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States national government and
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New The
latest changes to the History Guy
site. Information
on the History Guy, the origin of the
website, along with commentaries
and a site
map. The South East Asian
nation of Myanmar (also known as Burma),
has a long history as an independent
nation, punctuated by over sixty years of
conquest and occupation as a colonial
possession of the expansionist British
Empire. Burma was seized by the Japanese
in World War Two, and became a major
battleground as British, Indian, American,
and Chinese forces battled against the
Japanese. Three year after the defeat of
Japan, Burma once again became an
independent nation, but almost immediately
plunged into civil war, as Karen ethnic
group rebelled and a Communist uprising
nearly toppled the new government. The
civil war began in 1948, and has continued
with varying degrees of intensity ever
since. In 1988, a pro-democracy movement
was crushed violently by the military
dictatorship, which also renamed the
nation "Myanmar." In late 2007, a new,
so-far peaceful anti-government uprising
led by Buddhist monks has been met with
violence from government security forces.
It should be noted that
the current involvement of the Buddhist
monks in the 2007 protests harkens back to
the long-running resistance to the British
conquest and occupation of Burma in the
19th and 20th Centuries. Many of the
protests against British rule were led by
Buddhist monks, so the current monk-led
protests are part of a tradition of
Burmese/Myanmar popular action to
unpopular and repressive
regimes. Below is a listing of
the wars and conflicts of Burma and
Myanmar since the first war with the
British Empire in the early
1800s. First
Anglo-Burmese War
(1824–1826) Second
Anglo-Burmese War
(1852) Third
Anglo-Burmese War
(1885) Burmese
Resistance to British
Conquest
(1885-1889) Second
World War: Burma
Campaign
(1942-1945) Burmese
Civil War
(1948-Present)--Long and complex civil war
involving several different uprisings and
rebellions against the Burmese government.
This long-running war includes government
warfare against the Karen, Kachin, Shan
and other ethnic groups, Communist rebels,
and pro-democracy protesters and rebels
(these last two in 1988 and 2007). The
civil war includes the "Four Eights"
or 8888 Uprising (August 8, 1988
to September 18, 1988), in which over
3,000 were killed by the military.
Burmese/Myanmar rebel
armies and forces during the civil war
include: Communist Party
of Burma (CPB)--The Burmese
Communist Party was active against the
British and Japanese occupiers, and
after independence in 1948, launched a
rebellion against the government. The
CBP signed a peace agreement with the
government ending its rebellion in
1989. Active opposition to
the Myanmar/Burmese government dates
from March, 1948 to 1989. The CPB
formed in 1939. Karen National
Union (KNU)-- The main Karen
insurgent force. Active opposition to
the Myanmar/Burmese government dates
from 1948 to the Present. The KNU
formed in 1947. United Wa State
Army (UWSA)--Formed in 1989 after
the Communist Party of Burma ended its
war against the government. The Wa
ethnic group had formed the bulk of the
CPB's military force, and they did not
want to end their war against the
Burmese government. The UWSA continued
resistance using the bases and
infrastructure created by the
Communists. The Wa live and operate
along the Chinese border. Active
opposition to the Myanmar/Burmese
government dates from 1989 to the
Present. The Wa fought against the
government as part of the CPB from the
1970s to 1989. Chin National
Front / Chin National Army--The
resistance movement of the largely
Christian Chin people. Active
opposition to the Myanmar/Burmese
government dates from 1988 to the
Present. The Vigorous
Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW)
--anti-government guerrilla group best
known for a 1999 raid on the Myanmar
embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. The VBSW
operates out of refugee camps along the
Myanmar-Thai border. Known to be allied
with God's Army. Active opposition to
the Myanmar/Burmese government dates
from 1999. Sources: http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/vbsw.htm
and http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4311 God's Army of the
Holy Mountain, best known simply as
"God's Army," is a breakaway
faction of one of the largest Burmese
opposition groups, the Karen National
Union (KNU). Supposedly led by two
children, the brothers Johnny and
Luthor Htoo, the small Karen guerrilla
group gained world fame through the
young age of the brothers, as well as
when God's Army seized a medical
complex along the Myanmar-Thai border
in January, 2000. Myanmar military
assaults virtually wiped the group out,
and the remnants, along with Johnny and
Luthor fled to Thailand in January,
2001. This effectively brought an end
to God's Army. Active opposition to the
Myanmar/Burmese government dates from
1997 to 2001. Sources:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/gods_army.htm
and http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4032
Chinese
KMT Invasion
(1950)--Refugee Nationalist (Koumintang,
or KMT) Chinese soldiers retreated across
the Chinese-Burma border to escape the
advancing Chinese Communist armies of Mao
Tse-Tung. Sino-Burma
Border War
(1956) Thailand-Myanmar
Border
Conflict
(2001) Sources: R.
