RANGOON - The Real Story
Rangoon, the than capital of southeast Asian country Burma presently known as Myanmar was occupied by British Indian forces under the expansionist zeal of British empire after 3 successive war starting from eighteen hundred twenty four and finally resulting into inclusion of Burma in British India in eighteen hundred eighty five.
In 1942 world war 2 broke out and Japanese imperial forces attack the Southeast Asian colonies of British Empire under the slogan of Asia for Asian with this came the news of Allied reverses from all over Southeast Asia. The British had evacuated, the white residents and generally left the subject people to their fate results into anger and protest all over British India.
During all this the BURMA campaign starts primarily between the forces of the British Empire and China, with support from the United States, against the invading forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army constituted of prisoners of war of British Indian Army under Mohan Singh, an Indian officer of the British Indian Army in Malaya and later under Subhash Chander Bose.
Japanese conquest of Burma:
Japanese objectives in Burma were initially limited to the capture of Rangoon (now known as Yangon), the capital and principal seaport. This would close the overland supply line to China and provide a strategic bulwark to defend Japanese gains in British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies.
Japanese advance to the Indian frontier:
After the fall of Rangoon in March 1942, the Allies attempted to make a stand in the north of the country (Upper Burma), having been reinforced by a Chinese Expeditionary Force. The Allies were also faced with growing numbers of Burmese insurgents and the civil administration broke down in the areas they still held. Meanwhile Heavy Japanese Reinforcement after capture of Singapore, collapse of newly formed Burma Corps and with their forces cut off from almost all sources of supply, the Allied commanders finally decided to evacuate their forces from Burma.
Under great odds Burma Corps managed to make it most of the way to Imphal, in Manipur in India just before the monsoon broke in May 1942, having lost most of their equipment and transport. There, they found themselves living out in the open under torrential rains in extremely unhealthy circumstances. The army and civil authorities in India were very slow to respond to the needs of the troops and civilian refugees.
The Japanese invasion of India 1944:
The British were led by Lt. Gen. William Slim, a brilliant tactician who re-formed and retrained the Eastern Army after its crushing defeat in Burma. The British and Indian forces were supported by planes commanded by the United States Army Gen. Joseph Stilwell. Once the Allies became certain that the Japanese planned to attack, General Slim withdrew his forces from western Burma and had them dig defensive positions in the hills around Imphal Valley, hoping to draw the Japanese into a battle far from their supply lines.
But none of the British commanders believed that the Japanese could cross the nearly impenetrable jungles around Kohima in force, so when a full division of nearly 15,000 Japanese troops came swarming out of the vegetation on April 4, the town was only lightly defended by some 1,500 British and Indian troops.
Race for Rangoon:
Though the Allied force had advanced successfully into central Burma, it was vital to capture the port of Rangoon before the monsoon to avoid a logistics crisis.
The Japanese occupation cause hardship for people and ill treatment by Japanese force resulted in a national uprising within Burma and the defection of the entire Burma National Army to the allied side. In addition to the allied advance, the Japanese now faced open rebellion behind their lines.
With reversal for Japanese forces all over South East Asia in 1945 British Indian forces eventually recaptured the Rangoon.
Result of Burma campaign:
The military and political results of the Burma campaign have been contentious on the Allied side. In military terms, the Japanese retained control of Burma until the result of the campaign was irrelevant to the fate of Japan. It was recognized by many contemporary US authorities and later American historians that the campaign was a sideshow and (apart from distracting some Japanese land forces from China or the Pacific) did not contribute to the defeat of Japan, although the recovery of Burma was reckoned a triumph for the British Indian Army. After the war ended, a combination of the pre-war agitation among the Burma population for independence and the economic ruin of Burma during the four years' campaign made it impossible for the former regime to be resumed. Within three years, both Burma and India were independent.
Myanmar Pagoda Shwedagon
Myanmar Pagoda Shwedagon HD
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Shwe Dagon pagoda is a must see Myanmar destination, you can't miss it when you visit Yangon Myanmar.
Don't come to Yangon without going to the best pagoda in the world, the guide books and photos of this temple do not do it justice, come and see for yourself.
