Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League - Fight For Freedom

Fight For Freedom

When in March 1945 Aung San led the BNA in a national uprising against the Japanese and the Burmese puppet government led by Dr Ba Maw, it was done in the name of a provisional government of the AFO led by Thakin Soe. After negotiations with the British, the AFO was transformed into a political party called the AFPFL. When Aung San left the army to re-enter the political arena as a civilian, he became the recognized leader and president of the AFPFL in January 1946.

While often called a political party, the AFPFL was in fact more of a popular front organization comprising many very different political parties held together by the common leadership of first Aung San and then U Nu. Its first general secretary was the communist leader Thakin Than Tun.

Dissent and rifts began to appear in the AFPFL over the negotiations regarding strategy and more importantly the nature of independence on offer. Thakin Soe started a rebellion after splitting from the CPB forming a splinter group called the Red Flag Communist Party. The CPB, now dubbed the White Flag Communists, continued to cooperate with the AFPFL, but Than Tun was forced to resign as general secretary in July 1946 and replaced by the socialist Kyaw Nyein, after a split with Aung San and the rest.

Aung San became the de facto premier of Burma in September 1946 when he accepted the British Governor's invitation to lead the Executive Council. The communists accused him and the others of selling out and settling for what they alleged a 'sham independence'. The CPB was then expelled from the AFPFL the following November. The AFPFL negotiated with the British total independence for Burma including the ethnic minorities, and Aung San succeeded in uniting the majority Burmans with the hills peoples at the Panglong Conference in February 1947. U Aung Zan Wai, U Pe Khin, Major Aung, Sir Maung Gyi and Dr. Sein Mya Maung and Myoma U Than Kywe were among the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Bamar representative General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. All these leaders unanimously decided to join the Union of Burma. Aung San was however assassinated together with six other members of his cabinet in July 1947. U Nu then became both the premier of Burma and leader of the party.