Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000 troops (four battalions). In some countries a brigadier general is informally designated as a one-star general.

In some countries, this rank is given the name of brigadier, which is often considered to not be a general-officer rank, but is usually equivalent to brigadier general in the armies of nations that use the rank.

The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field. An alternative rank of "brigade general" was first used in the French revolutionary armies.

In the first quarter of the 20th century, British and Commonwealth armies used the rank of brigadier general as a temporary appointment, or as an honorary appointment on retirement; in the 1920s this practice changed to the use of brigadier, which is not classed as a general officer.

Brazil and a few countries uses major general as the equivalent of brigadier general. Some of these countries then generally use a rank of colonel general to make four general-officer ranks.^{[citation needed]}

The naval equivalent is usually commodore.^[1]

Insignia[link]

Army insignia[link]

• Australian-Army-BRIGGEN.gif

  Australian Army:
  (until 1922)
  Brigadier general

• 

  Belgium:
  Général de brigade /
  Brigadegeneraal

• 

  Canadian Forces:
  Brigadier general /
  Brigadier-général

• 

  Egyptian Armed Forces:
  Brigadier General
  (Arabic: عميد‎)

• 

  Estonia:
  Brigaadikindral

• 

  Germany:
  Brigadegeneral Bundeswehr

• 

  Greece:
  Ταξίαρχος
  (Taxiarchos)

• 

  Hungary:
  Dandártábornok

• 

  Italy:
  Generale di brigata (Brigadiere generale)

• Lebarmybrigenrank.png

  Lebanese Armed Forces:
  Amid
  (Arabic: عميد)

• 

  Portuguese Army:
  Brigadeiro-general

• 

  Romania:
  General de brigadă

• 

  Serbia:
  Бригадни Генерал / Brigadni general

• 

  Swedish Army:
  Brigadgeneral

• 

  British Army:
  (until 1920)
  Brigadier general

• 

  U.S. Army:
  Brigadier general

• 

  Netherlands:
  Brigadegeneraal

Air Force insignia[link]

This gallery displays Air Force brigadier general insignia if they are different from the Army brigadier general insignia. (They usually are.)
Note that in many Commonwealth countries, the equivalent air force rank is Air Commodore (and in the Netherlands, it is simply Commodore).

• 

  Denmark

• 

  France:
  général de brigade aérienne

• 

  Greece:
  Ταξίαρχος

• 

  Hungary:
  Dandártábornok

• 

  Italy:
  Generale di Brigata Aerea

• 

  Poland

• Brigadeiro t.jpg

  Portugal:
  Brigadeiro-general

• 

  Romania:
  General de flotilă aeriană

• 

  Serbia:
  Бригадни Генерал / Brigadni general

• 

  Spain

• 

  U.S. Air Force:
  Brigadier General

• 

  Netherlands:
  Commodore

Brigadier general ranks by country[link]

Argentina[link]

The rank of brigadier general (with some local variations) is used in the Argentine Air Force and unlike other armed forces of the World, the rank of brigadier general is actually the highest rank in the Air Force. This is due to the use of the rank of brigadier and its derivatives to designate all general officers in the Air Force: brigadier (lowest general officer) brigadier-major (middle) and brigadier-general (highest). The rank of brigadier general is reserved for the Chief General Staff of the Air Force, as well as the Chief of the Joint General Staff if he should be an Air Force officer.

The Argentine Army does not use the rank of brigadier-general, instead using the brigade general ( Spanish: General de brigada ) which in turn is the lowest general officer before Divisional General ( Spanish: General de Division ) and Lieutenant General ( Spanish: Teniente General ). See also Argentine Army officer rank insignia..

Australia[link]

In the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, the rank of brigadier general was always temporary and held only while the officer was posted to a particular task, typically the command of a brigade. When posted elsewhere, the rank would be relinquished and the former rank resumed. This policy prevented an accumulation of high-ranking general officers brought about by the relatively high turnover of brigade commanders. Brigadier general was also used as an honorary rank on retirement. The rank insignia was like that of the current major general, but without the star/pip^[2] - example.

As in the United Kingdom, the rank was later replaced by brigadier. Hence, prior to 1922, a "brigadier general" was a "general officer"; subsequently, brigadiers were not "generals"; this is shown by the rank insignia being like that of a colonel, but with an extra (third) star/pip^[2] - example.

(See also Australian Army officer rank insignia and List of Australian generals and brigadiers.)