I visited 4 times or was it 5? I absolutely fell in love with it. Holy place and people in Burma revere it and you will too after being here 5 seconds.
I love Burma! AKA Myanmar, it's safe and filled with wonderful people. Can't wait to go back!
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Mass Meditation in Yangon, Myanmar
I was exploring some small streets in Yangon, Myanmar on the evening of December 27, 2015, when I came upon an entire street that had been taken over with sitting rugs, a stage, outdoor speakers, and rows and rows of big projection screens. A Buddhist guru sat at the front, in front of hundreds, leading a mass meditation session. Locals would periodically approach the stage, offering contributions, and then receive a blessing from the monk.
Raids On Rangoon (1942)
Titles read: RAIDS ON RANGOON.
Rangoon, Burma.
Various shots of Tomahawk fighter planes being prepared for takeoff by American volunteer pilots. The noses of the aeroplanes are decorated to look like sharks. Enemy wreckage around Rangoon, victims of the Tomahawks. M/S bombed building in Rangoon. At Insein Station near Rangoon a refugee train pulls in bringing Indian families returning from Japanese blitzed areas. Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, Burma Governor (and former Minister of Food) is on hand to receive them. He talks to a man whose wife was killed in a raid. Brief shots of the Rangoon volunteers who run the fire service. M/S of a street in Rangoon.
FILM ID:1316.35
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES.
FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT
British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website.
Action In Burma (1944)
Title reads: Action in Burma.
Burma (now Myanmar).
Various shots of British troops advancing through jungle on the Arakan Front. Men of the 14th Army advance across open area, crossing Japanese barbed wire. Various shots of artillery in action, backing up the infantry advance.
More shots of infantry advancing, a couple of soldiers fall as if they have been shot. L/S of stretcher parties getting the wounded back for treatment. Various C/Us of dead Japanese soldiers. Various shots of infantry move further through jungle. M/S of Japanese corpse in tree.
L/S of soldiers exploding booby trapped barricade of undergrowth across road. Various shots of Indian army mule column moving up with light artillery. M/S of British mortars firing onto Burmese village. Various shots of infantry scaling hillside near Burmese village.
Pathe cameraman Oscar Bovill is mentioned in commentary.
FILM ID:1348.36
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES.
FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT
British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website.
Myanmar: Part Two (Pyin Oo Lwin to Yangon)
This is the second half of my trip through Myanmar. I went from Bagan and took a minibus to Pyin Oo Lwin having researched that it was a good off the beaten track destination and a peaceful retreat from the bustling big cities like Mandalay. It was indeed a delightful little town with old colonial buildings high up on the hills. From there, I took a domestic flight from Mandalay back down to Yangon, where I spent a day to discover the downtown area and talked to a couple of interesting locals. Very insightful and they showed me unforgettable kindness and hospitality that engraved such a positive impression of the Burmese people.
If you haven't been to Myanmar, please do, you won't regret it. It's the hidden gem of south east Asia and treasure waiting to be discovered.
Sakhangyi Tawya Meditation Center - Hlegu, Yangon Division, Myanmar
Walking around Sakhangyi Tawya Meditation Center
ft. Ashin Saraṇa, Ko Sein Hla
by David Bujalski from Czech Public (07-03-2017)
medium: English and Czech partially
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After over 8 years of training in Dhamma, Vinaya and meditation with great teachers in Burma and Sri-lanka, Ashin Saraṇa has moved to Hlegu Township. Sakhangyi Tawya Meditation Center is located at the northern division of Yangon, Myanmar. There he serves as the meditation teacher for both local Burmese and foreign yogis either in English, Czech, Sinhalese or Pāli.
Yangon Luxury Hotel - Yangon Excelsior
yangon-excelsior.com
One of the most impressive heritage buildings from Yangon’s British era is set to experience a new lease on life when it opens its as the luxurious 74-room Yangon Excelsior Hotel.
Situated at 19/43 Bo Soon Pat Street in the former headquarters of the Steel Brothers, a major British exporter of rice, hardwoods, oil and cotton, dating back to the late 1800s, the iconic structure has been painstakingly refurbished to its original splendor, evoking a nostalgic tone as it draws on the British epoch.
