Bao Youxiang | |
|---|---|
|
ပေါက်ယူချန်း Pauk Yu-hkyan 鲍有祥 Tax Log Pang | |
 | |
| President of the People's Government of the Wa State | |
| Assumed office 1995 | |
| Vice President | Xiao Minliang[1] (Tax Ngox Khuat) (until 2023) |
| Preceded by | Zhao Nyi-Lai[2] |
| General Secretary of the United Wa State Party | |
| Assumed office 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Zhao Nyi-Lai |
| General Secretary of the Central Military Commission of the United Wa State Party | |
| Assumed office 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Zhao Nyi-Lai |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 September 1949 Kunma, Burma |
| Political party | United Wa State Party |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Wa State |
| Branch/service |  United Wa State Army |
| Years of service | 1989–present |
| Rank | Commander in chief |
Bao Youxiang (simplified Chinese: 鲍有祥; traditional Chinese: 鮑有祥; pinyin: Bào Yǒuxiáng), also known by his Wa name Tax Log Pang (Chinese Wa: Dax Lōug Bang) and his Burmese name Pau Yu Chang (Burmese: ပေါက်ယူချန်း Pauk Yu-hkyan), is the current president of Wa State people's government, general secretary of the United Wa State Party, and commander-in-chief of the United Wa State Army.[3][4]
Early life
Bao Youxiang was born in 1949 to a Wa chieftain in Kunma, a Wa village near Gawng Lang in northern Shan State. 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 opium across the China–Myanmar border.[4]
Military career
Communist Party of Burma (1969–1989)
Bao joined the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1969, and started out as a battalion commander for his home village of Kumna, but gradually became the leader of a brigade operating near the Myanmar–Thailand border. Like many Wa villagers in the area at the time, Bao saw the CPB as a source of modern weaponry, combat training, and friendship.[4]
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 United Wa State Army, which Bao would eventually lead.[4]
United Wa State Party/Army (1989–present)
After the fall of the armed wing of the CPB, Bao joined the United Wa State Party (UWSP), and its armed wing, the United Wa State Army (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 Wa State since 1995, an autonomous entity in northern Shan State that runs independently from Myanmar.[3] He has constantly urged the government of Myanmar to give more regional autonomy to ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, in exchange for permanent ceasefire and peace agreements with armed insurgent groups.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "A United Wa State Army (UWSA) delegation led by Vice President Xiao Minliang, Bao Youliang and Zhao Guo-ang left Panghsang for Lashio today". Democracy for Burma. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ↑ "Jane's World Insurgency and Terrorism: United Wa State Army". Archived from the original on 2013-01-13. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.)". Archived from the original on 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
"Officially, Bao Youxiang is still the President of the Wa State Government and Commander-in-Chief of the United Wa State Army," said a Thai security officer, a ten-year veteran on the Thai-Burma border
- 1 2 3 4 Marshal l, Andrew; Davis, Anthony. "Soldiers of Fortune". Time. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Bao Youxiang, leader of the United Wa State Army, is seen during a meeting of leaders of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups at the UWSA headquarters in Pansang in Myanmar's northern Shan State". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.