Chronography of Myanmar
Page last modified 19 August
2023
See also India Region
Box Index
3.0 Release of Aung San Kyi 1989-95
2.0 General Ne Win Government 1962-88
0.0 Japanese occupation of Burma 1942-45
-1.0 Britain finally establishes colonial
control over Burma, 1886-1942
1
February 2021,
A military coup in Myanmar; in ongoing popular protests against the coup, over
260 people had been killed by the end of March.
25
August 2017,
Militant Rohingya Muslims
in Myanmar attacked 30 police posts and a military base, in response to Burmese
persecution of the minority Muslim group. Subsequently, many Rohingya fled
across the border into Bangladesh.
13
November 2010, Burmese pro-democracy
leader Aung
San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest which she had been under
for 15 of the previous 21 years. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991,
a year after winning elections which were nullified by the ruling junta.
19
October 2004,
Khin Nyunt,
reformist Prime Minister in Myanmar, was forced out of office by the military
junta. Meanwhile Aung San Suu Kyi had now been under house arrest for over
16 months, her 3rd such period of detention since 1990.
5 December 2002. General
Ne Win of Burma (Myanmar) died. His real name was Shu Maung
(apple of my eye) but he changed it to Ne Win (brilliant as the sun) on taking power.
Ne Win
had been close to Communist China, which he had visited in 1960. Ne Win
disliked the democratic government left
to Burma by the British after independence in
1948. He preferred the strong military rule of China.
In 1962 Ne
Win launched a military coup and took control of Burma. All land,
commerce and industry were nationalised, dance halls and gambling were
forbidden, foreigners were expelled and tourism abolished. No high rise
building was allowed, and no neon signs, even for Coca Cola. The rest of the
world was not too bothered as Burma was not strategically important as Vietnam
and Korea were. Under Ne Win�s rule ethnic divisions within Burma
intensified and opium chiefs expanded their fiefs, bribing the soldiers sent to
close them down. Burma�s rice exports ceased and income per person per year
fell from US$670 a year in 1960 to US$200 in 1989. Despite its resources of
teak, oil, and good farmland, Burma became one of the world�s poorest
countries. In 1988 Ne Win announced his retirement. A group of
generals took over and renamed Burma by its traditional name, Myanmar. A
surprisingly free election was won by Miss Suu Kyi�s democrats in 1990 but the
result was not honoured. Ne Win died peacefully in his villa on the
shores of Lake Inya, not far from Miss Suu Kyi�s house.
3.0 Release of Aung San Kyi 1989-95
10 July 1995. Burmese Nobel Peace prize
winner, Aung
San Kyi, was released, from six years house arrest. Amnesty
International reported that the Human Rights situation in Burma remained
�desperate�.
12 January�
1993.
The Burmese military junta said it would hold opposition leader and Nobel Prize
winner Aung
San Suu Kyi indefinitely.
14 October 1991 The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Aung
San Suu Kyi of Burma/Myanmar.
7 July 1962,
The Burmese Army attacked a student demonstration at Rangoon University,
killing 130 � see 2 March� 1962.
20 July 1989. The
Burmese opposition leader, Aung Suu Kyi, was
placed under house arrest, after public campaigning. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 whilst still
in captivity.
19 June 1945, Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar human rights activist,
was born.
29/5/1989. Burma
changed its name to Myanmar.
27 September 1988, The National
League for Democracy was formed this day in Burma, led by Aung San� Suu Kyi.
16 September 1988, A military junta seized power in Burma.
19 August 1988, Maung Maung became President of Burma
as proetsts continued.
8 August 1988. A popular uprising in Myanmar against the
military rule there. The uprising was timed for this day as 8888 was deemed an
auspicious date. However the people did not succeed, but the revolt was
brutally suppressed by the army, with some 3,000 people killed.
2.0 General Ne Win Government 1962-88
23 July 1988, General Ne Win resigned as
Burmese Head of State, in the face of large pro-democracy protests. A more
moderate President, Maung Maung, took office, promising multiparty
elections within 3 months
21 June 1988, The Myanmar regime imposed martial law in the face of student protests.
5 September 1987, Without
prior notice, the Myanmar Government declared the 25, 35 and 75 Kyat banknotes
were demonetised and worthless, not exchangeable for any other currency.
The move was aimed at black marketeers operating along the Myanmar-Thailand
border, and in fact this trade was halted within days. However it also meant
that ordinary Burmese citizens lost 80% of their wealth, and tourists were left
with worthless currency. The move led to serious popular unrest in Myanmar in
1988, culminating in the �8888� uprising of 8 August 1988.
1978, U Ne Win was re-elected President of Burma.
1976, Social unrest and ethnic
conflict; ethnic liberation groups controlled 40% of the country.
1974, U Ne Win was elected President of Burma.
1964, The Socialist
Programme Party was declared the sole legal party in Burma.
2 March� 1962, General Ne Win staged a military coup (see
1960). Ne Win now suppressed all
democracy, and renamed the country Myanmar in 1989. On 7 July 1962 the Army
intervened to halt a student protest at Rangoon University; they dynamited
the Student Union building, killing 130 students. All universities across
the country were then closed until September 1964. Ne Win established �The
Burmese Way to Socialism� Under his regime, mining and other industries
were nationalised, as the country�s New Order policy of Buddhist Socialism
isolated the nation politically. Free trade was suppressed. Hundreds of
political opponents were imprisoned without trial, and Myanmar went from being
one of the most prosperous regions of south east Asia in 1960 to one of the 10
poorest nations on Earth by the time Ne Win
retired in 1988.
