A Retrospective Evaluation On The Union Day Of Burma

Shwekey Hoipang

19 February 2010: Burma is a beautiful country in South East Asia and is rich in natural resources. The population of Burma is about 50 millions according to 2009 UN estimation. She lies between the Asian two giants India and China, and her neighbours include Laos, Thailand and Bangladesh.

The modern Burma area was inhabited by the “Mon and Pyu kingdoms dominant from the 1st century BC to the 9th century AD.”[1] The Burmese dynasty united the two kingdoms in the 11th century but later “was overthrown by the Mongols in the 13th century.”[2] The withdrawal of the Mongols produced several kingdoms such as Ava, Bago, Thanlyn, Thahtung, Pyi, Mrauk-u and other local chieftain kingdoms. Finally the Alaungpaya dynasty ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885.[3] However there is not enough evidence that the Burmese dynasty ruled all the ethnic regions in the history because they were ruled by their own chieftains such as Duwas and Zawbwas, although there were several exchanges of war and peace between the Bamar and some of the ethnic nationalities.

Burma has also experienced westerners since mid 16th century through trade with the Portuguese, Dutch, and English until the 17th century. The trade turned into an annexation after three wars between the British and Burmese. First in 1824-26 when Burma renounced their claim to Assam and Manipur and ceded Arakan (Rakhine) and Tanesserim (Thanintyaryi) to the British according to the treaty of Yandabo in 1826.[4] Second in 1852-53 which ended in the annexation of the rest of Lower Burma.[5] The third and final war started in 1885 when upper Burma was annexed on the 1st of January 1886.[6]

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