• British Occupation

    After the third British-Burmese War in 1885, Burma was completely subjugated by Great Britain and on January 1, 1886 part of British India. The last king of Burma, Thibaw Min, was sent with his family by the British occupation into exile in India, where he died. The massive resistance of the Burmese met the colonial administration with massive extermination campaigns against entire villages and towns

    Colonial Troops
    For the first time raised the British after the first Burmese-English war (1824-26) two corps, one under the Maghs in Arakan, a second under the Mon of Tenasserim. These were dissolved after the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857. After the conquest of Upper Burma in 1886, after conclusion of the agreement with France in 1893, which neutralized the valley of the Chao Phraya River in Siam, there was no external threat to the country more. Until the First World War do not Burmans were recruited. This was because the British occupiers ethnic Burmans, could not believe after the 10-year-old guerrilla actions that followed the dismissal of the last king. The stationed troops arrived from other parts of the Indian subcontinent.

    There was still a Military Police called police. Their main task was the collective punishment of villages who refused to pay taxes.

    During the First World War were set up as part of the Indian Army regiments following:

    • 70th Burma Rifles with four battalions, including one from Burmese
    • 84th Burma Rifles mostly recruits from the Military Police
    • 3 Pioneer companies Burma Sappers and Miners, including one from Burmese, dissolved in 1929, recreated 1937 (380 men, to British NCOs and officers)
    • 7 Transport companies, some of which were used in the campaign in Mesopotamia and after the war in quelling the Moplah Rebellion. A portion was stationed from 1919 in Singapore

    Their main task, however, was to ensure "internal security". So, for example, in the suppression of the peasant uprising of the Saya San (1930-32). The recruitment after the war took place exclusively among the members of hill tribes, Burmese were excreted from 1923
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