Chin Youth - Blog

by Salai Biak Lian Sang

The Chinland became a part of Burma only after the British gave independent to Burma in 1948. Before that the Chin people were historically independent indigenous people. The Chin Hills had become home for the Chin people since pre-historic period. Until the British colonization came to the Chin Hills, there were no historical evidences that the Chin people were invaded and ruled by other nations. The Chins had their own chiefs, village founders or tribe leaders. Even though there were no Chin kings, it is obvious that the Chin people had their own rulers. The Chin fore-fathers enjoy their autonomy, rights and privileges for hundreds of years in Chin Hills. The Chin people lost all those things and became one of the states and divisions of Burma.

There were three different obvious facts that made the Chinland and people become part of Burma. They were

1. British Colonization,
2. Panlong Agreement and
3. Military junta's coup
   

British Colonization

The Chins were living as independent nation till the British invaded their land in the late 19th century and annexed all their territory into British Empire in 1892. The British Colonization had brought both advantages and disadvantages for the Chin people. The coming of Christianity and new civilization were obvious benefits for the Chin people from the British colonization. In that civilization, having a military power which was known as Chin Rifle Battalion was also an advantages. However, at the same time the worse nuisance from that era was losing own autonomy to the British and to the Burmese in its consequences. Before, the Christianity was brought by the pioneer missionaries such as some RC bishops and Carson and Laura, the Chin people were known as head hunters. The British invaded Burma after declaring three times of wars. The first Anglo-Burma war broke out in 1824, the second in 1852 and third in 1885 and occupied all Burma in 1886. About four years after the invasion of Burma, the British came to the soil of the Chin Hills.

Pu Lian Uk a politician and former member of parliament of Burma stated,

"The Chin people claim that the Chin in their definite territory especially the Chin State today had never been a part of Burma or had it never been under any of the Burmese kings before British annexation. It was an independent territory with its definite territory under their chieftains since time immemorial and the British invaded and annexed the Chin country as a separate independent territory in 1890 outside the Burmese kingdom. The Chin resistance war against the British invasion of their country was so fierce in 1888 that even one British soldier was awarded Victoria Cross (VC) equivalent to Aung San Thuriya in Burma or US Congressional Medal, being the highest military gallantry medal in the British empire in which the sun never set. It was awarded to him at the Chin resistant battle against the invading British forces at Siallum in Tedim township in present Chin State which is now historically marked as Siallum Fort. The award showed how fiercely the Chin resistant battle was fought by both sides."[1]

The Chin people lost their autonomy in the hand of the British colony. Yet, there were even more negative impacts. As the Second World War ended, the British had been abandoning almost all of their colonized countries according to their agreement in United Nations charter. The decision whether to give independent to the Chin nation separately was utterly in the hand of the British. But according to Aung San - Atlee agreement the ethnic people were included within the today Burma. It was utterly in the hand of the British government whether to include the Chinland in Burma or not. However, they insisted the agreement from the Chin and other ethnic people to be included in Burma.

