Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Burman
(1882) and
Burma: A Handbook of Practical Information
(1906) by colonial
adventurer Sir J George Scott remain in print today and still provide an insight into the
nation's culture.
Independent Burma: 1947-62
Towards Independence
In January 1947 Aung San visited London as the colony's deputy chairperson of the
Governor's Executive Council. Meeting with British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, a
pact was agreed, under which Burma would gain self-rule within a year.
A month later, Aung San met with Shan, Chin and Kachin leaders in Panglong, in
Shan State. They signed the famous Panglong Agreement in February 1947, guarantee-
ing ethnic minorities the freedom to choose their political destiny if dissatisfied with the
situation after 10 years. The agreement also broadly covered absent representatives of the
Kayin, Kayah, Mon and Rakhine.
In the elections for the assembly, Aung San's Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
(AFPFL) won an overwhelming 172 seats out of 225. The Burmese Communist Party
took seven, while the Bamar opposition, led by U Saw, took three. (U Saw was Burma's
prime minister between 1939 and 1942, and was exiled to Uganda for the rest of WWII
for secretly communicating with the Japanese following a failed attempt to gain British
agreement to Burmese home rule.) The remaining 69 seats were split between ethnic
minorities, including four seats for the Anglo-Burman community.
On 19 July 1947 32-year-old Aung San and six aides were gunned down in a plot
ascribed to U Saw. Some speculate that the military was involved, due to Aung San's
plans to demilitarise the government. Apparently U Saw thought he'd walk into the
prime minister's role with Aung San gone; instead he took the noose, when the British
had him hanged for the murders in 1948.
Armed Forces Day (27 March) commemorates the Burmese soldiers' resistance against
the Japanese army in WWII.
U Nu & Early Woes
While Myanmar mourned the death of a hero, Prime Minister Attlee and Aung San's
protégé, U Nu, signed an agreement for the transfer of power in October 1947. On 4
