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42-646: The Karenni States , also known as Red Karen States , was the name formerly given to the states inhabited mainly by the Red Karen , in the area of present-day Kayah State , eastern Burma . They were located south of the Federated Shan States and east of British Burma . The British government recognised and guaranteed the independence of the Karenni States in an 1875 treaty with Burmese King Mindon Min , by which both parties recognised

84-621: A previous agreement between Thai Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram and the Japanese Empire , in December the same year the Thai administration occupied Kengtung and parts of Möngpan . The annexation by Thailand as Saharat Thai Doem northern province was formalized on 1 August 1943. Thailand left the territories in 1945, but officially relinquished its claim over the trans- Salween part of Kantarawadi State only in 1946 as part of

126-637: A stipend from the British government. An Assistant Superintendent of the Shan States was based at Loikaw as Agent of the British government . He was exercising control over the local Karenni Rulers, being supervised by the Superintendent at Taunggyi . On 10 October 1922 the administrations of the Karenni states ( Bawlake , Kantarawaddy , and Kyebogyi ) were placed under the administration of

168-695: Is an adaptation of the Mon–Burmese script via the Burmese alphabet . However, only a few Shan can read and write in their own language. Shan state is the most illiterate state with over a million illiterates in Myanmar due to lack of basic infrastructures and long ongoing civil war . The Shan are traditionally wet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, and artisans . The Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China . The Shan are descendants of

210-666: The Federated Shan States , established in 1900. under a commissioner who also administered the Wa States . This arrangement survived the constitutional changes of 1923 and 1937. By the 1930s, the Mawchi Mine in Bawlake was one of the most important sources of tungsten in the world. On 27 May 1942, during World War II , nearby Kengtung State was invaded and its capital captured by the Thai Phayap Army . Following

252-573: The Irrawaddy valley. Various Shan states fought Ava for the control of Upper Burma . The states of Monyhin (Mong Yang) and Mogaung were the strongest of the Shan States. Monhyin-led Confederation of Shan States defeated Ava in 1527, and ruled all of Upper Burma until 1555. The Burmese king Bayinnaung conquered all of the Shan states in 1557. Although the Shan states would become a tributary to Irrawaddy valley based Burmese kingdoms from then on,

294-512: The Kayah State of Myanmar (Burma). According to a 1983 census, the Karenni consist of the following groups: Kayah, Geko (Kayan Ka Khaung, Gekho, Kayan Kadao), Geba (Kayan Gebar, Gaybar), Lahwi (Kayan Lahwi), Bre , Manu-Manau (Kayan Manumanao), Yintale , Yinbaw kayan kangan, Bwe and Pa'O . Several of the groups (Geko, Geba, Padaung, Yinbaw) belong to Kayan , a subgroup in region of Karenni. The groups Bre and Manu-Manau belong to

336-809: The Shan State Army/Special Region 3 and Shan State Army/Restoration Council of Shan State . In 2005 the Shan State National Army (SSNA) was effectively abolished after its surrender to the Burmese government. Some SSNA units joined the SSA/RCSS, which has yet to sign any agreements, and is still engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Burmese Army . During conflicts, Shan civilians are often burned out of their villages and forced to flee into Thailand. Some of

378-702: The Shan State War Council (SSWC) and the Shan State Army (SSA) , becoming chair of the SSWC, and taking the Shan rebellion that started in 1958 to a new phase. Sao Nang Hearn Kham died on 17 January 2003 in exile in Canada at the age of 86. Prince Hso Khan Pha (sometimes written as Surkhanfa in Thai ), son of Sao Nang Hearn Kham of Yawnghwe lived in exile in Canada . He was campaigning for

420-647: The Shan States of Mong Pai , Hsatung and Mawkmai to the north, Thailand to the east, the Papun district of Lower Burma to the south, and a stretch of the Karen Hills inhabited by the Bre and various other small tribes to the west. During British rule, the Karenni had a garrison of military police , which was stationed at the village of Loikaw . The British government formally recognised and guaranteed

462-421: The independence of the Karenni States in an 1875 treaty with Burmese king Mindon Min , by which both parties recognised the area as belonging neither to Burma nor to Great Britain . Consequently, the Karenni States were never fully incorporated into British Burma . The Karenni States were recognised as tributary to British Burma in 1892 when their rulers agreed to accept a stipend from the British government. In

