Saya San (, ; 24 October 1876 – 28 November 1937), born with the name Yar Kyaw, was a Burmese physician and monk who led the Saya San Rebellion (1930–1932) against British colonial rule in Burma (now known as Myanmar). Saya San launched a peasant revolt, proclaiming himself the king and organizing the "Galon Army". The colonial government suppressed the rebellion and Saya San fled to the Shan Hills, but he was captured in August 1931 and executed on 28 November 1931. This uprising is regarded as a pivotal anti-colonial movement in Southeast Asia. Saya San and the rebellion continue to be important subjects of academic study, especially within Asian historical research.
Early life Saya San was born on 24 October 1876 in Shwebo, a center of monarchist sentiment and the birthplace of the Konbaung dynasty, which ruled Myanmar (Burma) from 1752 until the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1886. His parents, U Kyaye and Daw Hpet, lived in Thayetkon with their five children. Exposed to Buddhism early on at the local monastery and later at Hpo Hmu monastery, he left for Nga Kaung Inn to pursue mat and basket selling. He married Ma Kay and had two children, Ko Po Thin and Ma Sein. Facing economic hardship, he moved to Moulmein in Lower Burma to look for better opportunities. He worked as a carpenter, fortuneteller, and traditional healer, authoring treatises questioning Western medicine.
Saya San's transition to political activism is unclear, but it is believed he joined the General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA) in the 1920s. Rising through the ranks, he chaired a commission in 1924 investigating peasant living conditions.
Saya San Rebellion Also known as the Galon Rebellion and Galon Peasant Rebellion.
Anglo-Burmese conflicts
In the 9th century, the Tibeto-Burman speaking Burmese began migrating to the Irrawaddy River from present-day Yunnan's Nanzhao Kingdom and then established the Pagan Kingdom in 1057. The prerogative influence of the Pagan dynasty over the region of modern-day Myanmar began to wane in the 13th century. Kublai Khan's Mongol forces invaded northern Burma and sacked the city of Pagan itself, and the kingdom fell in 1287. In the second half of the 16th century, the Taungoo dynasty reunified the country, and founded what was briefly the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia. In the 18th century, the Konbaung dynasty restored the Burmese hegemony and went to war with its neighbors. The kingdom fought three wars with the British. In 1885, the kingdom was defeated in the Third Anglo-Burmese War, and King Thebaw was deported to India. Eventually, Burma was fully annexed into the British Raj in 1886, but the colonial government authorities immediately faced several uprisings that erupted throughout the former Burmese Kingdom, challenging sovereignty.
By the 1890s, colonial officials had determined that the main pacification campaigns were successful, and they could concentrate on building a socio-economic infrastructure that supported their interest in the vast tea, mineral, and agricultural bounties in the colony. Attached as a province of India, British Burma was subjected to administrative policies established in New Delhi as well as the vast array of procedural structures that characterized the Indian Civil Service. The new dominions were divided into districts and assigned a commissioner with a small support staff. Through the prism and experience of British India, the Burmese people, culture, language, and history were constructed by imperial surveys that now sought to map the new territories. Indigenous healing practices, rituals, folktales, notions of authority, and village life were organized and categorized according to how well the district officer understood what he was observing. When the British government annexed the Kingdom of Burma in 1885–1886, they transferred the Burmese royal throne to a museum in Calcutta. Meanwhile, the Palace of Mandalay was converted into a gentlemen's club, which was seen as offensive by the Burmese. Colonial rule changed the social landscape of ancient Burma in a manner that caused much resentment.
Resistance movements before Saya San The colonial government had faced numerous outbreaks of resistance movements throughout 1885–1895. These opposition movements became more intensive and extensive. Some of these rebellions were led by former members of the court, like the Myinzaing Prince son of King Mindon, who continued to wield considerable influence over troops and villagers in provincial centers that had once been in alliance with the throne. Other pockets of resistance were led by local headmen and monks but were limited by size and scope. Furthermore, these minor revolts were often short-lived either due to a lack of support or the overwhelming technical advantage of the colonial government.
In the late 1890s, a small group of Buddhist associations with contemporary forms of organization and structure were founded by lay members in an effort to preserve the religion and its place in society.
In 1906, political organizations such as the Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) came into prominence within Rangoon, drawing young clerks and educated elites into working for changes to colonial society through accepted channels. The YMBA focused on improving social conditions and concentrating on the issue of cultural identity. This would pave the way for the formation of the General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA), which planned to participate more directly in political protest and demonstrations. In order to engage rural communities, members of the GCBA would travel into the countryside, conducting interviews, collecting data, and filling reports to establish lines of communication with emerging village activists. Saya San would soon after join the GCBA and work in the countryside for more than two years, wherein he became familiar with rural places and had direct connections with peasants.