Bangladesh[link]

The rank was known as brigadier in conformity with the rank structure of the Commonwealth Nations prior to 2001 in the Bangladesh Army. It is the lowest ranking general officer between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.

The Bangladesh Army introduced the rank of brigadier general in 2001, however the grade stayed equivalent to Brigadier . Brigadier General is equivalent to commodore of the Bangladesh Navy and air commodore of the Bangladesh Air Force. It is still more popularly called brigadier (one-star general).

Belgium[link]

The Belgian Army uses the rank of général de brigade (French) and brigadegeneraal (Dutch). However, in this small military there are no permanent promotions to this rank, and it is only awarded as a temporary promotion to a full colonel who assumes a post requiring the rank, notably in an international context (e.g. as Military Attaché in a major embassy).

Brazil[link]

Brigadier General is the lowest rank amongst general officers of the Brazilian army. They wear two stars as this is the entry level for general officers in the Brazilian Army. In the Brazilian Air Force, the two-star, three-star and four-star ranks are known as Brigadeiro (Brigadier), Major-Brigadeiro (Major-Brigadier) and Tenente-Brigadeiro-do-Ar (Lieutenant-Air-Brigadier) respectively. See Military ranks of Brazil and Brigadier#Officer rank in Latin America for more information.

Canada[link]

In the Canadian Forces, the rank of brigadier-general (BGen) (brigadier-général or bgén in French) is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a commodore of the Navy. A brigadier-general is the lowest rank of General Officer, the Army and Air Force equivalent of a Naval commodore. A brigadier-general is senior to a colonel or naval captain, and junior to a major-general or rear admiral.

The rank title "brigadier-general" is still used notwithstanding that brigades in the army are now commanded by colonels. Until the late 1990s brigades were commanded by brigadier-generals. In the air force context, brigadier-generals used to command air force "Groups" until these bodies were abolished in the late 1990s.

The rank insignia for a brigadier-general is a single gold maple leaf beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown, worn on the shoulder straps of the service dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The service dress jacket also features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves; the air force wedge cap features gold braid on the edges of the ear flaps. The cap insignia for a general officer is a modified version of the Canadian Forces insignia; the collar insignia (Army generals only) is two crossed sabres. Some brigadier-generals, by nature of holding a branch-specific appointment, may continue to wear the insignia of their personnel branch; for example, the chaplain-general wears the general officer's cap insignia with the collar insignia of the Chaplain Branch,^[3] while the surgeon-general continues to wear the cap and collar insignia of the Canadian Forces Medical Service.^[4]

• Army uniform variations
• 

  Dress uniform tunic

• Army slip-on BGen.png

  Uniform shirts

• CADPAT temperate BGen.png

  CADPAT uniform

• CADPAT arid BGen.png

  arid-region CADPAT uniform

• Air Force uniform variations
• 

  Dress uniform tunic

• Air Force slip-on BGen.png

  Uniform shirts

• Air Force olive BGen.png

  CADPAT uniform

Brigadier-generals are initially addressed verbally as "General" and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am" in English or "mon général" in French. They are normally entitled to staff cars.

Note: Before unification in 1968 of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Navy, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern. In army usage, the term "brigadier" was used to denote what is now known as a brigadier-general while the air force used the rank of Air Commodore.

China[link]

Chinese rank of (Da-Xiao 大校) or Senior Colonel is a direct equivalent of a brigadier. It ranks above colonel (Shang-Xiao 上校) and below major general (Shao-Jiang 少将). A brigadier is commonly in command of a division (Shi 师) or a brigade (Lu 旅). Divisional commanders are seldom general officers.

Colombia[link]

Insignia of a Colombian brigadier general

The rank of brigadier general is the first general officer rank in the Fuerzas Militares,^[5] and the National Police.^[6]

Estonia[link]

In the Estonian military, the rank is called Brigaadikindral.

France[link]

France uses the rank of "brigade general" (général de brigade). It formerly used the historic rank, until 1793, of brigadier des armées ("brigadier of the armies"). The rank contrasts with the French sub-officer rank of brigadier. As with all French general officers, a French brigade general is titled "general" without any implication that he is an army general; for instance General De Gaulle never rose higher than brigade general.