In addition to 74 elegant rooms with high ceilings, plush beds, LCD flat screen televisions and rain showers, Yangon Excelsior will be home an all-day dining deli cafe, bar and grill, spa, gym, boutique, meeting rooms, iMac counter, executive lounge, concierge and more.
With a design steeped in colonial history that melds art deco with urban chic, interior flourishes range from black and white tiling, wooden floorboards and exposed brick to tinted glass, brass finishes, ball chain curtains and studded upholstered furniture. Exquisite touches throughout include British antiques such as telephones and lamps, as well as an installation in the lobby of a typewriter throwing myriad sheets of paper into the air.
The hotel boasts six room categories designed to appeal to leisure and business travellers alike, spanning from 30 square metres to 54 square metres, with the presidential suite commanding 65 square metres and expansive views of the downtown. Twenty-eight of the rooms also feature striking freestanding bathtubs.
A contemporary bar and grill and a deli café underpin Yangon’s Excelsior’s dining landscape.
The Steel Brothers Wine & Grill will offer up a vast selection of premium wines and delectable menu based on prime meat cuts including wagyu and black angus beef fillets, farm fresh vegetables and sustainable fish, lobster and seafood cooked up in its open show kitchen on the Josper Charcoal grill.
The deli café, called The Newsroom to pay tribute to the heyday of journalism, will serve freshly baked breads, sandwiches, salads, pastas, homemade pastries, desserts and the quintessentially British pastime of high tea.
The Steel Brothers Wine & Grill and The Newsroom seat up to 90 and 60 people respectively.
In addition to two meeting rooms for business retreats, and an iMac counter bedecked with the latest technology for people needing to work or access the internet to write to loved ones back home, the hotel will boast an executive floor with a total of 16 rooms (11 ‘Superior Executive’ and five ‘Deluxe Executive’ rooms) as well as an executive lounge.
Therapists will be at the ready in the three-treatment room Excelsior Spa to administer an array of massages and other treatments as an antidote to a day’s exploration of Yangon’s nearby attractions including the gold-dipped Schwedagon Pagoda, Sule Pagoda, Merchant Road, Yangon City Hall and Bogyoke Aung San Market.
Other facilities include the 40 square metre gym, concierge offering a variety of sightseeing excursions and other services, wifi access to a high-speed wireless network, baby cots on request and more.
The staff uniforms also promise to be dapper, with the likes of single and double-breasted jackets, pinstripe pants and graceful dresses and skirts accentuated with hats, braces, bow ties, lavaliere, tie bars, scarves, gloves and button cuffs.
For more information, visit yangon-excelsior.com.
Yangon Street Food
Yangon Street Food
Eating street food in Yangon Burma AKA Myanmar.
Is it a donut without a hole? I'm not sure but I eat it anyway. Find out how fun it is to eat street food in Yangon, Myanmar.
This is a market outside of an entrance to Shwe Dagon Pagoda. You can't identify the food but its a chance to talk to the Burmese.
Don't leave Myanmar without tasting their street food even if you don't know what it is. Everything I ate was delicious.
Don't be scared to try food in Myanmar that is not at the touristy restaurants. Eat what the locals eat. Write and tell me what you liked about the food in Yangon.
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135 Years in Dhamma Land: A Short Clip
SN Goenka made one final pilgrimage to Burma, the land of his birth, in December 2012. A feature-length documentary of the visit has since been produced and is available throughout Myanmar today.
This is a short clip that shows the great meditation teacher being introduced to a capacity crowd in the National Theatre in Yangon (a live feed was shown to the several hundred local Burmese who sat outside in the parking lot to listen). The speaker shares the Goenka family history, and then questions are asked to Sayagyi U Goenka that members of the audience submitted in writing.
