The complexity of the situation in Myanmar is unique in Asia, and it is difficult to find a second sample in the whole world.
Myanmar is not small, more than 600,000 square kilometers, about the same as Ukraine. It is definitely a proper big country in Europe, but in Asia it is not enough, and it cannot be compared with China in the north and India in the west.
In terms of population, Myanmar also belongs to China, with more than 50 million people not small, but it cannot be compared with China and India, nor can it compare with its neighbors Bangladesh and Thailand.
Situation with the army in Burma.
But in terms of the types of troops, let alone Asia, there are not as many types of armies in any country in the world as there are in Burma. In addition to the national defense forces under its command, it also has a wide variety of local armies, as well as the Aung San Suu Kyi defense army, with a total number of nearly 20 types.
Local armies are not under the control of ***, they are the armies of states or a certain region within the state, ** recognize their existence, and many times they have to fund their military salaries, but for the interests of each state and place, these armies dare to go to war with ** army.
This situation is also rare and unique in the world. The reason for this situation is due to various factors such as Myanmar's complex ethnic structure, complex history, and unusual independence process.
Topography of Myanmar.
The topography of Myanmar is characterized by Pingchuan in the middle, mountains on both sides, and mountains at the top of the north. The Burmese, the largest ethnic group, live in the Binh Chuan area, which is equivalent to the headquarters of Myanmar, while the mountainous areas are multi-ethnic and multi-ethnic, equivalent to the border areas. The Burmese population is about 34 million, accounting for 65% of the total population of Myanmar. There are more than 130 ethnic minorities, including Shan, Kachin, and Chinese.
These minorities, although small in number, have overseas connections. The Shan people, called Dai in China, are of the same blood as the Dai people in China, and they are still the main ethnic group in ThailandThe Kachin people, known as Jingpo in China and singpho in India, are not only related to each other, but also have the same language and XiAs for the Chinese, they are the Han Chinese, and they have very close relations with the great powers in the north.
Myanmar has seven provinces, all in the Binh Chuan area, which is inhabited by the Burmese people and is also the core of Myanmar's territory. It also has seven states, mostly in the mountains on both sides and in the north, and is a multi-ethnic mixed area.
Seven provinces are the headquarters, and seven states are on the frontiers.
The states of Myanmar are somewhat similar to the autonomous regions of our country, implementing ethnic autonomy, but the degree of autonomy of these states is too great, so large that the finances are independent, and they also have their own armies. They are nominally part of Burma, but they are basically independent kingdoms. The most complicated state is the Shan State, where there are several independent kingdoms called special regions, each with its own army and its own territory.
The most familiar Kokang of the Chinese is in Shan State. Wa State is also a special district of Shan State, but Wa State always considers them to sit on the same side as Shan State, and calls itself the Second Special Region and does not recognize it as a district under Shan State.
Such a situation is unthinkable in China.
Territorial demarcation in the northwest.
And these are all caused by historical reasons.
More than 100 years ago, these frontier areas were basically hereditary territories of Tusi, and there were many kinds of Tusi, each administering its own ethnicity. These regions, which were close to China, were subject to the Central Plains Dynasty for a while, and the Burmese Dynasty for a while. The so-called submission is also verbal or superficial, and internally they are still independent kingdoms, and the dynasties have little or no interference in them. Because these areas are for the Central Plains Dynasty or the Burmese Dynasty, they are all marginal areas, beyond the reach of the whip, and the mountains and ravines are deep, and there is no output, so they can't be rowed with great effort.
Later, the British colonizers occupied Burma and used various means to bring these borderlands under their control. But the British were also unable to intervene too deeply, and still left it to the management of the Tusi.
After that, General Aung San, the founding father of Burma, organized the army and worked for the independence of Burma. In 1947, Aung San negotiated with the Shan people, Kachin people, Chin and other ethnic groups in power, signed the Panglong Agreement and declared independence. In addition to affirming a high degree of autonomy for ethnic minority areas, the Panglong Agreement also stipulates that after independence, Myanmar cannot undermine the existing rights of Tusi, and cannot deprive ethnic minority areas of their autonomy in any way, nor can they take away any autonomy rights, such as financial autonomy.
After the signing of the Panglong Agreement, Aung San took a group photo with representatives of Tusi and border areas.
This Panglong Agreement is the foundation of Myanmar's statehood, and because of this agreement, Myanmar has become what it is today, and the reason why all states recognize Myanmar as their motherland is the credit of this agreement. Myanmar's constitution also includes all the contents of the Panglong agreement.
In a word, Aung San established the current state of Burma, but it was not fought by force, but was negotiated with the border states and determined in the form of an agreement.
Therefore, although the border states are in chaos and even fight with the ** army, they basically do not declare independence. And it is also difficult to ** this kind of chaos, because there is the constraint of the Panglong agreement, if you dare to abolish the agreement, then the basis for the states to be tied to you will be gone, and the states may have to break away from you. Khun Sha declared his independence on the strength of his own strength, but none of the forces supported him, and the regime he established was quickly defeated.
Today, Tusi has long been overthrown by his subjects, but his successor still enjoys the autonomy stipulated in the Panglong Agreement. Although the seven provinces of Myanmar are directly under the jurisdiction of ***, they have all kinds of riots and have been democratically elected, and they were overthrown by the military not long after. Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of the father of the nation, was also arrested by the army, not to mention the attitude of the frontier, the Burmese people were not very convinced in the first place. Some Burmese people set up the Aung San Suu Kyi Defence Army to fight guerrilla warfare in Burmese areas and confront the army.
Myanmar is so chaotic, its own strength is not good, and it is so poor that it is at the bottom of Southeast Asia, and it is impossible for the surrounding big countries to say that they have no idea about it. But this mess is too difficult to get done, and the states located in the frontier are even poorer, and the major powers dare not dye their hands too deeply, for fear that they will get into trouble if they don't get benefits.
Again, many ethnic minorities have overseas connections that they can use to get some assistance or something, but they are not particularly attached to their relatives. They have a high degree of autonomy in Myanmar, which is actually similar to an independent kingdom, and it is impossible for them to maintain the current situation if they take refuge in any relatives, so they will not be stupid enough to really take refuge.
The relatives also knew this, so they did not want to invite them to vote.
Now the chaos in Myanmar is even more serious, and the Kokang Alliance Army is fighting the first army to parry. But the big countries around them all pretended not to see and turned a blind eye. The Kokang army, though fierce, was still very knowledgeable, and neither declared independence nor declared that it wanted to throw itself into the arms of a great power.