Bao Youxiang (), also known by his Wa name Tax Log Pang ( Chinese Wa: ) and his Burmese name Pau Yu Chang ( my, ပေါက်ယူချန်း ), is the current president of

Wa State Wa State, my, ဝပြည်နယ် is an autonomous self-governing polity in Myanmar (Burma). It is ''de facto'' independent from the rest of the country and has its own political system, administrative divisions and army.29 December 2 ...

people's government, general secretary of the

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). It was founded on 3 November 1989 as a merger between the Burma National United Party (BNUP) and several smaller, non ...

, and commander-in-chief of the

United Wa State Army The United Wa State Army (; my, ဝပြည် သွေးစည်းညီညွတ်ရေး တပ်မတော်, ), abbreviated as the UWSA or the UWS Army, is the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the ''de facto'' ...

Early life

Bao Youxiang was born in 1949 to a Wa chieftain in Kunma, a Wa village near Gawng Lang in northern

Shan State Shan State ( my, ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, ; shn, မိူင်းတႆး, italics=no) also known by the Endonym and exonym, endonyms Shanland, Muang Tai, and Tailong, is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. ...

. Bao was the second youngest of eight brothers in his family and did not go further than his village during his childhood. When Bao was 21, he joined and eventually led a Wa guerrilla group that

smuggled Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

across the

China–Myanmar border The China–Myanmar border is the international border between the territory of the People's Republic of China and Myanmar (formerly ''Burma''). The border is 2,129 km (1,323 mi) in length and run from the tripoint with India in the nort ...

Military career

Communist Party of Burma (1969–1989)

Bao joined the armed wing of the

Communist Party of Burma The Communist Party of Burma (CPB), also known as the Burma Communist Party (BCP), is a clandestine communist party in Myanmar (Burma). It is the oldest existing political party in the country. Founded in 1939, the CPB initially fought aga ...

(CPB) in 1969, and started out as a

battalion commander A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

for his home village of Kumna, but gradually became the leader of a brigade operating near the

Myanmar–Thailand border The Myanmar–Thailand border is the international border between the territory of Myanmar (formerly ''Burma'') and Thailand. The border is 2,416 km (1,501 m) in length and runs from the tripoint with Laos in the north to Andaman Sea coast in ...

. Like many Wa villagers in the area at the time, Bao saw the CPB as a source of modern weaponry,

combat training Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

, and

friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept o ...

. In 1989, the leadership of the CPB was challenged by several party members, resulting in an internal rebellion that ended with the disbandment of the armed wing of the CPB and the establishment of various new factions, including the

, which Bao would eventually lead.

United Wa State Party/Army (1989–present)

After the fall of the armed wing of the CPB, Bao joined the

(UWSP), and its armed wing, the

(UWSA). In 1995, Bao was elected general secretary of the UWSP and commander-in-chief of the UWSA, after Zhao Nyi-Lai, the first and preceding general secretary, suffered a stroke. In 2005, Bao's health deteriorated and Bao Youyi, his elder brother, replaced him. Bao has been the ''de facto'' president of

since 1995, an autonomous entity in northern

that runs independently from Myanmar. He has constantly urged the

government of Myanmar Myanmar ( also known as Burma) operates ''de jure'' as a unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests. P ...

to give more

regional autonomy Regional autonomy is decentralization of governance to outlying regions. Recent examples of disputes over autonomy include: * The Basque region of Spain * The Catalan region of Spain * The Sicilia region of Italy * The disputes over autonomy of pro ...

ethnic minority The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

groups in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, in exchange for permanent

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

and peace agreements with armed insurgent groups.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bao Youxiang 1949 births Living people Wa people People from Shan State Burmese rebels Burmese politicians Burmese people of Chinese descent Socialist rulers Burmese warlords

Early life

Military career

Communist Party of Burma (1969–1989)

United Wa State Party/Army (1989–present)

See also

References