By Zarni Bwar

 

AT 10 am on 28 November 1885. After General Pren­dergast, the British mili­tary commander issued orders for the troops to march, British warships arrived at the Gawain Port in Mandalay. At that time, the entire royal city was silent and quiet.

 

Since no one inside the pal­ace had made contact, the British troops, led by Colonel Sir Edward Bosc Sladen, marched toward the southern gate of the city walls and arrived there by 3 pm. Without encountering any resistance at the gate, they entered freely and continued toward the new royal palace’s eastern gate. After tak­ing a break for a few minutes at the eastern gate of the new royal palace, they waited for Minister Kinwun.

 

While waiting like this, they saw Minister Kinwun riding an elephant and approaching quickly from a distance. Then, Minister Kinwun told Colonel Sladen that he wished to enter the palace alone with him and that the British troops accompanying them would not be allowed to enter the royal palace for any reason.

 

So, Colonel Sladen initially ar­rived at the parliamentary office together with Minister Kinwun. Later, Colonel Sladen, together with the Minister and the coun­sellors, entered the Golden Palace where King Thibaw was residing, met with him, and reported that they had to carefully take the His Majesty King and the Queen as ordered by the Governor General of India.

 

King Thibaw said that instead of suddenly calling him away from here to a distant place, he pre­ferred to remain in the palace for one or two days. During that time, he desired to leave the palace and move to the summer palace in the southern garden. He made this statement to Colonel Sladen.

 

Colonel Sladen said he would inform General Prendergast about this matter. However, tomorrow morning, the His Majesty King must hand himself over to the Su­preme Commander for his surren­der, and after leaving the palace, he reported the news to Prender­gast. Meanwhile, King Thibaw was closely guarded by soldiers from the Hampshire Brigade, stationed at the summer royal residence in the southern part of the palace.

 

On the morning of 29 Novem­ber, British troops began their marching from the Gawwain Port, and by the afternoon, they had reached the palace. General Prendergast, after summoning four important ministers, went to meet King Thibaw and the Queen. The General informed them that they would be taken aboard a ship. Although the king and the queen requested a delay, asking for more time if possible, Prender­gast insisted it was not possible and instructed that preparations be made for an immediate depar­ture. Troops were then organized to begin their departure from the palace.

 

At around 3:30 pm, the British troops led the king and the queen away from the Summer Palace. Along the main road of the city and at the intersections, the people of the city wept, crying out as they watched the king and the queen pass by, bidding them a final fare­well with tears. At 6:15 pm, they arrived at Gawwain Port, where the king and the queen, along with their entourage, were escorted aboard the ship “Suriya”. This day, the 8th waning of Tazaungmone 1247 of the Myanmar Era, is a day that Myanmar will never forget.

 

On 1 January 1886, India’s Governor General Lord Dufferin, issued a declaration that the ter­ritories previously governed by King Thibaw, along with Upper Myanmar, were annexed as part of the British Empire.

 

In this way, the Myanmar people, who had stood firmly and proudly for many years with their own throne, their own king­dom, and their own sovereignty, began to fall under British rule starting from the 8th waning day of Tazaungmone, when King Thibaw was captured.”

 

Historians remarked that the reasons for the defeat of Myanmar in war are numerous, including a lack of political unity, differences in weaponry, and disparities in training. Historians have noted that the courage and strength of the Myanmar soldiers, who fought in all three wars with the British, were not lacking.

 

During the First Anglo-My­anmar War (1824-1826), General Maha Bandoola, who led the My­anmar forces, and General Maha Nay Myo, who nearly wiped out the British troops in the Battle of Wethtigan, demonstrated great military skill and bravery. The British acknowledged and praised their heroic qualities. In the Sec­ond Anglo-Myanmar War (1852- 1854), major commanders such as the governor of Yangon, Maha Min Hla Min Khaung, who led the troops defending Shwedagon for­tress, Taungdwingyi’s governor Min Ye Min Khaung Kyaw, and the chief of the Pyay military area, General and Minister Thadoe Thudamma Maha Min Khaung, led their forces with great strength and courage in the battles.

