keng city-states. They frequently fought among themselves but also formed alliances against common enemies. Endless wars are recorded in their local chronicles. The constant fighting among themselves and against neighboring foes exhausted their strength so that they eventually became very weak. They split and settled so much and so far that it became impossible for them to retain their unity as in the days of the Nanchao and Mong Maw Long.