YOUNG TIGERS: CHAO TZANG YAWNGHWE AND THE SHAN REBELLION IN MYANMAR
When Myanmar emerged from colonial rule, it promised a united federal future. Instead, the country spiraled into dictatorship, ethnic conflict, and shattered dreams. Young Tigers unravels this gripping history through the life of Chao Tzang Yawnghwe—son of Burma's first president and last Saohpa (prince) of Yawnghwe--who transformed from privileged aristocrat to guerrilla fighter, exiled intellectual, and visionary political thinker.
With meticulous research and riveting storytelling, Young Tigers exposes the betrayal of the 1947 Panglong Agreement, the military's iron grip on Myanmar, and the unyielding struggle of the country's ethnic minorities. At its heart, it is also a battle of ideas—Chao Tzang's dream of a truly federal Myanmar against the relentless forces of dictatorship and division.
A must-read for anyone seeking to understand Myanmar's past, present, and future, this is history told through the eyes of a revolutionary-—one who dared to believe in a different destiny.
Chao Tzang Yawnghwe was the son of Burma’s first president Sao Shwe Thaik, and a leading theoretician behind the Shan State Army (SSA). Chao Tzang’s story provides an avenue to explore many facets of political movements in Shan State and Burma lacking in existing academic studies. After more than 70 years of civil war, the lack of a sustained pan-ethnic and democratic cooperation is the most important issue facing Burma and it needs a thorough analysis if a solution to the conflicts is to be found. This biography will present the history of those political movements, in Shan State and in Burma as a whole, and the quest for democracy and federalism.
Available from Silkworm Books
