Anti-Indian Bill in Burma

THE Burma Government is providing itself with various powers which, it is feared, will cause serious injury to the interests of Indians in that country. The government is apparently taking advantage of Burmese backwardness to establish the supremacy of foreign bureaucracy. For some time past, the cry of ‘Burma for Burmans’ has been raised and this feeling among Burmans is exploited to serve not the real interests of the people of that province but those of Europeans and other privileged classes. Burma is a vast country, very thinly populated, but with great natural resources which are being exploited already. Its forests, mines and agricultural produce offer limitless possibilities for the capitalist from outside to derive profit and pleasure. The people are not sufficiently organised for this purpose, but have just begun to realise the serious disadvantages of being left behind in the political and economic struggle. There is already a considerable population from Indian provinces which has settled in that province as merchants, traders and subordinate officials. A sort of inter-provincial jealousy has been promoted between Indians and Burmans, but the educated section of the latter perceive the advantage of Burma being connected with India and having Indian cooperation until she attains self-government. But the bureaucracy seeks to separate Burma from India, for obvious reasons. As this separation could not be brought about, various measures are being adopted to oust Indians from that province by imposing disabilities.