Kyaukme, Shan State

Kyaukme
Kyaukme

Location in Burma

Coordinates: 22°32′21″N 97°1′42″E / 22.53917°N 97.02833°E / 22.53917; 97.02833Coordinates: 22°32′21″N 97°1′42″E / 22.53917°N 97.02833°E / 22.53917; 97.02833
Country Burma
Division Shan State
Population (2005)
 • Ethnicities Shan, Palaung, Bamar
 • Religions Buddhism
Time zone MST (UTC+6.30)

Kyaukme (Burmese: ကျောက်မဲမြို့ [tɕaʊʔ mɛ́ mjo̰]) is a town in northern Shan State of Burma. It is situated on the Mandalay - Lashio road, after Pyin Oo Lwin and Nawnghkio, and before Hsipaw, on what is now the Mandalay - Muse road, part of the Asian Highway route 14 (AH14).[1][2][3] It is also connected to Momeik (Mongmit) in the Shweli River valley and Mogok with its ruby mines.[4] Kyaukme can be reached by train on the Mandalay-Lashio railway line.[5]

History

During the Second World War, the B-25s and P-47s of the USAAF Tenth Air Force carried out bombing raids between October 1944 and March 1945 on Kyaukme station, rolling stock, tracks and roads as well as Japanese troop concentrations in the area.[6]

On 12 February 1945, British and American units of Lt Gen Sultan's Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) were advancing south towards Lashio and Kyaukme but were being held up by heavy fighting near the Shweli River. Kyaukme was captured on 31 March 1945 by the British 36th Infantry Division and Chinese 6th Army units, which cleared the Burma Road from Mandalay to Lashio.[7]

Economy

Kyaukme has been, since before British colonial rule, the main trading centre for tea from Tawngpeng, and the hills around Kyaukme itself, inhabited by the Palaung.[8][9]

Burma and China signed a contract in August 2003 for a hydel power project. A dam is under construction on the Shweli River near Namhkam aiming to supply electricity to Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Lashio and Namtu.[10]

Health

Malaria is endemic in the area, and its control has been the concern of the WHO since the 1950s.[11] Women of reproductive age (15-49) in Kyaukme and Nawnghkio have been targeted for improvement in reproductive health in the community in collaboration with Japan. A study mission was started in June 2004, with the project continuing for the period January 2005- December 2009.[12][13]

Politics

The Shan State Army - North (SSA-North)'s Third Brigade has been active in Mongmit, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Namtu and Lashio. It reached a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese military government (SLORC) in 1989, and its activities have been severely curtailed.[14][15]

During the Saffron Revolution, on 24 September 2007, 37 Buddhist monks in Kyaukme staged a peaceful protest march which ended without interference from the authorities, but they were prevented from repeating the protest the next day.[16]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Asian Highway in Myanmar" (PDF). unescap.org. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  2. ↑ Win Nyunt Lwin. "Historic road links wilderness and culture". Myanmar Times October 4–10, 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  3. ↑ "Pyin Oo Lwin to Kyaukme". MyTripJournal.com. October 31, 2006. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  4. ↑ "Lt-Gen Aung Htwe tours Kyaukme District". New Light of Myanmar, June 16, 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  5. ↑ "Train travel in Myanmar(Burma)". seat61.com. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  6. ↑ Gary Goldblatt. "CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Tenth Air Force)". Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  7. ↑ "1945". Burma Star Association. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  8. ↑ Maule, Robert. "Tea Production On the Periphery of the British Empire". thedarjeelingtealady.com. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  9. ↑ "Palaung". MODiNS.net. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  10. ↑ "Shweli Hydel Power Project". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. September 1, 2003. Archived from the original on January 15, 2006. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  11. ↑ Weeks, E B (6 September 1954). "Experiences in the Control of Malaria Carried by A. minimus in Burma" (PDF). WHO. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  12. ↑ "Preparation for the New Project on Reproductive Health with Community Initiative in Myanmar". Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP). September 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  13. ↑ Dr Kyee Myint. "Country Presentation:The 4th Asean & Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies, 28.8.2006.to 31.8.2006" (PDF). Ministry of Health. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  14. ↑ "Ceasefire group gets marching orders". S.H.A.N. 2005-08-30. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  15. ↑ "Truce Brings Only Grief, Says Ceasefire Leader". S.H.A.N. 2005-05-23. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  16. ↑ "Unreported protest in Shan State". S.H.A.N. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
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