Three Weapons

When Burma's nine-sided civil war degenerated into chaos last July, devout Buddhist Prime Minister Thakin Nu launched a "Peace Within One Year" campaign. Not even his followers placed much hope in it. But the combination of piety and punch paid off surprisingly well.

Last week LIFE Correspondent Elmer Lower cabled from Rangoon: "Experienced foreign observers here say that the Burmese government has improved its position more during the past year than either they or the Burmans believed possible. With the elimination of the Karens in Toungoo and the Communists in Prome (TIME, June 5), the government's campaign approaches being 75% successful."

Thakin Nu last week gave his explanation of this surprising development. Said he: "It was a gradual but definite realization by the people that peace cannot be achieved by spilling Burmese blood. There has been a wonderful spiritual revival which began when we brought the sacred Buddhist relics here from Ceylon in February and exhibited them to the people in 20 towns all over Burma."

Next day Thakin Nu announced that he would be a hermit premier, living in a thatched bamboo hut on the grounds of his residence and leaving his regime of prayer and dedication only when state affairs are most demanding.

While he prayed and his soldiers fought, loyal Burmans were combatting rebellion with a third weapon: humor. The Rangoon newspaper Burman recently printed a definition: "A Communist is a man who promises that you'll have no rent to pay and does his best to keep his promises by destroying everything you'd be willing to pay rent for." One rapidly disintegrating group of rebels is called the White Band PVO (People's Volunteer Organization). The surrendered PVO leader, Bo La Yaung, last week toured Rangoon flourishing a chit that read: "Bo La Yaung, having surrendered on May 12, has been granted full amnesty. No one must arrest him unless by order of the commissioner of police. [Signed] So Myint, Deputy Commissioner of Police."

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