THE QUESTION OF BURMA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 307, 29 December 1930, Page 6

THE QUESTION OF BURMA.

The rioting and bloodshed reported from Burma have occurred at a ra€her inopportune moment in Burmese history. lor the Round Table Conference has just been discussing the report of the Committee on Burman affairs, and the general opinion seems to be that Burma has a better chance than India of securing something equivalent to .political autonomy. It is certainly unfortunate that the Burmese malcontents could not be restrained a little longer. On the other hand, ;it must be pointed out that there is no evidence to suggest that the rising in Burma is political in character. Something like an organised rebellion has broken out, and those engaged number many thousands. They are said to be well armed, and wear a distinctive uniform, and they can evidently give a good account of themselves in the guerilla warfare in which the Burman delights. In the early days of British _ ascendancy, "dacoity" or banditry was a serious obstacle to the extension of the new Raj, and the fact .that the headquarters of the rebels are said to be located "in the heart of the jungle" at least suggests that the majority of those in arms are "dacoits" who have "gone bush" after the approved Burmese tradition.

This view of the case is consistent with the report that most of the rebels are men out of work "owing to the low price of rice," and prepared, in their desperation, to mend their fortunes by looting. But it must also be recognised that nationalist feeling has manifested itself very strongly in Burma throughout its connection -with Britain. The Burmese are an easy-going people under ordinary circumstances, but they are capable of working themselves up to a very high pitch of warlike ferocity, and they have proved on many occasions that they are both willing and able to fight to the death for what they regard as their rights. And if they have now decided that the time has come, to assert their claims to liberty and independence, they can very seriously embarrass the Imperial authorities in the efforts being made to solve the problem of self-government for India.

As a matter of fact, Burma has always had a strong ease for freedom and autonomy. The Burmans,- being Buddhists, do not recognise caste divisions. ' The percentage of literacy for men and women alike is abnormally high for an Oriental country, and far in advance of the Indian average, Class antagonism is almost wholly absent; there is no aristocracy, apart from the royal house, and wealth is distributed much more evenly than in India. According to the Simon Report, 1 the Burman, though remarkably proud of his race feels no intense' racial antipathies"; moreover, the Burman "is ordinarily free from bigotry or fanaticism," and over 90 per cent of the population belong to the indigenous races. Having regard to all these things, the Simon Commission treats Burma as, a province of India "only in a technical sense," and, having taken into account the military, financial and economic aspects of the question, it recommended that political separation from India "should be effected forthwith." We have now to see how far the views of the Round Table Conference on this question will be affected by the news of sanguinary violence jugt received from Burma*