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504-617: The 10th century CE. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century CE but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Pagan (1044–1077). After the Pagan Kingdom fell to the Mongols in 1287, the Shan chiefs quickly gained power throughout central Burma, and founded: Many Ava and Pegu kings of Burmese history between the 13th–16th centuries were of (partial) Shan descent. The kings of Ava fought kings of Pegu for control of

546-516: The 1930s, the Mawchi Mine in Bawlake was the most important source of tungsten in the world. The Constitution of the Union of Burma in 1947 proclaimed that the three Karenni States be amalgamated into a single constituent state of the union, called Karenni State. It also provided for the possibility of secession from the Union after 10 years. In 1952, the former Shan state of Mong Pai was added, and

588-667: The 1980s. However, the political branch of the KNLA, the Karen National Union (KNU), sought to resolve the conflict through political means. In 1992, it appointed Róbert Cey-Bert as its international ambassador, whose diplomatic efforts led to the KNU's admission to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) in 1993. Under the Burmese government control, the states subjected to changes throughout

630-428: The 19th century. According to local tradition in the early times of the Karenni states there was a principality led by a "Sawphya" that was under the over lordship of a Shan prince. This state finally became independent in the 18th century. In the 19th century the Karenni state was divided into five principalities (sawphyas) . In 1864 a Karenni prince requested the status of British protectorate for his state, but

672-754: The British authorities did not show any interest. After the death of this prince in 1869 his two sons renewed the petition claiming that they feared Burmese ambitions on their state. The British refused again, but agreed to arbitrate before the King of Burma . Since the Burmese monarchy insisted in their demands on the Karenni territories, the British granted recognition to four states, Kyebogyi, Namekan (Nammekon), Naungpale and Bawlake, which became independent under British protection on 21 June 1875. Kantarawadi state, however, remained independent without official protection. The Karenni States were recognized as tributary to British Burma in 1892, when their rulers agreed to accept

714-559: The British commanders acknowledged. In the latter half of the 19th century Shan people migrated into Northern Thailand reaching Phrae Province . The Shan population in Thailand is concentrated mainly in Chiang Rai , Chiang Mai , Mae Hong Son , Mae Sariang , Mae Sai and Lampang , where there are groups which settled long ago and built their own communities and temples. Shan people are known as "Tai Yai" in north Thailand, where

756-476: The Burmese Army indefinitely, or enslaved to do road work for a number of months—with no wages and little food. The horrific conditions inside Burma have led to a massive exodus of young Shan males to neighbouring Thailand, where they are not given refugee status. Shan people in Thailand often work as undocumented labourers. Males typically find low-paid work in construction, while many Shan females fall in

798-468: The Burmese government of suppressing religious freedom. There were five Karenni states, divided into two regions. The Western Karenni States were the four Karenni states located west of the Salween River : Kantarawadi State was also known as "Eastern Karenni". It had an area of 2,500 square miles or 6,500 square kilometres and a population of 26,333 in 1901. More than half of its territory

840-471: The Burmese regime to leave the Federated Shan States and return to their own country, to respect the traditional culture and indigenous lands of the Shan people. He worked with the interim Shan Government, with Shan exiles abroad, and the Burmese regime to regain his country. Opinion has been voiced in the Shan State, in neighboring Thailand , and to some extent in distant exile communities, in favor of

882-515: The Kayaw subgroup. The Karenni States were a collection of small states inhabited by Karenni people, ruled by petty princes named myozas . These included Kantarawadi , the only state whose ruler was promoted to a saopha or sawba , Kyebogyi , Bawlake , Nammekon and Naungpale . They were independent until British rule in Burma , and had feudal ties to the Burmese kingdom . The states bordered

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924-670: The Shan Saophas retained a large degree of autonomy. Throughout the Burmese feudal era, Shan states supplied much manpower in the service of Burmese kings. Without Shan manpower, it would have been harder for the Burmans alone to achieve their victories in Lower Burma , Siam , and elsewhere. Shans were a major part of Burmese forces in the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824–1826, and fought valiantly—a fact even

