Sao Shwe Thaik

Shan Chiefs at 1903 Delhi Durbar

The Delhi Durbar held in 1903 marked the accession of King Edward and Queen Alexandra as the Emperor and Empress of India. It was a resplendent affair, presided over by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, and attended by hundreds of Indian princes in all their finery. The saopha (hereditary ruler) of Mongpawn and the saopha of Yawnghwe are to the left of the top picture. The saopha of Mongpawn, Hkun Ti had been a prime mover behind the Limbin Confederacy...

Myth of Burma Independence

On 4 January 1948, at 4:20 am, Burma became an independent republic outside the British Commonwealth. The Union Jack was lowered for the final time at Government House in Rangoon and the last Governor Sir Hubert Rance formally handed over power to the Union of Burma's first president the Saopha of Yawnghwe, Sao Shwe Thaik. There is a myth that Burma at independence had all the attributes of a country fated for prosperity. But the country in January 1948 was actually...