Rebellion In October 1930, in a ceremony held at a pagoda near Rangoon, Saya San was crowned the Thupannaka Galuna Raja. On 21 December 1930, the Galon Raja moved to his palace on Alaungtang Hill in Tharrawaddy, where a royal city, known as Buddharaja Myo, or "Buddhist King's Town", was ceremonially plotted out. The new king disposed of the proper retinue of five queens, four ministers, and four regiments. Assuring his followers that they would be protected by his magical charms and tattoos, Saya San also promised supporters that he would restore the authority of the Burmese monarchy, revitalize the Buddhist religion and expel the British authorities.
On the night of 22 December, the first outbreak occurred in the Tharrawaddy district. The Great Depression of 1930 had a devastating impact on rice prices. Rice, being Burma's most important export commodity, was heavily depended on by the rural population. Thus, Tharrawaddy, like most of Lower Burma, suffered heavily from this. The high population density in Central Burma and the concentration of land ownership in fewer hands resulted in a large number of landless rice farmers. They became increasingly aggrieved with the colonial administration, whom they blamed for the decline of their incomes as rice workers. Thus, the frustrated rural farmers were quick to respond to Saya San's courting appeals, involving a mixture of anti-tax rhetoric, Buddhist prophecies and guarantees of invulnerability.
In a few weeks, it had become clear that the violence in Tharrawaddy had escalated. The colonial government officials in New Delhi were soon asked by their Rangoon counterparts to dispatch armed forces to quell the rebellion. However, the military support did not produce immediate results. The outbreaks continued to spread in neighboring districts, namely, Pyapon, Henzada, Insein, Pegu, Toungoo, Prome, Thayetmyo, Naungcho Township, and the Northern Shan States. Other rebellion leaders such as U Aung Hla, Bo Aung Shwe, and Bo Aung Pe led uprisings in neighboring districts to secure weapons, raid police stations, and attack government representatives.
Within weeks of the first outbreak, Rangoon authorities responded by seeking special emergency power from India. By June 1931, Special Rebellion Commissioner Mr. Booth Gravely was appointed to manage affairs in Burma. In July 1931, the authorities considered the situation so serious that they asked for permission from the government of India to introduce martial law, though their attempt later proved to be unsuccessful.
By August 1931, Saya San was captured. The revolt was defeated with an uncertain number of casualties. By the end of 1932, more than 1,000 rebels were killed and a further 9,000 rebels surrendered or were captured. Saya San and 125 other rebels were hanged and almost 1,400 were sentenced to terms of imprisonment or penal transportation.
Timeline of the Saya San Rebellion This is a timeline of the rebellion as outlined by historian Parimal Ghosh.
1930 22 December: Rebels strike in the villages around Pashwegyaw. At least two were killed. 23 December: Authorities call up 100 military police from Rangoon. Rebels descended on Inywa, killing three. 24 December: Rebels raided Weywa, killing two. They also attack a 50-strong military post of military police in Yedaik. 30 December: Rebels attempt to dynamite the railway bridge north of Inywa. 31 December: 500 rebels challenged military police and were fired upon. Deaths ensue.
1931 4 January: Rising spreads into Yamethin district. 7 January: A better-organized revolt took place in Dedaye township. April: Dacoit gangs attack village headmen and other village officers. May: Government beefs up forces in Tharrawaddy and Insein with an additional strength of 728 civil police. June: 500 rebels attack the Wettigan police station. July: The government published an amnesty offer in Henzada, Prome, Thayetmyo, Insein, and Tharrawaddy to allow 'misguided villagers' to 'return to respectability and freedom by surrendering’. This offer was not open to those who had participated in a dacoity, or murder of officials or villagers. 1 July: Rebels open fire on a police party from Taungbyauk. 2 July: 150 rebels lost 40 men trying to check government troops crossing the Nulu River. 12 July: Decisive showdown near Sinsakan when a party of 80 rebels attacked government troops under Captain Dart. End July: Three of his followers are arrested, and Saya San retreats to Shan territory. August: News emerges about two rebel armies called the ‘Tiger’ and the ‘Lion’ in the Paungde sub-division. Government accounts described them as just two dacoit gangs. At this time there is also news of ‘widespread disloyalty’ in the villages. 1 August: The Emergency Powers Ordinance 1931 was promulgated, and effectively muzzled the press. The government version of the rebellion was given full exposure, and leaflets, posters, and handbills were broadcast. 2 August: Saya San is arrested by Hsipaw State officials in Hsumhsai with five others. Saya San's movement is on the decline, and government pressure is increasing almost everywhere. 10 September to 13 October: Two columns were set up in the Minhla township of Thayetmyo. These columns were composed of detachments from the 14th Field Company and troops of mounted military police. This force was armed with rifles, machine guns, and grenades. They visited almost every village in the township. At this time, the government also began to put relatives and sympathisers of the rebels into concentration camps. 23 September: A ‘cult of the sun and the moon’ led by two leaders Saya Chit and Yin Gyi Aung attacked Tazaung village, killing one person. Headmen of the neighbouring Shweindon village arrived to fight, shooting seven rebels and catching twenty others. October: Several important leaders of the ‘Lions’ were killed, some were arrested, and some surrendered. This put the group under pressure. The ‘Tigers’ also struggled.