Until 1793, a rank of brigadier des armées ("brigadier of the armies") existed in the French Army, which could be described as a senior colonel or junior brigade commander. The normal brigade command rank was field marshal (maréchal de camp) (which elsewhere is a more senior rank). A "brigadier of the armies" wore one-star and a "field marshal" wore two stars. During the French Revolution, the revolutionaries' drive to rationalise the state led to a change in the system of ranks. The rank of "brigadier of the armies" was abolished and the normal brigade command rank, field marshal, was replaced by brigade general. The rank of brigade general inherited the two stars of the rank of field marshal, explaining the absence since 1793 of a French rank with only one star.

Nowadays, a French général de brigade generally commands a brigade, which is the biggest permanent formation in the French army. The rank can also be awarded in an honorary fashion to retiring colonels. The insignias are two stars, worn on the shoulder are at the sleeve of the uniform, depending on the dress. Two different kepis are issued : the service kepi sports the two-starts, while the formal kepi features a large band of oak leaves (the kepi of a division general has two smaller such bands).

Charles de Gaulle, held the rank of brigade general. He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the 4th Armoured Reserve Division (4ème division cuirassée de réserve). However his authority as head of the Free French really came from being the only cabinet member outside occupied France, not from his military rank. As a reminder of his war position, he refused any further promotion.

• 

  Rank insignia of French Army a général de brigade and French Air Force général de brigade aérienne

• 

  Brigade General Charles de Gaulle, wearing the formal kepi.

• 

  Rank insignia of Gendarmerie a général de brigade

• 

  Rank insignia of French Foreign Legion général de brigade, who commands the entire French Foreign Legion.

• 

  A French général de brigade

Germany[link]

The equivalent modern German rank is brigadegeneral. The concept of a brigadier general rank is relatively new, as prior to 1945 the lowest German general officer rank was generalmajor, which was often considered equivalent to brigadier general in other armies.

Greece[link]

Hungary[link]

In Hungary the brigadier general is a relatively new military rank used from 1992. The army and the air force insignia are not different.

Indonesia[link]

In Indonesia, brigadir jenderal (abbreviated as "brigjen") is the fourth highest rank and the lowest general rank both in Polri and TNI. The insignia is a gold star.

Iran[link]

The equivalent rank for brigadier general in the Iranian army and air force is called sar-tip-dovom. It is above the rank of sar-hang (colonel) and below the rank of sar-tip (major general).

Notice that Iranian Revolutionary Guards also use this rank. The difference is in salutation. One refers an army or air force brigadier general as "amir sar-tip", while a revolutionary guard general is referred to as "sardar sar-tip".

As an unwritten rule which makes major general the highest Iranian military rank, and therefore a brigadier general is considered to be second highest rank of the Iranian military. It is normally the rank of the commander of the air force and (as a commodore, the equivalent rank) the Navy.

Israel[link]

In the Israel Defense Forces, the rank of brigadier general is called tat aluf and is the third highest rank, below aluf (major general) and rav aluf (lieutenant general or general), and above aluf mishne (colonel).

Jordan[link]

In the Jordanian military, the rank of brigadier general is known as amid, and it is higher than colonel (akeed) and lower than major general (liwa).

South Korea[link]

The rank of brigadier general is known in South Korea as junjang (Korean: 준장; hanja: 准將)^[7] and is a direct equivalent to the United States one-star rank, with very similar insignia. The military of North Korea does not technically maintain a brigadier general rank, but the rank of senior colonel (대좌, taejwa) which is above colonel (상좌, sangjwa) and below major general (소장, Sojang) is the effective equivalent.

Burma (Myanmar)[link]

The rank of brigadier general is known in Burma as bo mhu gyoke and is often the deputy commander of one of Burma's Regional Military Commands, commander of the light infantry division (LID) or Military Operation Commands. In civil service, a brigadier general often holds the office of deputy minister or director general of certain ministries.

Mexico[link]

In Mexico, brigade general is the rank below divisional general and, confusingly, the rank above brigadier general. A Mexican brigade general wears as rank insignia the arms of Mexico above two stars. (A Mexican brigadier general wears the arms of Mexico above one star.)

Pakistan[link]

The Pakistan Army has followed the British Army rank system since independence from the British Empire in 1947. However, the crown in the ranks has been replaced with a star and crescent, which symbolizes the sovereignty of the Government of Pakistan.