 

During the Third Anglo-My­anmar War (1885-1886), General Maha Thamain Bayan and the commanders, who fought fierce­ly from the Minhla fortress, were also esteemed and praised by the enemies for their patriotism and courage.

 

“Regarding the Battle of Min­hla Fortress, British journalist and historian Grafton wrote, ‘Re­gardless of the circumstances, the Myanmar forces from Minhla For­tress from the western bank of the river attacked their enemies with great strength. To speak honestly, without bias, Myanmar should not be described as cravens, for they fought bravely and with tremen­dous strength.’”

 

Another historian also wrote, “Myanmar soldiers accepted that it is better to die in battle with na­tional pride than to suffer defeat and disgrace.”

 

Similarly, when the British colonists expanded their control into Myanmar, the saying of the revered monk Seebanni, ‘Through the cycle of suffering and worldly strife, where the land is scorched by fire, even the great kingdoms will fall. In the face of loss, all will be restored. Those who die for their nation, for their people, and for their religion, are truly noble,’ resonated with those who could not bear the destruction of Myan­mar’s sovereignty. These patriotic individuals, in their fight for free­dom and religion, chose to resist rather than remain under British rule, believing that it was better to die in battle than to live under foreign domination.

 

British troops took about eight years to oppress ethnic patriotic troops led by Prince Myin Saing, Prince Lin Pin, Prince Shwegyo­byu, Wuntho Saopha U Aung Myat, U Min Yaung with the title of Min­ister Shwe La Yaung, Bo Cho, Bo Yar Nyunt, Bo Ywe and so on in various areas of the nation.

 

The Buddhism of Myanmar people was dimming in the co­lonial era when Myanmar’s last King Thibaw was taken away in 1247 ME. As even members of the Sangha experienced a scarcity of offertories in urban areas, other members of the Sangha residing on Sagaing hills faced a worsening of offerings.

 

In consideration of the welfare of the nationality and Buddhism, the residents of Mandalay, includ­ing the city’s elders and people, ensured that the religion would not face ruin due to the absence of a king. To sustain and propagate the Buddha’s teachings, they es­tablished the Malun Rice Donation Association in 1258 ME, 11 years after the king’s reign ended. Sim­ilarly, 13 years after the end of the king’s reign, in 1260 ME, they also established the Pariyatti Sasana­hita Association. The Malun Rice Donation Association with the em­blem illustrating a rabbit at the centre of the moon continued to offer alms and rice donations to the monks, nuns, and laypersons who were practising meditation on the Sagaing Hills, following the tradition of successive Myanmar Buddhist kings who supported the Four Requisites (food, robes, shel­ter, and medicine) for the monastic community.

 

Additionally, the Pariyat­ti Sasanahita Association, after the fall of King Thibaw and the subsequent decline of cities and monastic communities, took steps to address the diminishing state of the Sasana (Buddhist teachings). With fewer monks and the Sasana falling further into decline, the as­sociation sought out the remaining senior monks who had preserved the scriptures in monasteries. They provided monthly offerings, including rice, oil, salt, chilli, and onions, alongside alms food.

 

Furthermore, although there had been no religious examina­tions for about 18 years, the asso­ciation re-organized the first such examinations in 1265 ME. These were held in the Nine-Chambered Brick Pavilion within the Sakkasi­ha Pagoda precinct, under the guidance of U Tha Hnyin. From then on, the Pariyatti exams be­came known in the monastic com­munity as the “Sakkasiha Exams”.

