HISTORY OF BURMA AS I REMEMBER

Part 2.

This was then.

It is now.

As part of the Propagation of the Theravadin Buddhism, Burma took the lead among the Buddhist Countries: Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and convened the Six Buddhist Synod, or Chatta Sangayana. On May 17, 1954, the world celebrated the 3-Day Opening Ceremony. The Sixth Synod did successfully close, exactly two years after it had commenced on the day coincided with Buddhist Calendar, the Day of Completion of Year 2,500 After Death of the Lord Buddha, May 24, 1956. In the late '50s Burma experienced a new political turmoil. It was required to have new political mandate, and therefore, the AFPFL Government under U Nu transferred State Power to General Ne Win of Burma Army to form a Caretaker Government. Just before legally transfer the State Power, U Nu as the Prime Minister formed an independent Inquiry Commission with Justice U Thein Maung as its head to inquire

whether he, as Prime Minister, had done any misappropriation or any wrong doing and if so, the Commission was to advice the Caretaker Government to take action against him. The Commission after deliberation and investigation reported there was no wrong doing what-so-ever U Nu committed. Anyhow, the first act of the Caretaker Prime Minister Ne Win was ordering revocation of the ban on cow slaughter license. Simultaneously, Ne Win formed an Inquiry Commission and appointed U Lun Baw, Chief of the Civil Service Commission as its head and instructed to investigate whether there was any misappropriation of the outgoing government especially in building the Kabar Aye [World Peace] Pagoda, the Withakhar Pavilion and the Cave that held Sixth Buddhist Synod. Lun Baw Commission reported: Kabar Aye Pagoda was built solely with the general public donation and there was not a single penny misappropriated from the government's coffer; Daw Mya Yi [Mrs. Nu] built the Withakhar Pavilion with the funds collected among her friends, not even a penny was publicly collected let alone misappropriated the government's funds. As for the Cave, both public donation and Cabinet approved budget for the construction were used and there was no misappropriation.

SINO-BURMA BORDER TEEATY

Quote: The Burmese Government has agreed to return to China the area of Hpimaw, Gawlum and Kangfang which belongs to China. In order to abrogate the perpetual lease by Burma of the Meng-Mao triangular area (Namwan Assigned Tract) at the junction of the Namwan and the Shweli Rivers, which belongs to China, the Chinese Government has agreed to turn over this area to Burma to become part of the territory of the Union of Burma. In exchange the Burmese Government has agreed to turn over to China to become part of Chinese territory the areas under the jurisdiction of the Panhung and Panlao tribes, which are west of the boundary line from the junction of the Nam Ting and the Nampa Rivers to the No. 1 marker on the southern delimited section of the boundary as defined in the note exchanged between the Chinese and the British Governments on June 18, 1941. Unquote. Sino-Burma Border Treaty was singed by H.E. Prime Minister U Nu for the Government of the Union of Burma and Premier Chou En-Lai for the Government of the Peoples' Republic of China in Peking, China in 1960. The Treaty was signed again in Rangoon, Burma by the two Prime Ministers. To read more visit U Nu of Burma [http://peoplewinthrough.com/].

During Mahn Win Maung's tenure as the President of the Union of Burma H.E. Mr. David Bengurion, Prime Minister of Israel visited Burma. Close to the front view, Left to Right: Prime Minister U Nu, Prime Minister Bengurion in Burmese National Dress, Daw Mya May [Mrs. Mahn Win Maung] and President Mahn Win Maung at the Garden Party given in honor of the visiting Guest of Burma at the President's House, Rangoon. From 1948 to 1952 Burma had the First President from Shan Nationality Sao Shwe Theik; from 1953 to 1957 Burma had Second President from the Burmese Dr. Ba U; and the Third President Mahn Win Maung from 1958 to 1962 was from Karen Nationality. In selecting Mahn Win Maung as the Third President of the Union there was one thing to smooth out. Prime Minister U Nu, as ex-officio explained to the President-select that as the President he had to attend and preside many Buddhist Religious functions where several Buddhist Monks would be attending. If the President just sat through the ceremony without paying proper obeisance as other Buddhists were doing it would not be proper in the eyes of the majority Buddhists in a Buddhist country. Mahn Win Maung was a Christian. Mahn Win Maung defused the issue by suggesting: I would take leave from the Cabinet for a week and go to my village to enter into Buddhist monkshood. In 1955 Prime Minister U Nu made the State Visit to Israel. For every security details, upon the end of the tour, Premier Nu gave an autographed watch. From Father the watch was handed down to a son and the Son visited Burma and as a precious mementos the autographed watch was returned to U Nu's daughter Than Than Nu through the Israel Ambassador.

1/13/2014 9:08:41 PM