The Kachin Independence Organisation ( my, ကချင်လွတ်လပ်ရေးအဖွဲ့ချုပ်;
abbreviated
An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
KIO) is a
Kachin political organisation 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 ...
(Burma), established on 5 February 1961.
It has an armed wing, the
Kachin Independence Army
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA; Kachin: ''ShangLawt Hpyen''; my, ကချင်လွတ်လပ်ရေးတပ်မတော်) is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), a pol ...
, which operates in
Kachin and
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. ...
.
History
In 1960, two
Kachin dissident
A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...
s and ex-soldiers of the
Burma Army, Lamung Tu Jai and Lama La Ring, contacted fellow dissident Zaw Seng and founded the Kachin Independence Organisation. Zaw Seng became the first leader of the KIO, Zaw Tu became the first deputy leader, and Lama La Ring became the first secretary. They provided the KIO with
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
to form a 27-member
private army
A private army (or private military) is a military or paramilitary force consisting of armed combatants who owe their allegiance to a private person, group, or organization, rather than a nation or state.
History
Private armies may form when l ...
.
On 5 February 1960, the KIO's private army raided a bank, among other activities. When Burmese authorities began responding to the KIO's actions, many young Kachin dissidents went underground to join the KIO. A year later on 5 February 1961, the KIO's 100-strong private army was reorganised into the
Kachin Independence Army
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA; Kachin: ''ShangLawt Hpyen''; my, ကချင်လွတ်လပ်ရေးတပ်မတော်) is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), a pol ...
(KIA) and became the KIO's armed wing, with Zaw Seng as
commander in chief. Following the
1962 Burmese coup d'état
The 1962 Burmese coup d'état on 2 March 1962 marked the beginning of one-party rule and the political dominance of the army in Burma (now Myanmar) which spanned the course of 26 years. In the coup, the military replaced the civilian AFPFL-g ...
, the KIO expanded its armed wing with new recruits, who dissented against the new military junta under General
Ne Win
Ne Win ( my, နေဝင်း ; 10 July 1910, or 14 or 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander who served as Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma ...
.
The KIO was initially seen as a radical leftist movement. In 1964, the KIO banned the traditional ''Gumsa'' feudal village system, with many traditional headmen killed in the upheaval transitioning into a more "democratic" ''Gumlao'' system of local administration. However, it became clear that the KIO was a staunchly nationalist organization and that the ''Gumlao'' system served to cement intensely loyal clan systems across Myanmar and the world in the coming decades of war. The KIO also became a safe haven for smaller insurgent groups.
Their training eventually formed major ethnic armed organizations, most notably the
Arakan Army
The Arakan Army ( my, ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော်, Rakhaing Tattaw; abbreviated AA) is an ethnic armed organisation based in Rakhine State (Arakan). Founded on 10 April 2009, the AA is the military wing of the United Lea ...
.
Soldiers from Myanmar's
Tatmadaw
Tatmadaw (, , ) is the official name of the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include th ...
(armed forces) fought KIA insurgents for over 33 years until a ceasefire was brokered between the two opposing sides in 1994. During the ceasefire, the KIO established intimate ties with the central military and appeared to lose its revolutionary fervor becoming more concerned with the spoils of its lucratic ceasefire economy. International observers though they had been weakened by self-interest, opportunism and corruption.
By working with the KIA, the Tatmadaw capitalized on the resource-rich lands under KIO control providing limited recognition in exchange for access to and security of resources like
jade
Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
,
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
and
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
. The ceasefire lasted for 17 years until June 2011, when the Tatmadaw resumed operations against the KIA. Despite appearances during the ceasefire, the KIO resurged after 2011 and has continued to make uncompromising political demands and displaying more discipled military and organizational strength. The KIO had instead spent the 17 years building up its legitimacy using grassroots methods and its newfound riches to build up its military from a guerilal force to a professionalized army.
Aside from its major towns and railway corridor, KIO/A-controlled areas in
Kachin State
Kachin State ( my, ကချင်ပြည်နယ်; Kachin: ), also known by the endonym Kachinland, is the northernmost state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet and Yunnan, specifically and respectively); Sh ...
remained virtually independent and isolated from the rest of Myanmar from the mid-1960s through 1994, with an economy based on cross-border
jade trade with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
narcotics trafficking
The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...
. In 2005, the KIO moved its headquarters from
Pajau
Pajau is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) previously maintained its headquarters in the town, until it was moved to Laiza
Laiza ( my, လိုင်ဇာ ''Laingza'') is a remote mountainous town in ...
to
Laiza
Laiza ( my, လိုင်ဇာ ''Laingza'') is a remote mountainous town in the Kachin State, Myanmar. It lies on the border with China, the other side is . Laiza is the capital of the Kachin Independence Organisation since 2005.
History
L ...
, and established a military academy and training school.
Services
The KIO operate an education system in areas under their control, running over 200 schools. Until 2010, KIO operated secondary schools remained in contact with the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
. Students of KIO schools who passed the
9th Standard to take their final 10th Standard examination at a government school and attend university afterwards. In response to the central government cutting ties with KIO schools, the KIO opened Mai Ja Yang National College as its first tertiary education school in 2015.
Funding
The KIO funds most of its armed wing's activities through the cross-border trade with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
of
jade
Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
, timber and gold. Money is also raised through KIA-imposed taxes on locals.
References
Notes
Citations
*
{{Insurgent groups in Myanmar
History of Myanmar
Politics of Myanmar
Rebel groups in Myanmar
1961 establishments in Burma
Separatism in Myanmar
Kachin people