Brigadier general or brigadier, is an equivalent rank to commodore in the Pakistan Navy and air commodore in the Pakistan Air Force. In Pakistan Army and Marines, some officers have been promoted to brigadier general while others are promoted as brigadier.^{[citation needed]} However, brigadier or brigadier general are equivalent to each other. In the Pakistan Defense Forces, a brigadier (or brigadier-general) is a one-star rank general officer and are considered as one of the high-ranking military officers in Pakistan Armed Forces. Brigadiers or brigadier generals in Pakistan army, are the General Officer Commanding of the brigades which consists of approximately 3000–5000 men and women. Like other armies, brigadier rank is higher than colonel and but subordinated to two-star major generals.

Poland[link]

Prior to 2002, the Polish rank of generał brygady was equivalent to both the ranks of major general and brigadier general.

Portugal[link]

In the Portuguese Army and Air Force, brigadeiro-general is a temporary general rank for the colonels that have to exercise a special command. It is the equivalent of the commodore rank in the Portuguese Navy.

The rank was reintroduced in 1999. Before that, simply as brigadeiro, it existed from 1707 to 1864 and again from 1929 to 1947, not being considered a general rank. From 1947 to 1999, brigadeiro become the two-star general rank in the Portuguese Army. As two-star rank, it was substituted by the rank of major-general in 1999.

Spain[link]

In the Spanish Army and Spanish Air Force, general de brigada is the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent in the Navy is contraalmirante.

Sweden[link]

In the Swedish Army and Swedish Air Force, brigadgeneral is the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent in the Navy is flottiljamiral.

Turkey[link]

In the Turkish Army and the Turkish Air Force, the equivalent rank is tuğgeneral (the Turkish Navy equivalent would be tuğamiral). The name is derived from tugay, the Turkish word for a brigade. Both tugay and tuğ- as military terms may owe their origins to the older Turkish word tuğ, meaning horsetail, which was used as a symbol of authority and rank in Ottoman and pre-Ottoman times.

United Kingdom[link]

Brigadier-general was formerly a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines, and briefly in the Royal Air Force.

It first appeared in the army in the reign of James II,^[8] but did not exist in the Royal Marines until 1913.^[9]

It was abolished in both the army and the marines in 1922, being replaced in the army by the grade of colonel commandant (which already existed in the marines). Colonel commandant was in turn replaced by the grade of brigadier in the army in 1928, and at some time between World War II and 1957 in the marines.^[10][11]

From its formation on 1 April 1918 until 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of brigadier general. It was superseded by the rank of air commodore on the following day.

Brigadier-general was a temporary rank only, bestowed on a colonel or lieutenant-colonel (or on a colonel commandant in the marines) for the duration of a specific command.

The insignia for the rank was a crossed sword and baton on its own; higher grades of general at the time and still consist of this device with the addition of a star, crown or both for a full general.

Brigadier is the highest field officer rank (hence absence of the word "general"), whereas brigadier-general was the lowest general officer rank. However, the two ranks are considered equal.

The equivalent naval rank is commodore and the equivalent air force rank is air commodore.

United States[link]

President Zachary Taylor was a Brigadier General

See also[link]

• British Army officer rank insignia
• Comparative military ranks
• Military unit
• NATO Air Force officers
• NATO Army officers
• U.S. Army officer rank insignia
• United Kingdom and United States military ranks compared
• Wiktionary definition of General.

References and notes[link]

Keith Kerr, Colonel, USA-ret, and BG, CSMR-ret., (born 1936) is a retired United States Army Reserve Colonel, who later was given the rank of Brigadier General in the California State Military Reserve, part of the California State Defense Forces who in 2003 became one of the highest ranking military officers to be openly gay.

Service Record[link]

Kerr enlisted as a private at Fort Ord on September 21, 1953 and served in the 513th Military Intelligence Group in Germany after the Korean War. After leaving Active Army service, Kerr served in the U. S. Army Reserve and was commissioned a First Lieutenant in June 1960. Kerr retired from the U. S. Army Reserve in 1986 as a Colonel.

Kerr was commissioned in the California State Military Reserve, a state defense force, and was given the rank of Brigadier General on February 21, 1991. The brigadier general rank in a state organization is not recognized by the federal government where his U.S. Army rank for retirement purposes remains a Colonel.

During his tenure with the California State Military Reserve, Kerr was the Inspector General, Chief of Staff, Commanding General of the Northern Area Command at the Alameda Naval Supply Depot in Alameda, California.^[1]

Civilian Record[link]

He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and has a Master’s Degree from San Francisco State University.