966-912: The Shan are called Tai Yai (ไทใหญ่, lit.   ' Great Tai ' ) or Ngiao ( Thai : เงี้ยว ) in Tai yuan language . The Shan also have a number of exonyms in other minority languages, including Pa'O : ဖြဝ်ꩻ, Western Pwo Karen : ၥဲၫ့, and Mon သေံဇၞော် listen ( seṃ jnok) . The major groups of Shan people are: The speakers of Shan, Lue, Khun and Nua languages form the majority of Dai nationality in China . There are various ethnic groups designated as Tai throughout Shan State , Northern Sagaing Division and Kachin State . Some of these groups in fact speak Tibeto-Burman and Mon-Khmer and Assamese language , although they are assimilated into Shan society. The majority of Shan are Theravada Buddhists , and Tai folk religion . The Shan constitute one of

1008-467: The area as belonging neither to Burma nor to Great Britain . Consequently, the Karenni States were never fully incorporated into British Burma . The Karenni states formed for a time the "Kayah State" in post-independent Burma , but on 29 April 1959 both the Shan and the Kayah rulers formally surrendered their ruling powers to the Burmese government. There are no historical data on the Karenni States before

1050-740: The arrest of Sao Shwe Thaik of Yawnghwe in the Burmese coup d'état in March 1962 by the Revolutionary Council headed by General Ne Win , his wife Sao Nang Hearn Kham fled with her family to Thailand in April 1962 and Sao Shwe Thaik died in prison in November the same year. In exile, his wife took up the cause of the independence struggle of the Shan State . In 1964 Sao Nang Hearn Kham with her son Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe helped to form

1092-545: The border to Thailand, caused an evacuation of the surviving members across the Mekong River to Laos . This evacuation was aided by members of the Shan State Army, and in turn brought tighter measures restricting foreign aid in the area as violence increased. Whether or not there is an ongoing conflict, the Shan are subject to depredations by the Burmese regime; in particular, young men may be conscripted into

1134-530: The border. The largest refugee camp is located in Mae La , Tak (ตาก) province, Thailand, which hosts around 50,000 Karen refugees. In February 2010, reports said the Burmese army was continuously burning Karen villages, displacing thousands of people. Many Karen, including people such as Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan, former KNU secretary, and his daughter Zoya Phan, have accused the Myanmar military government of ethnic cleansing . The US State Department has also accused

1176-516: The condition for admission to the United Nations and the withdrawal of all wartime sanctions for having sided with the Axis powers . The Constitution of the Union of Burma in 1947 proclaimed that the three Karenni States be amalgamated into a single constituent state of the union, called Karenni State . It also provided for the possibility of secession from the Union after 10 years. In 1952,

1218-472: The declaration, the Burmese Army is rumoured to have used it as a reason to crack down on Shan civilians. Shan people have reported an increase in restrictions on their movements and an escalation in Burmese Army raids on Shan villages. The October 2015 Burmese military offensive in Central Shan State has displaced thousands of Shan people, as well as Palaung , Lisu and Lahu people , causing

1260-477: The endonym Tai (တႆး) in reference to themselves, which is also used in Chinese ( Chinese : 傣族 ; pinyin : Dǎizú ). Shan (ရှမ်း) is an exonym from the Burmese language ; the term itself was historically spelt သျှမ်း ( MLCTS : hsyam: ), and is derived from the term Siam , the former name of Thailand. The term has been borrowed into Chinese ( Chinese : 掸族 ; pinyin : Shànzú ). In Thai ,

1302-771: The former Shan state of Mong Pai was added, and the whole renamed Kayah State , possibly with the intent of driving a wedge between the Karenni in Kayah State and the rest of the Karen people in Karen State , both fighting for independence. The division failed, with the Karenni fighting alongside the other Karen peoples against the Myanmar dictatorship. Their military organisation, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), had 20 000 members by

