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- TOC ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES #48 (2017)
- Learning to share: Another story for our time
- Generals unveil drugs strategy
| TOC ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES #48 (2017) Posted: 07 Aug 2017 03:33 AM PDT Asian Highlands Perspectives is pleased to announce the publication of Volume 48: GREAT LORDS OF THE SKY: BURMA'S SHAN ARISTOCRACY by Sao Sanda Simms. Written from a Tai/Shan perspective, the intricate and often unsettled realities that existed in the Shan States from early times up to the military coup in 1962 are described in a comprehensive overview of the stresses and strains that the Shan princes endured from early periods of monarchs and wars, under British rule and Japanese occupation, and Independence and Bamar military regime. Part One covers chronological events relating them to the rulers, the antagonists, and the people and the continuing conflict in the Shan State. Part Two deals with the 34 Tai/Shan rulers, describing their histories, lives, and work. Included are photographs and family trees of the princes, revealing a span of Shan history, before being lost in the mists of time. The past is explained in order that the present political situations may be understood and resolved amicably between the Bamar government, the Tatmadaw, and the ethnic nationalities. Volume 48 is available as a free download at: http://bit.ly/2vE3BuY and can be purchased as an at-cost hardback at: http://bit.ly/2vsxyy7 Volume 48: GREAT LORDS OF THE SKY: BURMA'S SHAN ARISTOCRACY ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS <7> CONTENTS <9> THE AUTHOR <15> MAPS <17> § Map 1: Political Divisions, Union of Burma, 1948 <17> § Map 2: Location of Shan States, 1939 <18> § Map 3: Resources of the Shan Plateau <19> § Map 4: Major Ethnic Groups of Burma <20> PREFACE <21> ACKNOWLEDGEMENT <23> PART ONE: Background Chapter One: The Early Period <26> § The Shan Plateau <26> § Migrations <27> § The Early Ava Court <28> § Differences <30> § Mutual Respect <32> § The Limbin Confederacy 1886 <33> § British Annexation <34> § Under the British 36<> § Changing Times <36> Chapter Two: British Rule <41> § The Watershed 1922 <41> § Burma Round Table Conference 1931-1932<43> § Federated Council of Shan Chiefs <45> § The Feudal Lords <47> § The Privy Purse <48> § Contentment? <50> § Some Progress <51> Chapter three: The Interim <58> § A Storm Approaches <58> § Enter the Japanese <58> § Japanese Occupation <60> § Distrust <63> § Return of the British <64> § SCOUHP 1946 <68> § Attlee-Aung San Treaty <69> § Anti-feudalists <70> § Namkham U Htun Aye <73> Chapter Four: Panglong and After <77> § The Panglong Agreement of 1947 <77> § Committee of Inquiry 1947 <79> § Tragedy <80> § Constituent Assembly <81> § Selecting a President <82> § Insurgency <84> Chapter Five: Ten Long Years <91> § Disenchantment <91> § To Secede or Not, 1958 <93> § Tatmadaw's Soft Approach <95> § The 1959 Abdications <96> § New Elections <97> Chapter Six: Without Trust <103> § The Federal Proposal <103> § U Tun Myint <105> § No Compromise <107> § The Coup d'etat 1962 <110> PART TWO: GUARDIANS OF THE SHAN PLATEAU Chapter Seven: The Northern Shan States<121> § Hsipaw State <121> o Fate Unknown <121> o Hsipaw State<123> o The Saohpa Long <124> o Strained Relations <126> o Japanese Occupation <127> o The Tabaung Festivals <128> § Hsenwi State <140> o Hsenwi Saohpa Long <140> o Japanese Disapproval <141> o Flight to Safety <142> o Shan-Kachin <144> o Burma Road <145> o Dr. Gordon Seagrave (1897-1965) <146> § Mong Yai State <155> o A Kingdom Lost<155> o Hsenwi Divided<155> § Mong Mit State <164> o An Accomplished Prince <164> o The Saohpa Long <165> o Japanese Occupation <167> o Rubies <168> o Teak Forests <169> § Tawngpeng State <176> o The Palaung/Ta'ang <176> o Tawngpeng and its Saohpa <177> o The Namtu/Bawdwin Mines <180> o Not for Export <181> o Tea: a Drink or a Salad? <182> o An Episode <183> Chapter Eight: The Eastern Shan States <193> § Kengtung State <193> o Largest Mong <193> o Mangrai Descendants <194> o Kengtung Saohpa Long <195> o Close Ties <197> o Tai Khun and Tai-Lu <198> o The Kuomintang (KMT) <199> § Mong Pan State <216> § Kokang State<219> o Into the Fold <219> o The House