As a member of the faculty at City College of San Francisco, Mr. Kerr was Chair of the Business Department, Dean of Instruction, and Dean of Instructional Support and Special Assistant to the President before retiring in 1995. After that time, he continued teaching as an adjunct professor.

He currently lives in Santa Rosa, California.

Gay Activist[link]

Kerr (left) during a 2005 announcement by Congressman Marty Meehan of introduction of ultimately unsuccessful legislation to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy

On December 10, 2003, Kerr revealed in an interview with the New York Times that he is gay.^[2]

The interview was critical of the Don't ask, don't tell policy. Also coming out in the interview were Brigadier General Virgil A. Richard of the Army and Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman of the United States Coast Guard. At the time they were the highest ranking members of the military to acknowledge being gay. In the interview he said, "The culture of the military is that you go along and conform ... And you keep your private life to yourself."

He became a member of the Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network. Kerr was a supporter of John Kerry in his 2004 Presidential run^[3] and was listed on a Hillary Clinton press release as a member of the Steering Committee of the "LGBT Americans For Hillary."^[4]

CNN-YouTube Debate controversy[link]

On November 29, 2007, Kerr submitted a YouTube video that was used as a question in the Republican Presidential Debate in St. Petersburg, Florida on CNN. Kerr was also present in the audience and was asked to speak in which he said:

My name is Keith Kerr, from Santa Rosa, California. I'm retired brigadier general with 43 years of service, and I'm a graduate of the Special Forces Officer Course, the Command and General Staff Course, and the Army War College. And I'm an openly gay man. I want to know why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians.^[5]

After the candidates responded Anderson Cooper asked him if he got an answer to his question to which he replied, "With all due respect, I did not get an answer from the candidates."

Kerr's question generated criticism of CNN for not disclosing Kerr's Clinton ties. CNN had paid Kerr's traveling expenses to the debate^[6] but stated that it was unaware of the connection with the Clinton campaign at the time. When asked if anyone affiliated with the Clinton campaign “put you up to the idea of asking this question,” Mr. Kerr stated that “[t]his was a private initiative of my own.”^[7] CNN pulled Kerr's question and response in subsequent replays.

References[link]

Mustafa Ahmad

Personal information
Full name	Mustafa Ahmad Abdul-Amir
Date of birth	(1991-01-01) January 1, 1991 (age 21)
Place of birth	Iraq
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Arbil FC
Number	23
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2008-2010	Al-Zawraa	40	(28)
2010–	Arbil FC	33	(25)
National team‡
2010-	Iraq	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 September 2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21 September 2010

Mustafa Ahmad Abdul-Amir (Arabic: مصطفى احمد عبدالامير‎) (born January 1, 1991 in Iraq) is an Iraqi football striker. He currently plays for the Arbil FC football club in Iraq.

National Team debut[link]

On September 2010, Abdul-Amir was called-up for the Iraq National team, and made his first international debut against the Oman national football team. Iraq won the match 3-2.

External links[link]

• Profile on Goalzz.com

This biographical article related to Iraqi association football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Kyaw Zaw
Native name	‌ကျော်ဇော
Born	Shwe 3 December 1919 (1919-12-03) (age 92) Hsaingzu, Tharrawaddy District, Burma
Residence	Yunnan Province, China
Nationality	Burmese
Known for	Member of the Thirty Comrades
Spouse	Than Sein

Kyaw Zaw (Burmese: ‌ကျော်ဇော, [tɕɔ̀ zɔ́]; born on 3 December 1919) is one of the founders of the Tatmadaw (the modern Burmese Army) and a member of the legendary "Thirty Comrades" who trained in Japan in the struggle for independence from Britain. He is also one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Burma living in exile in Yunnan Province, China.