Panlong Agreement

The Pinlong Agreement was held at Panlong town of Shan State on February 12, 1947 one year before independent was affirmed. The Kachin, Chin and Shan ethnic leaders were invited. The Chin leaders who attended the conference were Pu Hlur Hmung of Falam, Pu Thawng Za Khu(Teddim) and Pu Kio Mang(Hakha).[2] In this meeting, apparently the Karen, Karenni, Mon and Arakanese leaders did not attend or sign their signatures. This Pinlong Agreement indeed was focus on gaining independent as soon as possible rather than uniting with the Burma. In this agreement there were no point indicating that the Chinland would became apart of Burma. However, it was one of the main reasons that made the Chinland became a part of Burma. Some other ethnic groups did not attend or sign in the agreement yet they still became a part of Burma. This is the fact that the Panlong Agreement was neither the only reason how the Chin people lost their autonomy nor the Chin leader's mistake. Even though the Karen did not sign the agreement, they still are under the Burmese military dictatorship so as the Chin. There were nine points in the Pinlong Agreement. The seventh point of the agreement was described like this…"Citizens of the Frontier Areas shall enjoy rights and privileges which are regarded as fundamental in democratic countries."[3]The frontier Areas indicated the Hills areas such as Chin and Kachin Hills. They hope of the Chin people and other ethnic minorities started changing into a night mare since General Aung San was assassinated on July 19, 1947 together with other national leaders. Those eras were still time of the heroes. Aung San was a hero for the Burma. The Chin leaders seem to be working as a team. However, there is no evidence that the Chin leaders had gained the wills of the Chin people in order to make decision to become one of the frontier areas of the Burma. The heroes and leaders at that time were vital persons. Battles were won because of a hero and battles were lost because of the death of a hero. It was inevitable in that period that the Chin leaders follow such a hero at that time. Aung San himself had said about the "Lowkah Neihban," which means the heaven on the earth or the Nirvana on the Earth. The Lowkah Neihban also has never come true. Therefore, the blame is granted to the fate. The Panlong Agreement, however, is a historic landmark for the Burma people to say that the Chin people had willingly became their subjects. Till today, 12 of February have been celebrated as Union day in Burma. It is believed that the Union of Burma was born on that day. The original concept of the Union or the Pinlong Agreement was inevitably preferable for the Chin people in that era.

The agreement were indeed also promises. There were no witnesses of other countries. It was just like selling a cow at a Chin village. After the independent, the federal democratic system was similarly adopted at first. The competition of two isms; left and right, had effected upon the Burma too. And then, the Panlong Agreement is being mistakenly quoted in order to make the Chin under the Burma instead of establishing a federated union of democratic country which was the true dream of the agreement. The following Burmese leader consequently ignored it and failed to fulfill the promises in the agreement.

The Burmese military Junta

After the independent, the Chin Hills was known as Chin Special division and the Minister of the State were appointed by the Burmese government. The first president of the Sovereign Union of Burma was Soa Shwe Taik. He belonged to a Shan ethnicity. The first General Secratary of the State was U Nu. The central government was form in mixture of persons from different ethnicities. The Chin ministers of the State were as follow,

1947 - 1954: Vam Thu Maung

1954 - 1956: U Shein Htang

1956 - 1962: U Za Hre Lian

1961 In order to amend the Constitution of Burma (1947) into more federate features as agreed in Panglong Conference, the Chins and all non-Burman nationalities gathered in Taunggyi, the Capital of Shan State from June 8 – 16, 1961. Since on 2 March 1962 autonomy completely was abolished by the Burmese military junta General Ne Win and it was the conclusion of the hope of the Chin people. It had a single Chairman of the Supreme State Council, U San Kho Lian, who remained in office until March 1974.[4]As the dictator Ne Win staged a coup in the name of Revolutionary Council, any Chin politicians and scholars presumed to participate in Taunggyi Conference were arrested.[5]The military junta then ruthlessly rules the whole Burma using different tactics of oppression in order to control the power. If the military junta did not take control of the power, the Taungyi conference would have brought the fruits for the Pinlong Agreement.

The military's siege of the power was worse reason that utterly forced the Chinland and people to be under the neo-colonization of Burm

Therefore, in conclusion, it is clear that the tree different events and historical facts relate one another and are the cause of the Chinland to become a part of Burma. The Chin people who enjoyed the privileges of independent in the history had become a colony of other nations since late 19 century till 21 century. As a colonized nation, the Chin people had been suffering different kind of persecutions, human rights abuses, discrimination and oppression. The Chin people also have been demanding and fighting in order to restore the historic nature of the Chinland in all the possible ways. The British colonization in which the Chins first lost their heritage autonomy was the first and important reasons that made the Chinland to be part of the Burma. The Pinlong Agreement which was often criticized as the point of foolishness will anyhow remain as one of the reasons, too. All those two things paved a smooth way for the Burmese military vehicles to practice neo-fascism toward the Chin people.