Geography:
The Shan States are situated in the northeastern part of Burma, bordering China, Laos, Thailand and the Karenni state (Kayah). Its surface area is 62.500 square miles and is approximately 2,000 feet above sea level. With the Salween River running from North to South, most of the Shan states are composed of broad valleys and pine and evergreen forests

People:
Population
There are approximately 7 million people living within the Shan states, the majority of whom are ethnic Tai. Thirty-two states comprise the Shan States of Burma, the capital of which is Taunggyi.

Language
Shan belongs to the Tai languages and is the main language spoken in the Shan States, although English and Burmese are widely used and understood as well. It is a written language with its own alphabet, which is an adaptation of Mon script.

Culture and Religion
The main religion of the Shan people is Theravada Buddhism, although Hinduism, Islam and Animism flourish as well. The majority of Shan are ethnically Tai, but there is also Pa-o, Palaung, Wa of Mon Khmer stock, Kachin, Akha and Lalu of Tibeto-Burman stock as well. There are three major subdivisions of Shan, in terms of both dialect and of culture: Southern Burmese Shan, Northern Burmese Shan and Chinese Shan.

Economy
Most Shan are farmers (rice, vegetables, soybeans and fruit); some are miners (rubies and other precious stones) and tree cutters (teak). Old methods are used and little machinery is available. Before 1996 the Shan were responsible for up to 50% of the world’s opium production. After the surrender of their leader Khun Sa to the Burmese in February 1996, the selling and growth of illegal opium has all but stopped among the Shan, who now have an active drug eradication policy. The Shan States are also rich in mineral resources and have an abundant supply of timber, thus exhibiting the potential for a self-sufficient economy in the Shan States.

Environmental Problems
Similar to other oppressed groups in Burma, the Shan also face serious issues concerning deforestation and the construction of pipelines for extracting and sending natural gas and oil through their territories. The effects include environmental degradation; destruction of wildlife; tainted drinking water and constant threats of forced labor.

History
The history of the Shan people goes back to 650 BC, when they are said to have migrated from China to present day Burma and settled in the area known as the Shan States. By the end of the 13th Century, the Shan ruled all of Burma, then called the Ava Kingdom, and by the mid-14th century they had created an empire which stretched to the Yunan region of China in the north, the Tenasserim region of Burma in the south, the Assam region of India in the west and included parts of Laos and Thailand in the east.

At the end of the 16th century, the Shan were defeated by the Burmese and 50 years later by the Chinese, thus bringing an end to the Shan monarchy. Even so, the Shan had been recognised by both the Chinese and Burmese as a separate entity. In 1887, the Shan States became a British protectorate. In 1922, the Shan were granted a distinct status and the British rulers established the ‘Federated Shan States’.

The historic Panglong Agreement in 1947 between Burma and the Shan paved the way for the "Union of Burma Constitution" which followed their joint independence from the British in 1948.
In 1952 Burma invaded the Shan States under the pretext of fighting against Guomingang, Chinese nationalists fighting against the communist regime, incursion. Ten years later, in 1962, the Burmese military staged a coup and abolished the Union Constitution. Since then, the Shan have been waging a resistance movement against the Burmese military oppression, striving for fulfilment of their right to self-determination.

In January 1996, the resistance group Mong Tai Army (MTA) led by Khun Sa, surrendered to the Burmese military, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). However, large numbers of ex-MTA troops refused to surrender and instead began to move north, along the Thai-Burma border, to join other Shan resistance groups who were under a ceasefire agreement with SLORC, at the time. Soon, an alliance of forces was created and in February 1996 Shan troops penetrated into the Central Shan State. The Burmese military responded by implementing a policy of relocation in the area in order to cut off civilian support to the resistance groups. The relocation is still in progress today.