Student activist[link]

Born Maung Shwe in a village called Hsaingzu near Thonze in Tharrawaddy District, British Burma, Kyaw Zaw was educated in the traditional manner, mainly in monastic schools often becoming a novice monk during the Buddhist lent, until the final year when he went to the Pazundaung Municipal High School in Rangoon. There he met teachers who were members of the nationalist Dobama Asiayone (We Burmans Association) who made him become politically aware and soon joined the Yè tat (The Braves - Dobama militia). As he was educated only in the vernacular and had no knowledge of the English language required for university, he went on to the Highergrade Teachers Training School where English was not required.^[1]

The Great General Strike of 1938, known as Htaung thoun ya byei Ayeidawbon (the "Revolution of 1300" named after the Burmese calendar year), saw him as one of the student protesters successfully picketing the Secretariat, the seat of the colonial government, on December 20. As the students left in triumphant procession, they were confronted by the British mounted police who charged into the students from Rangoon University at the head of the procession beating them with their batons and killing one of their number called Aung Kyaw.^[2] Kyaw Zaw witnessed this and was himself slightly injured trampled by a horse.^[1]

Freedom fighter[link]

When the strike came to an end, a disappointed Kyaw Zaw joined the Dobama Asiayone and became Thakin Shwe before he returned to Thonze to become a schoolteacher but still active in the political struggle for independence and involved in organising and training the local militia. Here he met his future wife Ma Than Sein, but he still had his mind set on learning English, and so at the beginning of 1941 Kyaw Zaw found himself back in Rangoon. He was however soon to be recruited by the Thakin leaders for military training as the struggle for national liberation gathered momentum, and in April 1941 Kyaw Zaw, aged 21, joined a group of young men who would go down in history as the Thirty Comrades and left Burma secretly smuggled aboard a ship bound for Yokohama, Japan. They were then flown to Hainan Island, China where they received military training before they returned to Burma as the Burma Independence Army (BIA) led by Aung San with the invading Japanese Army in December 1941. Thakin Shwe was now known by a nom de guerre Bo Kyaw Zaw (Commander Fame).^[1]

Army career[link]

After Burma gained independence in 1948, Kyaw Zaw became famous as the commander who fought and defeated the Kuomintang who had fled China after the Communist victory in 1949 and had established bases in Burmese territory in the early 1950s. The Kuomintang were supported by the United States and remained in Burma for a few years in the early 1950s making occasional forays into China to fight the Chinese communists. During the period of 1953 to 1955, under Brigadier General Kyaw Zaw's command the Burmese Army fought the Kuomintang and drove them out of Burmese territory into Thailand. Between 1954 and 1955, Brig.Gen. Kyaw Zaw also successfully led a campaign against the insurgent Karen National Union (KNU) and established central government control in the Karen State.^[3] The Prime Minister at the time was U Nu and the Commander in Chief of the Army General Ne Win. Kyaw Zaw was wounded by a shrapnel in his thigh in 1949 during the Battle of Insein when the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) laid siege to the capital Rangoon. He was commissioned by Ne Win during the crisis as the commanding officer and Kyaw Zaw rated this battle as the bitterest with the greatest loss of life in his military career.^[1]

Brig. Gen. Kyaw Zaw was forced to retire from the Army in April 1957 when papers recovered from raids of the Burmese Communist rebel strongholds located in central Burma indicated that Kyaw Zaw might have contacted and informed the Communists of the Army's movements. A Commission established to investigate "In Re the matter of Brig.Gen.Kyaw Zaw" (in Burmese Bohmu Gyoke Kyaw Zaw Keik-sa) found that a preponderance of the evidence showed that Brig.Gen.Kyaw Zaw's role was suspect and recommended his discharge from the Army. He had joined the Communist Party in 1944 and was elected to the Central Committee the following year.^[4] He had however decided not to join the Army rebellion led by Communist commanders soon after independence in 1948; he was convalescing from tuberculosis.^[1]

Civilian interlude[link]

After his discharge from the Army, Kyaw Zaw contested as an independent candidate for Parliament in the multiparty general election of February 1960 but was unsuccessful. In April 1963 the Revolutionary Council (RC) led by General Ne Win invited the various armed rebel groups for negotiation in peace talks to be held in Rangoon. During "the peace parley" Kyaw Zaw became an active supporter of the People's Peace Committee along with another veteran leader, the venerated elder politician and writer Thakin Kodaw Hmaing (1876–1964). Many armed groups came to Rangoon, under the promise of a safe passage by the RC which it did honor, for the negotiations. The Communist Party of Burma (CPB), also known as the "White Flag" Communists, which was outlawed on March 28, 1948 and had since been active as an underground Party led by Thakin Than Tun, sent a delegation though Than Tun himself remained in the jungle. The "Red Flag" Communists, a Trotskyist group that went underground in October 1946 even before independence from Britain was declared on January 4, 1948, and led by Thakin Soe, also joined the peace talks headed by the flamboyant Soe himself. The peace parley with the various armed groups, with the exception of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO, the military wing of the KNU) with whom the RC did sign a cease-fire and an armistice agreement, broke down in June 1963, and the representatives of these rebel groups were allowed a safe passage back to their jungle strongholds.

