KACHIN STATE OVERVIEW |
| Geography |
Demographics |
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Capital: Myitkyina
Location: Northwestern
Area: 89,041 km2
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Population: 1,200,000
Density:13.4/ km2
Ethnicities: Kachin,Bamar,Shan,
Chin, Naga, Indians Chinese |
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| Town and Districts |
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| General Information
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The Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23o27' and 28o25' longitude 96o0' and 90o44'. The area of Kachin State is 34,379 sq. miles. The capital of the state is Myitkyina. Other important towns include Bhamo.
The Kachin State has Myanmar’s highest mountain, Hkakabo Razi, at 5889 meters in height, forming the southern tip of the Himalayas, and Myanmar’s largest lake, Indawgyi Lake.
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History
The Burmese government under Aung San reached the Panglong Agreement with the Shan, Kachin, and Chin peoples on 12 February 1947. The agreement accepted "Full autonomy in internal administration for the Frontier Areas" in principle and envisioned the creation of a Kachin State by the Constituent Assembly. Kachin State was formed in 1948 out of the British Burma civil districts of Bhamo and Myitkyina, together with the larger northern district of Puta-o. The vast mountainous hinterlands are predominantly Kachin, whereas the more densely populated railway corridor and southern valleys are mostly Shan and Bamar. The northern frontier was not demarcated and until the 1960s Chinese governments had claimed all of Kachin State as Chinese territory since the 18th century. During the Konbaung era, roughly 75% off all Kachin jadeite ended up in China, where it was prized much more highly that the local Chinese nephrite.
Kachin troops formerly formed a significant part of the Burmese army. With the unilateral abrogation of the Union of Burma constitution by the Ne Win regime in 1962, Kachin forces withdrew and formed the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) under the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). Aside from the major towns and railway corridor, Kachin State has been virtually independent from the mid 1960s through 1994, with an economy based on smuggling, jade trade with China and narcotics. After a Myanmar army offensive in 1994 seized the jade mines from the KIO, a peace treaty was signed, permitting continued KIO effective control of most of the State, under aegis of the Myanmar military. This ceasefire immediately resulted in the creation of numerous splinter factions from the KIO and KIA of groups opposed to the peace accord, and the political landscape remains highly unstable.
Currently, the Kachin Independence Organization is supporting the Burmese regime's sham National Convention. While the KIO in private does not believe that elections will ever happen, its agreements with the government have led to what it considers a better situation than the alternative of continued war. In public, the KIO is hoping to participate in future election after constitution has completed that guaranteed Burmese military regime 25% of reserved seats in central puppet government, according to Gauri Zau Seng, vice-Chairman of KIO/KIA.
Traditional Kachin society was based on shifting hill agriculture. Political authority was based on chieftains who depended on support from immediate kinsmen. Considerable attention has been given by anthropologists of the Kachin custom of maternal cousin marriage, wherein it is permissible for a man to marry his mother’s brother’s daughter, but not with the father’s sister’s daughter. Traditional religion was animist, but missionary activity since the British period have converted the vast majority of the population to Christianity . |
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KACHIN STATE PEOPLE |
| The majority of the state's 1.2 million inhabitants are ethnic Kachin, also known as Jinghpaw, and the state is officially home to another 13 ethnic groups, including Bamar, Rawang, Lisu, Zaiwa, Maru, Yaywin, Lawngwaw, Lachyit), and Shan. No census has been taken in almost a century. Official government statistics state that the distribution by religion is 57.8% Buddhist, 36.4% Christian. The Kachin language is the lingua franca in the State, and has a written version based on the Roman alphabet. |
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GETTING IN - OUT
KACHIN STATE |
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Currently , visitors can fly from Yangon and Mandalay to Myitkyina. There are also daily trains via Kathar to Myitkyina (appr. 24 hours), and cruise along the Ayeyarwaddy River up to Bhamo. In addition, visitors can also travel by car from Mandalay via Lasio and Muse to Bhamo (2 days with an overnight stop at Muse. |
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GETTING AROUND
KACHIN STATE |
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KACHIN STATE RESOURCES |
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TRAVEL TIPS |
Transport
The roads system is very poor in the Kachin State. The journey from Mandalay to Myitkyina (779 km) is not recommended for foreigners. The road from Myitkyina to Potao is also not recommended. There is daily train between Mandalay and Myitkyina which takes somewhere between 24 and 30 hours to finish. The ride is not comfortable, but many foreign tourists have made it even though the railroad is known for some accidents in the recent past. Myitkyina to Bhamaw road (186 km) is possible to use during the dry season (October to June) though the road is also not so good. The road runs along Myanamr - China border, and there are several military check points. The most popular route taken by foreign tourists to Kachin state is to take a flight or train to Myitkyina, then after a visit of Myitson (confluence point of the Ayeyarwaddy river) take a drive to Bhamaw. Spend a day or two there and continue in a passenger boat down the Ayeyarwady to Mandalay. The boat ride is the main highlight of the trip, which takes two days and a night sleep onboard the boat. The boat leaves Bhamaw in the morning and arrives Manalay next day evening. During the high waters (June to January) the boat runs three or four time a week up and down. It is either double decker or triple decker. It is possible to have a private cabin. The trip further north to Patao needs special permit and you have to use the service of a travel agent. Up to now the travel is done by flight. Please check with local agent for the flight and airlines. Entering Hkakaborazi mountain national park is possible. It requires long, probably several months, preparation including securing the permit and travel documents. Several guest houses are available in Myitkyina and Bhamaw. In Putao and other places tourists need to use government guest houses or home stay or camping. |
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KACHIN STATE ECONOMY |
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The economy of Kachin State is predominantly agricultural. The main products include rice, sugar cane.
Forest products include teak and other hard woods, fire woods and charcoal, cane, bamboo, cutch and resin. The state is also famous for its jade. Important jade mines are found in Hpakant, Tawhmaw, Longkin and Mawhun. Kachin textiles, swords and knifes are very much valued throughout the country. |
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