 

The Malun Rice Donation Association and the Pariyatti Sasanahita Association have col­laboratively contributed by people of the city and Buddhists from all over Myanmar. As a result, these associations have served effec­tively for over 100 years, making significant contributions to the preservation and advancement of Buddhism. The Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw also recognized the Malun Rice Donation Associ­ation as the “Mother Association of the Sasana” and the Pariyatti Sasanahita Association as the “Fa­ther Association of the Sasana”.

 

Similarly, the Myanmar peo­ple established the YMBA (Young Men’s Buddhist Association) on 10 May 1906, for the sake of their na­tionality and Buddhism. At a time when organizations like the YMBA had not yet emerged, the local populace lived under the admin­istration of the British colonialists. With the formation of the YMBA, discussions and consultations on national matters were conduct­ed under the theme “Nationality, Religion, and Knowledge,” and these matters were presented to the British government.

 

When issues emerged for for­eigners wearing shoes on religious grounds and pagoda platforms, the YMCA itself represented the coun­try and lodged a formal appeal to the British government.

 

When the British government planned to elevate the adminis­trative status of India, the YMBA (Young Men’s Buddhist Associa­tion) sent four representatives—U Su, U Pe, U Ba Pe, and U May Aung —to India to petition for a similar elevation of Myanmar’s status. However, the British gov­ernment excluded Myanmar from the administrative upgrade. Con­sequently, in 1919, the YMBA sent three prominent representatives — U Ba Pe, U Pu, and U Tun Shein, collectively known as the “Pe-Pu- Shein” delegation—to England to make further appeals.

 

In 1920, the YMCA was ex­panded and restructured into the GCBA, advocating for Home Rule or self-governance. From that point onward, the Myanmar peo­ple actively participated in matters of national causes. As a result, the YMCA was recognized as “the be­ginning of Myanmar politics,” “the foundation of independence,” and “the cornerstone of Myanmar’s nationalistic spirit,” among other notable designations.

 

The YMBA and GCBA gave rise to the Doh Bamar Asiayone in 1930. The Myanmar people, having stood for generations as a nation of free and independent individuals, not as slaves, took pride in the title “Thakin” (master) with the rallying cry: “Thakin Myo Hey! Doh Bamar” (“Masters, we are Myanmar”).

 

Along with this slogan, they passionately chanted:

Myanmar is our land,

Myanmar is our language,

Myanmar is our speech.

Our country - Love it

Our literature - Praise it

Our language - Respect it,”

 

This was the rallying cry. The Doh Bamar Asiayone (We Myan­mar Association) was founded by Thakin Ba Thaung.

Subsequently, the Myanmar meeting organized by General Aung San, along with thirty com­rades, led to the formation of the Burma Independence Army (BIA) and the Burma Defence Army (BDA). They continued to engage in territorial expansion and anti-fascist uprisings. During the wartime era, under the lead­ership of the great national leader General Aung San, the Anti-Fas­cist People’s Freedom League led by him was established, and on 4 January 1948, Myanmar regained its independence from British co­lonial rule, which had controlled Upper Myanmar for over 60 years and Lower Myanmar for over 100 years, finally becoming the sover­eign Union of Myanmar.

 

The upcoming 4 January 2025, marks the 77th anniversary of Independence Day. On this 77th Independence Day, in the spirit of dedication to Myanmar’s in­dependence, just as the previous generations who sacrificed their lives, we, as the new generation, must each take responsibility in the same way and contribute to­wards the future.

 

Currently, neo-colonialists, through behind-the-scenes manip­ulation, exert their influence over small nations, causing conflicts among them, leading to division and inciting rivalry, as they push them into competition like chick­ens fighting over a pot.

 

Thus, learning from the his­torical lessons of the past, when unity was lost and King Thibaw’s reign led to the loss of sovereign­ty and independence, the pres­ent and future generations have a responsibility to preserve and protect the independence for the continued stability and strength of the Union of Myanmar, as it has existed throughout history.

 

Ref: Anglo-Myanmar War history written by Natmauk Phone Kyaw

Translated by TTA