United Wa State Party

The United Wa State Party (UWSP) is the ruling party of Wa State, an autonomous region in northern Shan State, Myanmar (Burma).[3][4] It was founded on 3 November 1989 as a merger between the Burma National United Party (BNUP) and several smaller, non-communist Wa groups.[5] Its armed wing is the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and its chairman and commander in chief is Bao Youxiang.[1]

United Wa State Party
Burmese nameဝပြည် သွေးစည်း ညီညွတ်ရေး ပါတီ
Chinese name佤邦联合党
Wǎbāng Liánhé Dǎng
ChairmanBao Youxiang[1]
General SecretaryZhao Ai Nap Lai[2]
Vice ChairmanXiao Mingliang[2]
Deputy General SecretaryBao Ai Kham[2]
FounderZhao Nyi-Lai
Founded3 November 1989 (1989-11-03)
Split fromCommunist Party of Burma
HeadquartersPangkham
Armed wingUnited Wa State Army
Youth wingNational Democratic Youth League of Wa State
Ideology
Party flag

The party enjoys excellent relations with China, dating to the days of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), from which it emerged in 1989; its leaders liaise directly with Chinese military intelligence, and have received a steady flow of military and financial assistance from Beijing.[6] The party's organization is also based on that of the Chinese Communist Party.

History

From the late 1960s to the late 1980s, ethnic Wa tribesmen had served as the main fighting force of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in its insurgency against the Burmese central government. By 1989, there was great tension between the Wa who did the actual fighting and the leadership of the CPB that was largely composed of ethnic Bamar intellectuals.[6] In April 1989, Wa fighters stormed the party's headquarters in Panghsang (present-day Pangkham) and destroyed portraits of communist leaders and copies of communist literature.[7] This was done with the tacit approval and acceptance of the Chinese, who were the main economic backers of the CPB; Beijing wished to get rid of the old Bamar leadership of the CPB, and improve their relations with the new central authorities in Myanmar after the fall of Ne Win.[6] The former Wa members of the CPB then formed the Burma National United Party (BNUP), before agreeing to a merger with several smaller, non-communist Wa groups that were active along the China–Myanmar border,[8] such as the Wa National Council (WNC).[9] The United Wa State Party (UWSP) was subsequently founded on 3 November 1989.

The UWSP's first chairman was Zhao Nyi-Lai. He was a former military leader of the Sao Hin Saopha who joined the CPB in 1969. He was elected as a member of the CPB central committee in 1985.

In 1989-90 the UWSP reached several agreements with the SLORC government, recognizing the government's ultimate authority while in practice maintaining control over a substantial part of northeastern Myanmar, along the border with China.[6]

In 1995, Zhao Nyi-Lai suffered a stroke and Bao Youxiang became the new chairman. Zhao Nyi-Lai remained as General-Secretary of the party until his death in 2009. In 2005, Bao Youxiang's health deteriorated and Bao Youyi, the elder brother of Bao Youxiang, took over the day-to-day activities of the UWSP/UWSA as Deputy General-Secretary.[10] Wei Hsueh-kang was appointed as a Central Committee Member in 1996.[11] He is wanted for narcotic trafficking by the authorities in the United States.[12]

In 2018, Bao Youyi fainted at the third session of the Union Peace Conference in Naypyidaw and was hospitalized. In 2022, he stepped down as Deputy General-Secretary and was succeeded by his nephew Bao Ai Kham, Bao Youxiang's son. In the same 2022 cabinet reshuffle, Zhao Ai Nap Lai, the son of Zhao Nyi-lai, officially became the General Secretary and head of the politburo.[2]

The UWSP currently governs Wa State under a one-party communist system[13] based on "Maoist state-building".[14]

  • Bao Youxiang, UWSA chief
    Bao Youxiang, UWSA chief
  • UWSA female soldiers stand at attention during ceremonies
    UWSA female soldiers stand at attention during ceremonies
  • UWSA soldiers stand at attention during ceremonies
    UWSA soldiers stand at attention during ceremonies

See also

References

Citations
  1. Marshall, Andrew; Davis, Anthony (16 December 2002). "Soldiers of Fortune". Time. TIME magazine. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. "Myanmar's Most Powerful Ethnic Army Reshuffles Leadership: What Does it Mean?". The Irrawaddy. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  3. Davis, Anthony. "Wa army fielding new Chinese artillery, ATGMs". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  4. "Wa State: Shanzhai Version Of China Discovered in Myanmar". chinaSMACK. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  5. Lintner 1990, p. 111.
  6. Lintner 2021, pp. 45–79 and 143–175.
  7. Lintner 1990, p. 49.
  8. Lintner 1990, p. 109.
  9. Chiangrai Times Archived 25 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Jane's World Insurgency and Terrorism: United Wa State Army". Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  11. Mizzima
  12. The Wa State, Page 3 last paragraph
  13. Hay, Wayne (29 September 2019). "Myanmar: No sign of lasting peace in Wa State". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  14. Steinmüller, Hans (July 2017). "Conscription by Capture in the Wa State of Myanmar: Acquaintances, Anonymity, Patronage, and the Rejection of Mutuality". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 61 (3): 508–534. doi:10.1017/S0010417519000197. ISSN 0010-4175. S2CID 158812735.

Sources
  • Lintner, Bertil (1990). The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB). Ithaca, N.Y.: Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 0877271232.
  • Lintner, Bertil (2021). The Wa of Myanmar and China's quest for global dominance. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books. ISBN 9786162151705.
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