Communist Party of Burma

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The Communist Party of Burma (Burmese: ဗမာပ္ရည္‌က္ဝန္‌မ္ရုနစ္‌ဘတီ; CPB) is the oldest extant political party in Myanmar (Burma). The party is illegal, and operates in a clandestine manner, often associating with insurgent armies along the border of China.

Formed as an underground party on 15 August 1939, the Communist Party of Burma had played a very significant role in the struggle for independence from Great Britain and against imperialism.

CPB flag from 1939 to 1946

Between 1942 and 1945, the party prepared for and organised resistance against world fascism, which took the form of Japanese Occupation of Burma in the region. Communists were in the forefront of armed resistance which subsequently became a national uprising led by the Burma National Army under the command of General Aung San. At the same time, the CPB together with the BNA and the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP, later renamed the Socialist Party) formed the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL), continuing the fight for independence. The party that had started with a small group now become a major legal political party until 1948.

Thakin Than Tun (1911 - 1968) born in Kanyutkwin, Lower Burma, was the leader of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) from 1945 until his death at age 57.

CPB flag from 1946-1969

In 1967 he carried out his own cultural revolution, purging the party of “revisionists”, and as in China things went out of control before he could finally pull the reins back. Great damage nonetheless had already been done to the CPB's image, particularly the killing of young university student leaders who had joined the CPB after the failed peace parley in 1963. The country had experienced this kind of treatment of their young only recently in the hands of General Ne Win's army in the 7 July 1962 massacre of Rangoon University students during a peaceful protest on campus shortly after the coup d'etat of 2 March 1962. The next year, on 24 September 1968, whilst on the run from government troops, Than Tun was assassinated by a subordinate who later surrendered to Ne Win's government. The assassin had joined the Communists just two years before as an "army deserter".

From 1948 to 1989, the CPB waged armed revolution for a people's democracy and socialist society. During this period the party turned again into an underground political organisation. By 1989, the party had been greatly weakened by internal rebellions that resulted in the exile of its leaders to China, although it has carried on with clandestine political activities.