Colonial era borders often do not leave coherent borders. So when independence comes, a way to stand together must be found. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Todays stamp is quite small and requires some study to follow. That does not make it a bad stamp. What I like is how different it was from the colonial period. The teakwood harvesting shown as a common feel that just would not be present in a colonial issue. The first governments of Burma contained many leaders of the independence movement that started as a peasant tax revolt. Coopted later of course but even into ruling, the movement at least was paying lip service to the common Burmese. I like that.
Todays stamp is issue A16, a 4 Anna stamp issued by the Union of Burma on January 4th, 1949. It displays teak harvesting and was part of a 16 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents.
The territory of Burma was broken off from British India in 1937. This was viewed suspiciously in Burma. Although the bulk of the people were neither Hindu nor Muslim, it was thought that India was on the fast track to independence and this would slow it down. The British introduced a measure of self government but all the leaders it put in place were for independence and willing to collaborate with the Japanese to get it. Three different prime ministers of the shadow self government spent time in British prisons for collaborating with the Japanese in the period leading up to and during World War II.
The Japanese occupied Burma in World War II and Aung San, father of the current Myanmar leader, formed an army of the puppet regime. As the tide of war changed, Aung Sung made contact with Britain in India and changed sides ending the Japanese occupation. He was named prime minister and conducted the negotiations that lead to independence. However left out was former prime minister U Saw. U Saw had been caught meeting with Japanese in pre Pacific war London. He was detained in Uganda for the rest of the war, but post war was back in Burma seeking power. His poor man’s party did badly in elections but then he attempted a coup and assassinated Aung Sung in 1947. U Saw was hung for his part in the coup. A rough place and remains one as there are many ethnic and religious minorities that do not feel much connection to the government of the majority. The majority is itself divided between leftists like Aung San’s daughter and conservatives who seek to impose unity from above, often by force.
Teak is a hardwood that is uniquely suited to maritime uses as it is naturally resistant to water. The largest teak forests in the world are still today located in Myanmar.
Well my drink is empty and so I will open the discussion in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.