1961, Kachin rebellion began.
1960, General Ne Win, as Supreme Commander of the
Burmese Army, temporarily took political power from Prime
Minister U Nu, in order to restore law and order in the country. Burma
was then facing numerous ethnic-based uprisings from minority peoples within
its borders. He later returned power to U Nu,
but 2 years later seized power again, in a military coup, see 2 March� 1962.
1958, Shan liberation struggle
began.
12 June 1956,
Burma's Prime Minister U Nu resigned
and was replaced by Ba Swe.
5 November 1954, Burma and Japan signed a
peace treaty.
6 January�
1953,
The Asian Socialist
Conference convened in Rangoon (Yangon), Myanmar. Israel sent its Foreign Minister, Moshe
Sharett, as delegate. Israel provided training to Burmese farmers, and Israel
provided officers and equipment for the Burmese Army.
1950, Chinese Nationalist troops
fleeing the 1948 Communist victory in China occupied northeastern Burma, until
1953 when under UN supervision they agreed to evacuate to Taiwan
1949, An independent Karen
republoic was proclaimed at Toungoo, following ethnic unrest and independence
movements amongst also the Kachins and Shan peoples mfrom 1948. In 1950
Biurmese Govermment forces overran the city of Toungoo.
8 April 1948, The Burmese government
announced the start of full-scale military operations against guerrillas in
Communist-held parts of the country.
4 January�
1948.
Burma became independent from Britain, and
joined the Commonwealth.� The new Republic was troubled by civil war; General
Ne Win
was in charge of military action against the Karen and their Communist guerrilla allies. U Nu (see 19 July 1947), a
devout Buddhist, was Burmese leader until 1962 when Ne Win took over in an army coup.
19 July 1947, The Burmese leader Aung San
was assassinated by gunmen in the pay of a political rival, shortly before
Burma was to gain independence from Britain, see 4 Janiuary� 1948.� U Nu
became leader of
0.0 Japanese occupation of Burma 1942-45
1945, The Anti-Fascist People�s
Freedom League (AFPFL), led by Aung San, helped the Allies liberate Burma
from Japanese
occupation.
1942, Japan invaded Burma. See Japan for more events of World War Two
in the Pacific
-1.0 Britain finally establishes colonial
control over Burma, 1886-1942
1937, Burma was separated from
India as a British
Crown colony.
1930, Economic depression in
Burma led to popular unrest.
24 July 1886, After a third Anglo-Burmese War, China recognised Burma sa a British
Protectorate.
1 January�
1886,
The British seized Upper Burma.
Burma became a province of British India.
1885, King Thebaw (1858-1916), last
King of Burma from 1878, was deposed by the British. He was sent into exile.
28 November 1885, The British entered Mandalay.
1878, Death of Mindon, Burmese ruler
of the Konbaung Dynasty, King of Burma from February 1853 (born 1814). He
gained the throne after a revolt against his half-brother, King Pagan Min, in the
final stages of the Second Anglo-Burmese War. He quickly concluded that war,
securing Burmese territorial integrity by establishing friendly commercial
relations with the British. In 1857 he established a new capital at Mandalay. Burma
was stable under his rule but when he died, fundamental divisions within his
country resurfaced, leading to instabilities and the Third Anglo-Burmese War.
14 April 1852, British and Indian forces captured Rangoon.
11 April 1852, The British began bombarding Rangoon, starting the
Second
Burmese War.
24 February 1826, The Treaty of Yandabu ended the First Burmese
War. Britain gained control of Assam and Arakan.
10 June 1824, The
British under Sir
Archibald Campbell defeated Burmese troops at the Battle of
Kemendine, First Burma War.
11 May 1824. The British, with a force of 11,000
troops, invaded Burma and captured Rangoon in retaliation for the King of
Burma�s invasion of Shahpuri, in British India, in February 1824. This was the first time steamboats had been used
in warfare.
24 February 1824, The
Burmese War began, between Britain and Burma, when Burma invaded the
Indian island of Shahpuri. Lord Amherst, British Governor-General of
India, declared war on Burma.
15 May 1760, Aloung P�Houra Alompra ruler of Burma, died.
1757, Aloung P�Houra Alompra invaded
Pegu.
1755, The city of Yangon (Rangoon) was
founded by Aloung
P�Houra Alompra.
1752, Pegu invaded Burma. Aloung P�Houra
Alompra organised the Burmese resistance and ousted the Peguans.
11 Janiuary� 1551, Ketumati, Burma, was conquered by
Bayinnaung.
1711, Aloung P�Houra Alompra, founder
of the last Burmese dynasty, was born in Motshobo, a small village 50 miles NE
of Ava.
1287, Mongol forces overran Burma.
4 April 1287, Wareru created the Hanthawaddy Kingdom in modern-day Lower Burma.
1077, King Anawrahta died,
1044, Start of the reign of King Anawrahta,
at Pagan.