of Yang <220> o The Next Generation <221> o Jimmy Yang <222> o The New Order <224> Chapter Nine: The Inner Shan States <233> § Isolation <233> § Mong Nai State <234> o Once Powerful<234> o Massacre<234> § Laikha State <242> o A Gracious Host <242> o A State of Many Names <243> o A Learned Abbot <245> § Mawkmai State <250> o A Charismatic Prince <250> § Mong Nawng/Mong Nong State <255> o Separated from Hsenwi <255> o Privy Purse<255> § Mong Kung State <262> o Appointed Saohpa in 1928 <262> § Mong Hsu State <271> o Actively Involved <271> o Mong Hsu Rubies <272> § Kesi Mansam State <274> o Warrior Princes <274> o Outstanding Career <276> § Tai Shan Resistance <282> o Noom Suk Harn <282> o The Golden Triangle <285> Chapter ten: The Central Shan States <292> § Yawnghwe State <292> o The Saohpa Long <292> o Hands-tied <294> o Yawnghwe Founded in 1394 <295> o Enter the British <297> o Phaung Daw U Poy <299> o Inle Needs Saving <300> § Mong Pawn State <316> o An Able Statesman <316> o The Mong Pawn Dynasty <316> o The Kyemmong <318> § Hsahtung State<325> o Remarkable Prince <325> o Advocating Unity <326> o Untimely Death <328> o The Pa-O <328> o Restlessness <330> § Lawksawk State <337> o Saohpa of Stature <337> o Japanese Courtesy <338> § Samka State <345> o Ancient Samka <345> o A Devoted Buddhist <345> § Loi Long/Pinlaung State <352> o Mountainous Region <352> o Combating Insurgents <353> § Nawngmawn State <356> o Sao Htun Yin <357> Namhkok State <359> § Wanyin/Banyin State <363> § Hopong State <364> § Sakoi State <367> § Mong Pai State <369> o Mong Pai Amalgamated <369> o Mobye Narapati<369> § Attempt at Progress <371> Chapter Eleven: The Mye Lat States: The Middle Lands <373> o Experimental Stations <375> § Hsahmong Kham State <376> o Arrival of the Danu <376> o Defended the State <377> o Politically Involved <378> § Pangtara/Pindaya State <384> o Pindaya Caves <384> o Becomes Saohpa <385> § Baw State <391> o Baw le-hse-le-ywa <391> o An Important Link <391> § Pwehla State<394> o Rulers of Note<394> o Promoted a Jemadar <394> § Pangmi/Pinhmi State<399> o Head Prefect and Kyemmong <399> § Ywangan/Yengan State<405> § Kyong State<411> Chapter Twelve: Sharing the Plateau<413> § The Two Wa States<413> o Introduction <413> § Mong Lun/Mong Lon State<415> o A Wise Ruler <415> o Eastern Special Region No. 4 <417> § Northern Wa States<419> o UWSP and UWSA<420> § The Karenni/Kayah State<421> o Three Karenni States <421> o Kantarawadi<423> o Bawlake<424> o Kyebogyi<425> o Becomes Kayah State <425> o Karenni's Wealth<427> § Diverse Communities<435> o Tribes and Kinships <435> o Troubled Relationships <436> o Akha <437> o Lahu <438> o Lisu <438> o Tai Neu <439> o Diversion <439> o Muong Sing to Luang Namtha <439> o First Encounter <440> o Tiger Women <442> o Sign Language <443> o A Holy Man <443> EPILOGUE <450> § Presidency <450> § Panglong Agreement and Federalism <451> § Ethnic Issues <451> § Conclusion <453> APPENDICES <454> § Appendix 1: The Panglong Agreement 1947 <455> § Appendix 2: Sao Harn Yawnghwe's Account <457> § Appendix 3: Sao Shwe Thaike's Letter, 1960 <463> § Appendix 4: Letter from Saohpa Sir Sao Mawng, 1926 <464> § Appendix 5: Letter Showing Shan Concern, 1947 <465> TABLES <466> § Table 1: Land area and money: the Shan States in 1939 <467> § Table 2: Approximate dates of reigns of rulers from British Annexation in 1887 <469> GLOSSARY 472 REFERENCES 474 All volumes of Asian Highlands Perspectives are open access and may be viewed/downloaded at http://bit.ly/2mb4erq |
| Learning to share: Another story for our time Posted: 07 Aug 2017 03:15 AM PDT Last week, there was a discussion on whether the Union constitution adopted in 2008—by questionable means―should be amended or rewritten. Nobody had asked them whether they wanted it amended or rewritten. The answer, had the question been asked, would have been unanimous: they all wanted a new one. In fact, the new one had already been drafted and adopted by the pro-democracy (and procedural) EAOs, political parties and activist groups on 12 February 2008, 3 months before the popular referendum, based on the 8 guiding principles endorsed 3 years earlier: 1. Sovereign power derives from the people 2. All the indigenous peoples of the Union enjoy equal rights, both political wise and ethnic