Baptist Rebellion

The Communists were not the only ones who could wage successful rebellion in Asia. Last week Karen tribesmen, mostly Baptist, held much of Burma's richest land. They had taken Mandalay, and were in control of the Irrawaddy valley; their guns ringed the capital, Rangoon. Two months ago whole regiments of Karens rose in open rebellion against the government. The tough hill tribesmen, led by a handsome ex-Rangoon lawyer, Saw Ba U Gyi, had grown tired of waiting for the infant Burma Union to grant their demand for a separate state. They planned their attack for a propitious time, and then they struck.

The Karens number only 1,500,000 of Burma's 17 million, but their hard-hitting troops terrify the Burmans. Trained by the British as anti-Japanese guerrilla units, the Karens are the best-equipped, best-officered group in the battle royal which has been raging for control of Burma (see map). The Karens' rivals include: 1) the government, which holds a few beleaguered cities and some areas in the far north and south; 2) the Red Flag (Trotskyite) Communists; 3) the White Flag (Stalinist) Communists; and 4) the White Band (People's Volunteer Organization), followers of assassinated Premier Aung San (TIME, July 28, 1947). Recently the P.V.O. has shown signs that it was willing to cooperate with the government. Government officials show up regularly at the Rangoon Turf Club to instill public confidence, badly shaken by the sound of gunfire from the Insein front ten miles away. Last week racegoers gossiped hopefully of the current visit of P.V.O. General Bo La Yaung (his name means "Officer Moonshine") to the government's army chief, Bo Ne Win ("Officer Sunshine"), who rarely misses a Sunday at the track.

Even wholehearted P.V.O. assistance may be too late for Burma's tottering government. A recent government amnesty offer has brought in only a handful of Karens. Said one dour Burman official, "It looks as if the Karens want all Burma for their separate state."*

Karen control of the Irrawaddy had cut off rice shipments from Rangoon. The bankrupt government hoped anxiously for a £25 million British loan ($100 million). In London, talk revived that Burma, after 15 months of chaotic independence, would apply for readmission to the British Commonwealth. In Rangoon, Premier Thakin Nu had moved into a thatched hut behind his house, and taken a vow of chastity (he has eight children). Thakin Nu's friends said that he was devoting himself to becoming a Buddha 999 worlds from now. Recently, Thakin Nu and thousands of other residents <of besieged Rangoon went to the famed Shwe Dagon Pagoda in observance of Taboung, the lunar year-end festival which comes with the March full moon. A photographer circling around him disturbed Thakin Nu's prayers. The Premier looked up at him, grinned, and said in crisp English: "Let's swap jobs."

1. Was Jesus' Resurrection a Sequel?
2. A-Rod and Madonna: A Fan's Guide
3. Can WALL-E Win Best Picture?
4. Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French
5. Why We Have Affairs — And Why Not to Tell
6. More Midlife (and Older) STDs
7. Sex Offender Wins Lottery Jackpot
8. Your Laptop's Dirty Little Secret
9. 10 Questions for Arianna Huffington
10. The Veep Picks: What's the Rush?