Page "Anglo-Burmese people" Paragraph 24

Following the British withdrawal in 1948, some Anglo-Burmans left Burma, primarily for the United Kingdom.

It is an interesting irony of note that whereas both Anglo-Burmans and Anglo-Indians had tended to look down on the native Bamar, after they emigrated to Britain, many ended up calling themselves Burmese in white society, primarily due to British attitudes which refused to acknowledge those of mixed origins as their own.

Many more remained behind in Burma and carried on with their lives.

However through the 1950s, the situation steadily declined in the country, with armed insurrections and rebellions throughout the country, principally among the Kayin people.

Due to the perceived suffering the Bamar had encountered under British rule, affirmative action of sorts was introduced by the government of U Nu in the 1950s, primarily due to the disproportionate control the Anglo-Burmans had within government departments and the running of the country.

Many Anglo-Burmans began to lose their jobs, to be replaced with pure Burmans as the bureaucracy of the country became increasingly Burmanized.

Additional measures relating to the Burmese language were introduced so that in order to take the Matriculation exam to enter Rangoon University, prospective students were required to be fluent in written Burmese ( which many Anglo-Burmans had not been taught ), even though all books and most teaching were still carried out in English.