Ernest, Dupuy, and Dupuy Trevor N.
The
Encyclopedia of Military History: From
3500 B.C. To The
Present. Kohn,
George C. Dictionary
of Wars.
"The
History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Contact
the webmaster Please
cite this source when appropriate: Lee,
R. "The History Guy: The Wars of Burma and
Myanmar" http://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_burma_myanmar.htm Pages
on Burmese/Myanmar and Asian
Wars Read
the History Guy
Weblog--New The
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World of September 10,
2001--posted
on Sept. 10, 2007 Mid-East
War Fears: Israel Versus Syria
Again?--posted
on Aug. 14, 2007 France
at War: French Victories and
Defeats--posted
May 11, 2007 America
and France: A Long
Relationship Spanning War and
Peace--posted
May 10, 2007 Cinco
de Mayo, 1862: The Battle Of
Puebla
--posted May 5,
2007 The
Long War on Terror: What is in
a War's
Name?--posted
May 3, 2007 Turkey:
To Coup, or not to Coup, that,
is the
question!--posted
May 2, 2007 Canada's
Afghan
War--posted
April 29, 2007. Wars
and Conflicts of Burma/Myanmar
--The
Wars and Conflicts of
Burma/Myanmar from the
Anglo-Burmese Wars to the
pro-democracy Myanmar uprising of
2007. North
Lebanon Conflict
(2007)--Fighting
between the Lebanese government
and a Jihadist Palestinian
militia calling itself Fatah
al-Islam. bin
Laden's Declaration of War
Against the United
States--
Long before 9/11, Osama bin Laden
declared his hatred and his
intent to harm
America. Current
Wars of the
World--A
listing of current wars and
conflicts around the
world. Military
Coups in
Turkey-A
listing of military coups in
modern Turkey
(1960-1997). Comparing
America's Wars Duration in
Months-A
look at America's wars and
comparing their length in months.
War
in
Afghanistan--Details
on the origins of this ongoing
war; part of the War on
Terror Ethiopia-Somalia
War of
2006*New*--A
brief description of the
Ethiopia-Somalia War which began
in 2006, and is a part of the
larger Somali Civil
War. Ethiopia-Somali
Wars and
Conflicts*New*--Listing
the wars and conflicts between
Ethiopia and Somalia Wars
of
Germany--The
wars and conflicts of Germany
from the Franco-Prussian War of
1870-1871 to the War in
Afghanistan. Iraq
War: Links and
Resources*New*--Links
and resources on the Iraq
War. Iraq
War: Prisoner Abuse and Abu
Ghraib Links and
Resources*New*--Links
and resources on the Iraq War's
biggest scandal. Iraq
War: Battles and
Campaigns*New*--Links
and resources on Iraq War battles
and military
operations. Israel-Lebanon/Hezbollah
War of
2006--*New*--Details
and analysis on the warfare along
the Lebanese border which began
in July, 2006! Israel-Lebanon
Conflict--*New*--Background
information on the decades-long
warfare and conflict along the
Israel/Lebanon border. Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict--*New*--Background
information on the long-running
warfare between Israel and the
Palestinians! Israeli-Palestinian
Battles and
Campaigns--*New*--Specific
information on the warfare raids,
battles, terrorist attacks, and
retaliations between Israel and
the Palestinians! Waziristan
War----The
War on Terror expands to
Pakistan's Northwest
Frontier! Hamas----The
terrorist/resistance group now
ruling the Palestinian
Authority! Wars
of
2006--*--Wars
and conflicts of 2006! Site
Map--revision
in progress
A chronicle of newer
and more recent conflicts and wars from
around the globe
A listing of wars
and war pages on the History Guy site
Copyright
© 1998-2007 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 09.29.07
Stormfront:
The Consequences of September
11 and America's Wars Around
the
World--posted
on Sept. 11, 2007