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1344-998: The four main Buddhist ethnic groups in Burma; the others are the Bamar , the Mon and the Rakhine . The Mon were the main source of early Shan Buddhism and Shan scripts . Most Shan speak the Shan language and are bilingual in Burmese . The Shan language, spoken by about 5 or 6 million, is closely related to Thai and Lao , and is part of the family of Tai languages . It is spoken in Shan State , some parts of Kachin State , some parts of Sagaing Division in Burma, parts of Yunnan , and in parts of northwestern Thailand, including Mae Hong Son Province and Chiang Mai Province . The two major dialects differ in number of tones : Hsenwi Shan has six tones, while Mongnai Shan has five. The Shan alphabet

1386-470: The goal of "total independence for the Shan State." This came to a head when, in May 2005, Shan elders in exile declared the independence of the Federated Shan States . The declaration of independence was rejected by most other ethnic minority groups, many Shan living inside Burma, and the country's leading opposition party, Aung San Suu Kyi 's National League for Democracy . Despite the domestic opposition to

1428-597: The hands of human trafficking gangs and end up in the prostitution business or bride trafficking. Despite the hardships, Shan people in Thailand are conscious of their culture and seek occasions to gather in cultural events. Although the Government of Burma does not recognise Wa State , the Burmese military has frequently used the United Wa State Army (UWSA) as an ally for the purpose of fighting against Shan nationalist militia groups. Following

1470-766: The majority Bamar leadership at the Panglong Conference , and agreed to gain independence from Britain as part of Union of Burma . The Shan states were given the option to secede after 10 years of independence. The Shan states became Shan State in 1948 as part of the newly independent Burma. General Ne Win 's coup d'état overthrew the democratically elected government in 1962, and abolished Shan saopha system. A Shan independence movement has been active and engaged in armed struggle, leading to intermittent civil war within Burma for decades. Currently two main Shan armed insurgent forces operate within Shan State:

1512-545: The oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as Tai Luang ('Great Tai') or Tai Yai ('Big Tai'). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as Tai Noi (or Tai Nyai ), while those in parts of northern Thailand and Laos are commonly known as Tai Noi ('Little Tai' – Lao spoken) The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Burma as far back as

1554-578: The people resulting from landmine planted around the state. The armed conflict did not end there, however, with the KNU's new headquarters being established in Mu Aye Pu, on the Burma-Thai border . In 2004, the BBC , citing aid agencies, estimated that up to 200,000 Karen, including Karenni, had been displaced during the decades-long war, with a further 160,000 living in refugee camps on the Thai side of

1596-454: The small state. Resources like the hydropower and mining led to massive military presence around the state; thus, leading many of its people without a home and more problems to arise.  The heavy military presence had created issues that people of the state faces as consequences. Mistreatment of the local people include land taken away by the military, human rights violations like forced labor and sexual violence and overall safety of

1638-564: The whole renamed Kayah State , possibly with the intent of driving a wedge between the Karenni (in Kayah State) and the rest of the Karen people (in Karen State ), both fighting for independence. Shan people 'Shan' is a generic term for all Tai-speaking peoples within Myanmar (Burma). The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi , the fifth-largest city in Myanmar with about 390,000 people. Other major cities include Thibaw (Hsipaw), Lashio , Kengtung and Tachileik . The Shan use

1680-552: The word Shan is very seldom used to refer to them. After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, the British gained control of the Shan states. Under the British colonial administration, the Shan principalities were administered separately as British protectorates with limited monarchical powers invested in the Shan Saophas . After World War II , the Shan and other ethnic minority leaders negotiated with

1722-690: The worst fighting in recent times occurred in 2002 when the Burmese army shelled the Thai border town of Mae Sai , south of Tachileik , in an attempt to capture members of the SSA 's Southern Faction who had fled across the Nam Ruak . While in July of that same year, in the Shan Township of Mong Yawng , the killing of a member of an NGO by the Burmese Tatmadaw , and the subsequent closure of

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1764-473: Was located east of the Salween River , an area that was annexed by Thailand during World War II. 18°30′N 98°00′E  /  18.500°N 98.000°E  / 18.500; 98.000 Karenni people The Karenni ( Burmese : ကရင်နီ , lit.   ' red Karen ' ), also known as the Kayah ( Burmese : ကယားလူမျိုး ) or Kayah Li ( Karenni : ꤊꤢ꤬ꤛꤢ꤭ꤜꤟꤤ꤬ ), are a Karen people native to

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