Reaction to the death of former Myanmar dictator
Yangon, Myanmar
FILE
1. Ne Win with British Princess Anne
2. Exterior meeting place
3. Pan from Ne Win to Princess Anne
4. Zoom out from close up of Ne Win to meeting
FILE - March 2002
Yangon, Myanmar
5. New Light of Myanmar newspaper lifted over stack of local papers
6. Paper boy counting papers
7. Front page of Burmese language paper showing headline about coup attempt
8. Pictures of Ne Win's relatives in newspaper
9. Photos of two more relatives
Bangkok, Thailand - 5 December 2002
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, Chulalongkorn University:
After the coup we found out right away that ????Khin Nyunt????? has been downgraded and at the same time ???Maung Aye???? has been upgraded and again the person in the middle, that is Than Shwe, has the most power, you know after all this realignment. So when things have been outlined like that, you know, and ???? conditions have not been improved in anyway after the coup d'etat, so I don't think that there would any kind of change because it might even confirm that Than Shwe's power will be more set out clearly than before.
FILE - 1997
Yangon, Myanmar
11. Myanmar ruling generals at public review
12. Close up Senior General Than Shwe
13. Close up Maung Aye
14. Khin Nyunt next to Maung Aye
15. Water cannon spraying demonstrators, as they retreat
16. Sign pleading for help for the students
17. Students at demonstration
Bangkok, Thailand - 5 December 2002
18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, Chulalongkorn University:
Ne Win was a tough man a strong man, as you know in olden times, you know when we call the leaders in South-East Asia, we always called them strong man, and he is one of them and he did things very classically, you know. He wouldn't follow any kind of soft stand, therefore I think, you know, he had a lot to do with all this bloody uprising, you know, all that sort of thing.
FILE - May 1996
Yangon, Myanmar
19. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi at National League for Democracy Congress
20. Closeup of Aung San Suu Kyi
STORYLINE:
Observrs say that the death of former Burmese strongman Ne Win on Thursday should not greatly affect the political climate in Myanmar.
Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, an expert on Myanmar from Bangkok's Chulalonkorn University in Thailand, says that Ne Win's failing health and diminishing influence had already sunk General Khin Nyunt from number one in the government to number three.
He said that Khin and Ne Win had a father-son relationship.
But Ne Win had been officially out of power since 1986 and a failed coup attempt by his son-in-law and three grandsons had further damaged his standing with the current government.
Ne Win led Myanmar for 26 years, while the country was still known as Burma.
Experts say that he continued to manipulate the leadership behind the scenes, calling generals to his lakeside retreat to criticise them for blunders or to make his policy preferences known.
He almost certainly backed the bloody 1988 crackdown against student protestors and continued tough police action against demonstrations.
He also would have signed off on the suspension of election results in 1990, that kept Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy out of power.
While Ne Win was very close to Suu Kyi's father, the independence hero General Aung San, Suu Kyi was out of the country for most of his rule.
By the time she returned, in the late 1980s Ne Win was officially retired and never developed a
relationship with the democracy activist.
It's unlikely that his death will affect negotations between the government and Suu Kyi.
Myanmar's leaders have traditionally been very suspicious of neighbouring countries.
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The views of the Chittagong Dhammaduta Monastery Yangon, Myanmar. Part I
This video is taken in Yangon, Myanmar on January, 2015.
Combat Bulletin, No. 55 India - Burma Fall of Rangoon 80880b
Combat Bulletin No. 55 shows extensive coverage of the German surrender. It also features use of Iwo Jima as an advanced base for support of operations in the Pacific, captured Japanese weapons including infantry weapons, EOD Explosives Ordnance personnel destroy munitions, Rangoon falls to the Allies, and the USS Franklin is hit by kamikaze aircraft.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. For more information visit
Disabled elephant retreat in Myanmar
I like the idea of responsible tourism, so I decided to share this. Besides, who doesn't love elephants?
For more information, Google Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp.
An elephant camp in Myanmar is serving as a retirement home for ailing and aging elephants, giving them safe refuge in their natural habitat while attracting tourists.
Dhammikarama Burmese Temple
Dhamikarama Burmese Temple in Penang was the first kyaung (Burmese monastery-temple) in Malaysia, built in 1803. As the first kyaung in Penang, Dhammikarama is a temple filled with striking features and rich past. It provides a historical evidence of Bamar residence in Penang as well as the retreat for Buddhist devotees. The temple is located at the enclave of Burmah Lane, Tikus Island alongside the magnificent Thai architecture of Wat Chayamangkalaram.