Though Kyaw Zaw was not arrested after the breakdown of the peace talks,in June 1963, dozens of Burmese politicians and writers who were suspected of having "Communist sympathies" were arrested and jailed without any charge or trial by the RC for several years. Among the detainees in the immediate aftermath of the failed peace parley were Aung Than, older brother of Aung San and a leader of the above-ground political party National United Front (NUF), and the writer Dagon Ta-ya (real name U Htay Myaing, b. 9 May 1919).

Communist leader[link]

In late July 1976, the Socialist Burmese government announced in newspapers and on state radio that Kyaw Zaw, son Aung Kyaw Zaw and daughter Dr Hla Kyaw Zaw had disappeared from their homes and requested the public's assistance in finding them.^[3] Within several days on August 10, 1976 the clandestine Communist Party of Burma (CPB) radio station based at that time in Kunming, China, announced that "former Brigadier Kyaw Zaw has arrived in the liberated area" i.e. the areas under the control of the CPB. The same day Kyaw Zaw broadcast an appeal on CPB radio to the people and especially requested the Burmese Army personnel to join the CPB and "the mainstream of the People's Democratic Forces". Among others, in his appeal to the Burmese Army personnel, Kyaw Zaw stated that he was one of the founding members of the Burmese Army. He rhetorically asked the troops what would have happened to the Army and the country if he had, like Ne Win, then President and long-time dictator of Burma, "acted and cavorted like a feudal play-boy prince". He also revealed for the first time that Aung San and others among the Thirty Comrades had once seriously considered removing Ne Win from the military as he had shown "fascist" tendencies under the Japanese. Kyaw Zaw stated that the plan of Aung San and other leaders to remove Ne Win from the military was unsuccessful due to Ne Win's "cunning" (kauk-kyit hmu), pleasing both sides (hna-phet myet hnar loke-hmu) and the conditions pertaining at that time i.e. during the war and immediate post-war years. Kyaw Zaw claimed that the unsuccessful and ostensible attempts to remove Ne Win from commanding the Burmese military was a "historical lesson". He exhorted the government troops not to continue as assassins and murderers in the service of the "power-mad and evil king ( min-hsoe min-nyit) Ne Win".^[3] Kyaw Zaw stated that the "most important aspects of the Army's history such as the Resistance against the Japanese March to May 1945 and the immediate post-war years were co-terminous with my personal life". Giving the examples of China and "what had happened only very recently in Indochina (i.e the Communist victories in Kampuchea, Vietnam and Laos in April and December 1975)" he requested the Army personnel not to be hesitant to "join the armed revolution led by the Communist Party of Burma".

Very few, if any, Burmese military personnel of any import heeded the call of Kyaw Zaw to join forces with the CPB. Instead, mainly due to internal rebellions by the Wa and Kokang ethnic groups which constituted the CPB's "People's Army", the CPB virtually collapsed in 1989. Even though the CPB now had a web site (CPB [1])and occasionally issues announcements regarding the political situation in Burma, it is now a pale shadow of its former self when it used to have, under its command, an Army or armed resistance groups in the thousands if not in the tens of thousands.

In May 1980 Ne Win's Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) government announced an Amnesty, and even though many exiled opponents of Ne Win's regime such as former Prime Minister U Nu and Bo Yan Naing, another famous member of the Thirty Comrades, returned to Burma under the Amnesty, Kyaw Zaw did not. In a speech given to the Burma War Veterans Association on July 29, 1982 Ne Win briefly "reminisced" about the Thirty Comrades days and made a brief reference to "Bo Kyaw Zaw- the one that left or ran away". ( A translation of Ne Win's speech can be read in the July 30, 1982 issues of the Rangoon Guardian and the Working People's Daily)

During the 8888 Uprising in 1988 the Military Intelligence (MI) claimed that both Kyaw Zaw and Thakin Ba Thein Tin had written to Daw Khin Kyi, the mother of Aung San Suu Kyi, and after her death, Aung San Suu Kyi was encouraged to enter politics by Communist sympathisers including Kyaw Zaw's other daughter San Kyaw Zaw. Implicit in the emphasis on this "guilt by association" is to establish the "Communist lineage" from the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi is the niece of Thakin Than Tun, the late CPB Chairman (1945–1967).^[3] Kyaw Zaw's son-in-law Thet Khaing was also accused of being a leader of the Communist Underground (UG) responsible for organising the General Strike Committees in both Rangoon and Mandalay and infiltrating the student unions.^[3]

