Burmese Gurkha

Burmese Gurkhas (Burmese: ဂေါ်ရခါးလူမျိုးများ; Nepali: गोरखाली) are a group of Nepali language speaking Burmese people of Khas/Gurkha ethnic group living in Myanmar (formerly Burma). While the Gurkhas have lived in Burma for many centuries, it was during the British rule in Burma, that the majority of the Gurkha migrated from Nepal.^[1]^[2]

The estimated population of Gurkha is nearly 1 million. The majority of Gurkha now reside in Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay, Pyin U Lwin, Mogok, Tamu, Kalaymyo, Taunggyi, Myitkyina and other parts of the country.^[3]

History and demography

Like many other people who reside in Myanmar and who have their origin in Nepal, the majority of Gurkha came along with the British administration. Many Gurkhas served during the Second World War in the Burma Campaign, especially as rear guard units for the British retreat from Burma.^[3]

After Burma's independence in 1948, the Gurkhas joined the infant, Burma Army. Many Gurkhas have served in the new republic's various campaigns against ethnic insurgents and the Kuomintang invasions. The Gurkha were considered key assets of the Burmese Army in the 1950s.^[4] There was also a soldier named Suk Bahadur Rai † that won the highest honor of Tatmadaw, The Aung San Thuriya Medal.^[5]

Culture

Many of Gurkha in Myanmar practice Hinduism and Buddhism. A very small number of them practice Christianity. There are a few Gurkha Hindu temples Buddhist monastery in the cities around Kachin State, Shan State, Yangon and Mandalay. Gurkha form a large minority in Myitkyina, Mogok, and the hill station of Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo).^[6]

Language

Most Gurkha typically speak Nepali and Burmese languages.

Education

The Gurkha place high importance on education, and they represent a disproportionately high share of those with advanced (medical, engineering or doctorate) degrees in Burma.^[7]^[8]

Notable Gurkha people in Burma

Private Aung San Thuriya Suk Bahadur Rai – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha) Myanmar Army.^[9] – recipient of the Aung San Thuriya award, the highest gallantry award in Myanmar.^[10]
Suk Bahadur (Burmese: ဗဟာဒူး) is a Burmese footballer who served as the captain of Myanmar national football team (1952–1970). He is considered the greatest Burmese footballer that ever lived for the tremendous success he brought to country's football. He's also a major in Myanmar Army^[11]

Corporal Thiha Thura Man Bahadur Thapa – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha) Myanmar Army
Lt. Colonel Zeya Kyawhtin Thura Lachhuman Rai – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha), Myanmar Army
Colonel Zeya Kyawhtin Tanka Dhoj – Director General of Hotel and Tourism Department under Ne Win's government
Lt. Colonel Raj Bahadhur Lama – (A 1) Eastern Command , Myanmar Army
Major Zeyakyawhtin Bhagiman Subba – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha), Myanmar Army
Assistant Director Arun Kumar – Internal Revenue Department, Ministry of Finance, Union of Myanmar
Professor of Chemistry Attar Singh Chettry (M.Sc.), Mandalay University, Myanmar
Gannes Basnet (Advocate ) first Gurkha Candidate for Myanmar Parliament
Cherry Myae Maung Tin Tun (Writer)
Nyein Thazin (Taekwando) two gold, three silver and two bronze medals
Nanda Soe Maha Nandar Gyawali Kick boxer
Nandar Gyawali, Podcaster, human rights activist and feminist activist

References

^ Gurung, Tim I. (2017-06-24). "Meet the proud Gurkha community of Myanmar". Asia Times. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
^ "Emerging dynamics among Southeast Asia's Nepali diaspora". New Mandala. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
^ a b "Gurkhas in Myanmar". lostfootsteps.org. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
^ Defence Museum, Yangon
^ Lawi Weng (May 20, 2014). "The Forgotten Gurkhas of Burma". Irrawaddy.
^ Tuladhar, Pratibha (2021-03-09). "Memories of a country in transition". nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
^ Burma Citizenship Law harsh on ethnic Burma Citizenship Law harsh on ethnic|"The Irrawaddy News Magazine [Covering Burma and Southeast Asia]". Archived from the original on 2011-01-23. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
^ Burma Citizenship Law 1982|http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b4f71b.html Archived 2013-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ Defence Museum, Yangon
^ "ဆာ့ခ္ဗဟာဒူးရြိဳင္း၊ (ေအာင္ဆန္းသူရိယ)". 23 February 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
^ "Hamro Myanmar". sites.google.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2018-04-19.