Collection of acts passed by the Lieutenant-Governor of Burma in Council, Rangoon, Gvt Printer, 1898- (A supplementary publication to this run that covers the little legislation that was issued in the form of Governor’s Acts during the WWII years is entitled : “Compendium of Governor’s Acts published in India, 1942-1945”; see LLMC Title No. 10989. For most of the British period Burma was administered as a province of the British Indian Empire. Legislation consisted of India Acts with application to Burma, or local regulations enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor of Burma in Council. Under the Government of Burma Act, 1935, Burma’s status was considerably elevated. Effective 1 April 1937, Burma was separated from India and became a separate crown colony, with its own Governor-General. Certain measures of local self-government were introduced, but most important powers remained reserved to the Governor, who, assisted by his Council, governed by ordinance. World War II signaled the end of British rule in Burma. Japan invaded the country early in 1941. By May it effectively controlled all of the lowland plain. Accompanying the Japanese and contributing meaningfully to its campaign was a “Burma Independence Army” {BNA} headed by Aung San., which had been recruited earlier in Thailand. By 1945, with the Japanese in full retreat, the BNA under Aung San switched to the side of the returning British. The taste of independence during the war insured that there could be no going back to pre-war conditions. Aung San established the Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League {AFPFL)}, which quickly won massive support throughout the country. By October of 1946 the AFPFL had won representation within the Governor’s Council. Shortly thereafter the British Labor Government expressed its willingness to abide by a referendum of the Burmese people. The AFPFL won the elections for a constituent assembly, and soon Aung San and his associates were effectively running the internal affairs of the country. The movement toward independence suffered a serious setback on 19 July 19 1947, when Aung San and many of his closest associates were assassinated during a cabinet meeting. However, a reasonable degree of stability was soon restored, and the negotiations toward independence moved forward under the new Burmese leader, U Nu. On 17 October 1947, a treaty with Great Britain provided for an independent republic called the Union of Burma, which came into existence on 4 January 1948.)
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