Unfinished business[link]

Kyaw Zaw, now 90, after more than ten years in exile in 1998, called for a meaningful political dialogue between the ruling junta — the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) — and Burmese opposition groups, including the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi.^[5] He believes the Burmese people's struggle for a government they deserve has not finished yet and that they will have to "struggle for themselves courageously, ceaselessly and collectively".^[4] The military regime's move to Pyinmana as the capital of the country, he commented, indicated not so much the fear of invasion by the United States than the fear of another popular uprising in future.^[6]

Kyaw Zaw is only one of two surviving Thirty Comrades. The Thirty Comrades were a group of Burmese men who secretly left Burma in 1941, and was trained by the Japanese on Hainan Island and returned to Burma with the invading Japanese Army in early to mid-1942. In a house in Bangkok on December 26, 1941, most of the Thirty Comrades had their blood drawn (in syringes) and poured into a silver bowl from which each of them drank (thway thauk in time-honoured tradition) and pledged "eternal loyalty" to each other and to the cause of Burmese independence.^[7] Among the Thirty Comrades were Thakin Aung San who took the nom de guerre Bo Tayza, Thakin Shu Maung who became Bo Ne Win and Thakin Shwe who became Bo Kyaw Zaw. Kyaw Zaw was one of the youngest of the Thirty Comrades. The other surviving member of the Thirty Comrades today is Bo Yè Htut who is believed to be living in Pyinmana. Bo Ye Htut, like Bo Zeya (killed in action in 1968) and Bo Yan Aung (killed in the CPB purge of 1967), was one of the Communist members of the Thirty Comrades who led the Army rebellion in 1948 when Bo Kyaw Zaw decided to remain in the Army.^[3] Kyaw Zaw has also stated that he always believed the British were behind the assassination of Aung San one way or another.^[4]

The memoirs of Kyaw Zaw written in Burmese can be accessed at the CPB web site.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Bogyoke Kyaw Zaw's autobiography in Burmese". CPB. http://cpburma.org/biography.htm. 
2. ^ "The Statement on the Commemoration of Bo Aung Kyaw's Death". All Burma Students League. December 1999. http://www.burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199912/msg00642.html. Retrieved 2006-10-16. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Smith, Martin (1991). Burma - Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London and New Jersey: Zed Books. pp. 154, 211, 150, 305–306, 368, 366, 92. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Unfinished Struggle: An Interview with Gen.Kyaw Zaw". The Irrawaddy. Dec 2003. http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=3235. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 
5. ^ Comrades Appeal to Ne Win. The Irrawaddy. February 1998. http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=7576. Retrieved 2006-08-27. 
6. ^ "Pyinmana:The Threat from Within". The Irrawaddy. Nov 2005. http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=5159. Retrieved 2006-08-28. 
7. ^ An Enduring Legacy Written in Blood. The Irrawaddy. Mar 2005. http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=4498. Retrieved 2006-08-26. 

External links[link]

• The Communist Party of Burma
• Burma Communist Party's Conspiracy to take over State Power and related information
• The Blood-strewn Path: Burma's Early Journey to Independence BBC Burmese Sep 30 2005
• Living under the Eye of the Dragon Aung Zaw, The Irrawaddy July 2005
• A Story of BCP and NLD Saw Htee, New Light of Myanmar, Oct 28 1998
• Possibilities for Political Change in Burma The Irrawaddy Dec 23 2004, ARDA (Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia)
• Burma's Communist Party Warns Against Superpower Confrontation Yeni, The Irrawaddy February 1, 2007
• Heroes and Villains The Irrawaddy, March 2007
• Interview with Gen. Kyaw Zaw on the 62nd Anniversary of Resistance Day in Burmese, New Era Journal, March 2007
• video: Speech by Gen. Kyaw Zaw - Vote No at the Referendum in Burmese, March 2008
• Red Star on a Stormy Journey Ko Ko Thett, The Irrawaddy, February 2008
• Tatmadaw Founder Calls on Soldiers to Work for People's Sake Wai Moe, The Irrawaddy, December 3, 2009