wise 3. All the indigenous peoples have right of self-determination in the fields of politics, economy, social and culture 4. The Union must be formed with states that fully enjoy the right of self determination 5. The rights of all minorities that reside in the federal units are safeguarded by the constitution 6. Fundamental human rights and rights must be guaranteed by the constitution without discrimination of religious beliefs, color, or gender 7. The Union practices secularism 8. The Union practices multiparty democratic system Those who follow the country's ongoing peace process which began in 2011 will notice that all these guiding principles have now become an integral part of the basic federal principles to be negotiated and adopted at the Union Peace Conference (UPC) also known as the 21st Century Panglong (21CP). However, what is not part of it is the draft they had adopted 9 years earlier, a situation which go against their grain.  Someone then brought the following story to the discussion: A man is left in the desert by his friends who have robbed him of everything including his horse. Not giving up, he travels on foot, usually at night, to conserve the water in his body. On the third day, chirping of birds in the distance draws him to a small pool among some desert willows. The only problem is a coyote, long dead, is lying there. He knows he has to make a choice: · To drink it, he has to purify it as best he can first · To dig a new pool, for which he doesn't have enough strength unless he has something to drink first · Or to go further, which he knows well is out of the question unless he has a good supply of water His decision, after consideration, is to go through all the three given options: First, he drags the dead coyote out of the water. Then he gathers sticks and build a fire. He scoops up some water with the pot he is carrying, covers it with charcoal from the fire, and boils it again. When it has boiled, he skims off the scum from the surface, adds more charcoal, lets it boil again, and again skims it. After it has cooled down, he allows himself the first real drink in three days. In this way, he soon has a small supply of water, which he drinks while emptying the poisoned water in the pool. By the next nights, it is full with clean water again. Three days later, he is back to civilization. "So what happens next? A cowboy story never ends like this," asked one of the participants. The answer comes right back. "Of course, he has a showdown with his former friends, comes out on top, and takes back his possessions." "That's what I want to hear," he says. Maybe we can follow the same procedure this fictional character went through in dealing with the constitutional issue? Something to think about. |
| Generals unveil drugs strategy Posted: 07 Aug 2017 03:08 AM PDT The military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs claims it is making efforts to adopt an all-round drugs approach to tackle the problem. Major General Aung Soe, the military-appointed deputy minister for home affairs, was asked by Lower House MP Dr Pyone representing Indaw Township what the generals were doing to control the drugs trade.  Aung Soe said: "Myanmar is facing drug problems like other nations. Successive governments have tried to eradicate narcotic drugs, but we still face practical challenges. Prevention and judicial strategies are not enough to solve drug problems. The economy, social affairs, health and development must be taken into consideration. "The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control formed 10 working committees representing different ministries. Moreover, the committees for drug abuse control were also formed across the country." The police anti-drug squad consists of 3,994 officers but its current strength was 1,118 with plans being made to bring it up to full strength, Aung Soe said. A road map on a new drug policy was adopted and tasks were being carried out in line with the strategy, Aung Soe said. He said the military-controlled ministry was targeting Kachin State's drugs and jade trade. The general said greater cooperation with residents, police and administrators was needed. Writer: Nyein Zaw Lin + Myo Min Htet Source : goo.gl/KVXPSH |
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