Union of Burma

The Union of Burma was the official name, from 1948 to 1962, of the country in Southeast Asia now known as Myanmar. The first 14 years of independent Burma were marred by several communist and ethnic insurgencies. Prominent insurgent groups during this period included the Communist Party of Burma (CPB, "white flags") led by Thakin Than Tun, the Communist Party (RFCP, "red flags") led by Thakin Soe, the People's Volunteer Organisation (PVO) led by Bo La Yaung (a member of the Thirty Comrades), the Revolutionary Burma Army (RBA) led by communist officers Bo Zeya, Bo Yan Aung and Bo Yè Htut (all three of them members of the Thirty Comrades), and the Karen National Union (KNU).