Evening star., 1947-10-19
Nutionhood for Burma

The withdrawal of the British Empire
from Asia, begun in India, takes another
long stride with the signing in London of a
treaty between the British and Burmese
governments providing for Burma's exit
from the British Empire and Common
wealth. With full British acquiescence, the
independence of the Republic of the Union
of Burma will be formally proclaimed and
will 60 into effect on January 6, 1948 Thus
a new sovereign state is about to be added
to the roster of the worlds nations
Despite current difficulties, Burma s
debut into nationhood is being made under
more hopeful auspices than that of its
Indian neighbor. Unlike the Indian sub
continent, Burma enjoys basic unity Of
race and religion, together with a long
tradition of political union The geo.
graphical limits of this large country,
about the size of Texas, are clearly traced.
1t is shut off from India on the west by
belt of mountains and almost impene-
trable jungle, while a somewhat similar
belt separates it from its eastern neighbor,
Siam. Finally, its narrow northern apex
runs into the lofty Himalayas which divide
it from Tibet. Its natural access to the
outer world is the delta of the 1rrawaddy,
vast river which, with its continents,
drains virtually the entire hinterland.
The British connection with Burma runs
back more than three centuries when
trading posts of the English East India
Company were established along the coast.
Burma at that time was a typical Oriental
empire-a loose-jointed polity whose out
lying dependencies were semi-independent,
while the prosperity of the empire as a
whole was bound up with the ability and
character of its despotic ruler BY the
early nineteenth century, Burma had be-
come politically so decrepit that British
control was extended over the country in
a series of wars eliminating in that of
1886, immortalized by Kipling's poem, "On
the Road to Mandalay" In consequence
OF that war, Burma became part and parcel
of the British Empire, though it was ad-
ministratively part of India, then ruled
completely by the British Raj"
This connection became increasingly
distasteful to the Burmese as India de-
veloped a political consciousness looking
toward nationhood. The Burmese, with
their Buddhist religion and historic aloof-
ness, had no desire to be politically associ-
ated with India. Indeed, they resented
the presence of Indian immigrants who
had 1ocked into Burma under the British
connection. So the first phase of the
modern Burmese Nationalist movement
was anti-Indian rather than anti-British.
In consequence, the British severed Burma
from India in 1887 and granted it MIN
imum of self f-government. But this merely
stimulated Nationalist agitation, which
played a great part in the easy Japanese
conquest of the country in 1942.
The ruin wrought by the Japanese,
together with the loss of export markets
for Burma's rich resources in rice, oil,
timber and other products, left it in
disturbed condition which the British, after
liberating Burma from the Japanese, we're
unable to allay. Making virtue of neces-
sity, Britain has bowed gracefully to
Burmese desires and is granting full
independence.
There is evidence, however, that this wise
craftsmanship will be rewarded by the
maintenance of friendly ties between
Britain and its former colony. 1t is re-
liably reported that arrangements have
been made for the granting of strategic
bases to Britain for Burma's protection,
similar to those between the United States
and the Philippine Commonwealth. II so,
1t will be hopeful augury.