Help us caption & translate this video!
Edge of Burma 1982 Part(4).mp4
Sayadaw U Jotika - I Have No Home
Born into a non-Buddhist family in Moulmein, Myanmar (Burma) on August 5, 1947. His parents were U Sattar and Daw Tin. He received his basic education at a Roman Catholic missionary school. During his younger days, he didn't believe in any organized religion although he studied and exposed himself to many different religions, as well as western philosophy and psychology.
He graduated as an Electrical Engineer in 1973 from Rangoon Institute of Technology. He became very interested in Buddhist meditation. He discovered that life was unsatisfactory and majority of the people devoted their precious time mainly in gathering wealth, enjoying sensual pleasures, fame, power and position.
Thus, he decided to leave behind his family and became a Samenera (Novice) at the age of 26. He was ordained as a Samgha in 1974 at Taung Pu Lu Tawya, Meiktila with Ven. Taung Pu Lu Sayadaw as his preceptor. He practiced meditation under the guidance of the late Ven. Taung Pu Lu Sayadaw for (3) years. He continued to practice meditation with Htantabin Tawya Sayadaw for (15) years.
Ven. Jotika visited Melbourne in 1977 and again in 1998. He was in the United States in 1983-84 for about (16) months, conducting Dhamma talks in Santa Cruz, New York, Boston and Washington. He had visited Singapore several times on Dhamma Duta missions as well.
He has established a monastery in a rural environment overlooking a great lake near Pago, (50) miles north of Yangon. His Dhamma talks and books are in great demand in Myanmar as well as with overseas Burmese. He has published about (13) titles so far. One of his popular Dhamma book in English is Snow in the Summer
Burma Oil Blaze.
Fire raging. Close shot of dense smoke near camera. Shot of Burmese hosing and trying to protect the other containers. shot of the other oil containers. Fire still raging.
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IMC Yangon 10 day course in September 1957 HD
Rare Footage from the IMC International Meditation Centre in the Tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin and Mother Sayamangy in Rangoon 1957.
WHAT IS BUDDHIST MEDITATION?
Buddhist meditation consists of two steps:
1) Calmness or equanimity of mind also called Samadhi which in these courses is achieved through Anapana meditation
2) Insight which is achieved through Vipassana meditation
ANAPANA MEDITATION
The student is helped to develop calmness of mind by encouraging him to focus his attention on a spot at the base of the nose. In this way he can be aware of the in-breath and the out-breath. When the mind is given only one object it gradually becomes calm and steady.
Respiration mindfulness (anapana sati) has several advantages:
a) The breath is natural and common to all human beings
b) The breath is available at all times
Mindfulness of the breath is a technique that can be practised by members of any religion, or a person of no religion
Find out more
VIPASSANA MEDITATION
In Vipassana meditation the calmness and focus gained through the practice of anapana meditation is used to direct the attention inside and to observe in order to gain insight into the natural causes and effects. Particular attention is given to the instability and impermanence of phenomena (anicca). The aim is to investigate though one’s own wisdom the true nature of all happenings, phenomena.
Find out more
British Troops In Burma (1940)
Unissued / Unused material.
Burma.
M/S truck in muddy water. M/S as British troops with no shirts on line up to get drink and food. They walk along and sit down to eat. M/S walking along in muddy water. M/S as the whole group push a Spitfire aeroplane out of the mud. Various shots soldiers in bunker with their guns, one has a monkey. C/U washing muddy feet in bowl of water. M/S men coming out of tent. Various shots as supplies are brought out and passed along. M/S band playing music.
M/S as soldier walks along and attaches a bottle of water to a piece of string. It is pulled up by man in tree who is on look out. M/S as he drinks it. M/S as men check Spitfire, pan to makeshift tent, other men hang their washing on the line. Various shots of two soldiers sat at table with two small honey bears who are eating out of bowls and drinking from cups. M/S of the bears harnessed to bomb carrier, they pull it along. L/S of the camp.
FILM ID:1969.05
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES.
FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT
British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website.