Saya San

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Saya San (born 24 October 1876 died 16 November 1931) was a noted monk, known in 1927 as a traditional healer in Burma. In 1924, the GCBA appointed the 45-year old Saya San head of a committee to survey the situation of Burmese peasantry. In the course of the 1927 survey, Saya San changed his focus, inspiring peasants to resist British forces in an attempt to resist the British Administration and its tax policies in particular.

In 1929 the British proposed new taxes on the Burmese people as well as a forestry bill that would forbid the cutting of trees (Burma’s prime asset) without British consent. Saya San organized a local revolt against the payment of the capitation tax which quickly grew beyond his control and turned into an uncoordinated national revolt.

The resulting uprising required more than two years and 10,000 British troops to quell, ending with Saya San’s execution by hanging. Recent scholarship has raised many questions about Saya San's role in the revolt. It is thought by some now that the British falsified and overstated Saya San's role in the revolt so as to make his execution seem more meaningful than it actually was. Several details of the trial, including a diary produced by the police which outlines Saya San's plan, are not considered to be trustworthy.

While Buddhists considered the uprising a failure, it does denote a turning point in Burmese politics. The uprising led to the formation of a new generation of political leaders such as Dr. Ba Maw and U Saw who participated in the trial for the defense. Additionally, it helped demonstrate the sangha’s ability to mobilize the local people to resist the colonization movement.