Is there anyone who wants to know how the first Shan flag was made? Read the following story – Editor
“Your fortune is very good,” noted the Shan soothsayer, his rotund face breaking into a wide grin of approval. One arm, heavily tattooed with linear Pali figures, reached over to a small pile of cardboard pages. He shuffled through the pile before carefully pulling one out. In the middle was a representation of a person, drawn in red marker, with the several numbers written above it. Other astrological designs and mystical characters were scrawled around the figure. Nearby was an offering table, laden with plates of rice and unrefined cane sugar cubes. The tiny room was dominated by an altar, which took up most of one side of the chamber. It held offerings for a crowd of Buddha images and spirit sculptures, which gazed down beatifically amidst the cloying, lingering odor of incense. 
“Tuesday and Friday-born persons are especially lucky for you, your closest friends will be those born on Tuesday or Friday. If you go into business, your partners should be someone born on one of these days. However, business will be successful and you will be financially secure; you will enjoy good health until age 46.” His face then took on a solemn note, before he continued.
“After that, things will still be fine, but you may have some health problems.” He paused briefly, gazing intently at the cardboard page and muttering under his breath, before nodding, looking up and confidently pronouncing, “intestinal problems. Just be careful of your health during this time period. Otherwise, your travels will be good, your business and finances will be fine, you will receive steady promotions, your friends and family will be well. Everything that you hope for will happen as you desire, everything. Your merit is really very good.”
His face then broke into a wry grin, “and don’t forget to share some with Mong Tai. [Shan State]”
As frequently occurs with our consultations, the topic soon migrated to much more earthly issues of governance, Mong Tai, and Burma. Our topic of the day was a discussion about Aung San Suu Kyi, particularly her ongoing detention amidst the upcoming elections.
“It has been over sixty years already since her father promised autonomy for Shan State, the Panglong Agreement.” The soothsayer originally hailed from Panglong, southern Shan State.
“I remember some of the people who were a part of that meeting and afterwards [laying the groundwork for a Shan State]. Some are still alive but very old now. They told me about the meeting when they designed the Shan flag. For the first Shan flag, they had to use yellow cloth from a monk’s robe. They decided that since it was sacred, it had to be on top. The green stripe was cut from the pants of one of the participants, a saopha [Prince], and they decided that it should be in the middle, to symbolize the forests, the vast riches of Shan State. The red, for bravery, came from cloth that adorned a Shan longdrum which was brought to the meeting. The white disc is for purity, the moon. Now sixty years have passed and people have forgotten [this history],” he noted with a twinge of regret.
“For us Shan, we support democracy, we support Aung San Suu Kyi. However, what is important is that we must have autonomy as well, and that must not be forgotten. That promise was what Burma was founded upon, even before we had a constitution and democracy. We want to go home, in Shan State, when we can. But that can only happen if democracy and peace returns.” He paused momentarily to sip from a glass of dark Shan tea.
“You know, the Burmese soldiers really believe in astrology,” he continued, changing subject as he began gathering his cardboard charts. “They have two astrologers for every 40 Burmese soldiers. Every time they travel anywhere or do anything, they have to consult with their astrologer, who tells them they have to do this or that in order to achieve success in their goals and have safe travels. That’s also why they have to always build pagodas. In Burmese they say this is yadaya chay.”
Indeed, in the last decade, the Burmese military has gone on a spree of Shwedagon Pagoda replica building all over Shan State, including one in Panglong, overshadowing the monument marking the site where the Panglong Agreement was signed in 1947. Towering 135 feet tall, it was grandly named the Maha Rahtarbhithamaggi or Great State Unity Pagoda, and was completed in 2006, after a quarter of the town had been forcibly relocated for its construction. There are officially 135 ethnic groups recognized by the Burmese government, a figure that excludes the rohingya and whose digits conveniently add up to the generals’ auspicious number, nine. By building the iconic symbol of Rangoon, “the end of strife,” all over Shan State, some speculate that the real aim of the generals was to astrologically guarantee the pacification and domination of the area, rather than to make merit. Local villagers and monks were later forced to attend the dedication ceremonies of the new pagodas, presided over by high-level Burmese military officers.
In March 2009, Snr-Gen Than Shwe attended the consecration ceremony of the latest Shwedagon replica, the Uppatasanti Pagoda, in the new capital, Naypyidaw. Taking almost three years to construct, it was only one foot shorter than the over 320 foot tall original structure in Rangoon. Uppatasanti translates to “Protection against Calamity.” It also is the title of a sutra to be recited in times of crisis, particularly foreign invasion.
After the soothsayer arranged the cards into a neat pile again, by an offering bowl, he continued.
“However, we all know the truth. This government will not last much longer; many disasters have hit the country, storms, earthquakes. And now, even the pagodas that they have built, like Danok, have collapsed.” He could not suppress a hint of a smile.
Over 2,000 years old, the Danok Pagoda, in Rangoon Division, is believed to house relics of the Buddha. Its collapse last year killed at least 20 people, primarily workmen and military personnel restoring the structure. Just weeks earlier, Daw Kyaing Kyaing, wife of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, and family members of other senior military officers had ceremonially hoisted the sacred golden umbrella, or hti, on top of the 170-foot tall pagoda. Official news of this disaster was immediately suppressed.
“This has never happened, this is not a normal occurrence, and it means this Burmese empire is nearing its end. Such is foretold in the stars.”
