Myanmar has a unique territory that operates like a de facto state within a state. It is known as Wa State, a region that possesses a special autonomy. Administratively, Wa State is recorded as Special Region Two in Shan State.
The territory of Wa State is divided into two separate regions that are located apart from each other.
The northern region sits in eastern Shan State and directly borders the outer line of Yunnan Province, China. The center of government control is located in Pangkham City, which is situated in the northern region.
Meanwhile, the southern region is in the downstream area directly bordering Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. The southern territory was formed following a mass population relocation of 120,000 people from the north in the 1990s.
The Influence of Mandarin in the Land of Wa
Culturally, the Wa community is influenced by its proximity to the Chinese border in the north. The influence of Mandarin culture can enter through geographical proximity.
The Wa authorities actually utilize the military institution as the main engine to standardize the Wa local language. Young people entering the military barracks are taught a standardized dialect adopted from Cangyuan, which is a Wa ethnic autonomous county in Yunnan Province, China.
However, the standardization movement hit an obstacle because the Wa local language lacks the modern vocabulary needed to refer to official state institutional terms.
Loanwords from across the northern border are borrowed from Mandarin so that their government administration can continue to function.
The Military Might Governing the Independent Territory
All security and law enforcement within the Wa region are fully controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA). They possess around 30,000 active and well-trained personnel. Their command structure is highly solid under the control of high-ranking military officers.
The insurgent group then consolidated their military power into a new organization named the UWSA.
However, the UWSA requires substantial funding to maintain its status quo. Since the 1970s, the economic foundation of the Wa elite has been bolstered by the production business and trafficking networks of illicit drugs. Over time, the Wa State elite has also expanded its business into legal sectors, such as tin mining.
Behind the Special Autonomy of Wa State
The roots of Wa State's autonomy stem from political upheaval in April 1989. At that time, a mass mutiny broke out among local ethnic soldiers who rejected the leadership of the elite Bamar ethnicity within the collapsing Communist Party of Burma (CPB).
Bao Youxiang was one of the pivotal military commanders from the Wa ethnicity. He became a key figure behind the armed defection during that period.
After successfully overthrowing the CBP, the rebel group consolidated their troops into a new organization called the UWSA. In the same year, Bao Youxiang also signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar military junta.
The result of the ceasefire brought autonomous status for Wa State to build an independent governance system centered in the capital, Pangkham.
All absolute control in Wa State is held by a single party named the United Wa State Party (UWSP). Through its leadership ranks, the UWSP manages all public affairs independently.
The UWSP manage economic regulations, educational pathways, and determine the region's internal revenue budget without any interference from Naypyidaw.
The absolute center of the UWSP authority is Bao Youxiang. He continues to serve as the President of Wa State to this day.
Reference:
Steinmüller, H. (2021). Para-nationalism: Sovereignty and authenticity in the Wa State of Myanmar. Nations and Nationalism, 27(3), 880–894. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12709