The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) is the largest winning political party in the 1990 nation-wide election within the Shan States, representing the non-Burmese. SNLD, as well as National League for Democracy (NLD), participated in the "National Convention" (NC), formed by SLORC in 1993 in order to draft a new Union of Burma Constitution. Unlike NLD, SNLD has not been able to attract the attention of foreign powers and media, therefore the SNLD must be more moderate regarding their indictments of SLORC policies outside the NC, but inside the NC they remain firmly and vocally committed to realising the fulfilment of the rights guaranteed by the Panglong Agreement of 1947.
With the SNLD having no voice outside the "National Convention" and the Shan resistance being cut off from Thailand, a traditional gateway to international media and public awareness, the need for a voice outside Burma was tremendous. On November 16, 1996, the Shan Democratic Union (SDU) was founded by key members of the Chiangmai-based Shan State Organization and the Bangkok-based Tai Union. The SDU is an umbrella organization, now functioning as the Foreign Ministry of Shanland with the tacit approval of SNLD and the formal approval of the resistance groups.

During 1997, there had been regular reports of serious human rights violations in the Shan State. Numerous incidents of forced relocation, forced labour, illegal confiscation of goods and extra-judicial killings are reported. According to the Shan Human Rights Foundation reports, specific incidents of random shooting, murder and rape occurred in the villages of Namzarng and Murngpan, from June to August 1997.

Since the relocation began, in February 1996, an estimated 200,000 villagers have been forced at gunpoint to abandon their homes and move to relocation sites near main roads and towns. Between May and July 1997, 200 villages were forcibly relocated. No food, medicine or clothing has been provided by the SLORC at these sites, and, dispossessed of their ancestral land, the relocated Shan farmers have been forced to survive as wage labourers or beggars.

The result of the relocations and physical brutality has been a massive exodus of Shan refugees to Thailand. It is estimated that, thus far, at least 500.000 people have fled to Thailand. Once across the border, though, the Thai authorities refuse to grant them refugee status. The result is that refugee camps will not receive them, forcing them to work as illegal labourers, beggars and prostitutes, living at a subsistence level in work-sites together with their elderly, dependents, and young children.

In an appeal on 8 September 1997, the SDU urged the United Nations, as well as other international organizations and national governments to exert all possible influence upon the military regime of Burma to stop the implementation of “inhumane policies, which are tantamount to the ethnic cleansing of the Shan people.” In another appeal made to the UN General Assembly on 26 October 1997, SDU stated, on behalf of the Non-Burmese peoples, that: “Democracy in Burma is meaningless without the recognition of the equality and right to self-determination of the non-Burmese peoples and vice-versa.”

The Shan became a member of UNPO in June 1997, represented by the Shan States Organization (SSO), which is member of the SDU.

To date, the Shan people continue to be persecuted and oppressed by the Burmese military junta. Gross human rights violations, particularly forced labor, extrajudicial killings, and rape as a weapon of torture are just a few of the horrors faced by Shan. Many have fled to neighbouring Thailand to seek refuge, however, they are one of the few groups from Burma not recognized as refugees or given asylum status and therefore are given no aid or help of any kind. Other issues, such as the violent crack down on opium growth; cultural, religious and linguistic repression; and senseless killings and displacements continue to plague the Shan and desperately seek the attention of the international community.
Thirteen Shan activist groups operating both in and outside of Burma met in June 2005 and established an unprecedented agreement in order to unite all Shan people and work toward ending the discrimination and persecution suffered at the hands of the Burmese military.

They adopted three main resolutions: 1) to form a committee representing all Shans, 2) to unite with indigenous non-Shan groups in the Shan states, and 3) to resolve political issues by political means. The meeting has marked an incredible moment for both Shan and non-Shan peoples alike and will hopefully better help indigenous peoples in the Shan states and Burma as a whole to realize their hopes of a democratic and genuine union in the future.

Organizations:
The Shan are represented at UNPO by the Shan States Organization (SSO), a member of the Shan Democratic Union (SDU).

Statistics:
Population: 7 million
Language: Shan (Tai language group)
Religion: Theravada Buddhism