ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS,
TERMS AND MEASUREMENTS
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
ABSDF - All Burma Students’ Democratic Front
ABSL - All Burma Students League
aka - also known as
ALP - Arakan Liberation Party
approx - approximately
ASC - Arakanese Students Congress
BAD - Border Area Development programme
B.E. - Burmese Era
Brig - Brigadier
BI - Burma Issues
BIG - Burma Information Group
Bn - Battalion
BPP - Border Patrol Police (Thailand)
BRC - Burmese Relief Center
BSPP - Burma Socialist Programme Party
Capt - Captain
CNF - Chin National Front
Comdr - Commander
Col - Colonel
Coy - Company
Cpl - Corporal
CPPSM - Campaign for the Publicity of the People’s Struggle in Monland
DDSI - Directorate of Defence Services Intelligence
DKBA - Democratic Kayin (Karen) Buddhist Association
DPA - Democratic Patriotic Army
Dta Baw - The Yellow Ones (the common Karen names for DKBA)
FEC - Foreign Exchange Certificate (officially valued at US$ 1 = 1 FEC; unofficial/black market US$1 = 110-120 FEC)
ft - feet
FTUB - Federation of Trade Unions, Burma
Gen - General
HRDU - Human Rights Documentation Unit
HRV - human rights violations
HURFOM - Human Rights Foundation of Monland
IA - Images Asia
IB - Infantry Bn
IDC - Immigration Detention Centre (Thailand)
Ind - Independent
Lt - Lieutenant
kg - Kilogram
KHRG - Karen Human Rights Group
KNLA - Karen National Liberation Army (military wing of KNU)
KNPP - Karenni National Progressive Party
KNU - Karen National Union
Ko Per Baw - The Yellow Headbands (the common Karen names for DKBA)
Ko Per Kit - The Striped (usually red-and-white) headbands (a relatively small group which has allied itself with DKBA. It started as a civilian organisation focused on preserving Karen culture but at some point was either subverted or forcibly taken over by militant DKBA members. Ko Per Kit members now carry samurai-style swords which they say must be used to kill someone if they are drawn, and operated together with DKBA troops.)
Ko Per Wah - The White Headbands which was recently formed. Formed by a monk who then allied himself
with DKBA chief U Thuzana.
Ks - Kyats (approx. value: official US$1 = 6 Ks; unofficial US$1 = 110- 120 Ks)
LIB - Light Infantry Battalion
LID - Light Infantry Division
LORC - Law and Order Restoration Council (on the local, regional, etc., levels)
Maj - Major
Ma Wa Ta - Township-level SLORC authorities
MDUF Meik-Dawei United Front (a 100 strong ethnic Tavoyan armed opposition group formerly known as DPA)
MIS - Military Intelligence Services (aka DDSI)
MIS - Mon Information Service
mm - millimetre
MNRC - Mon National Relief Committee
MOGE Myanmar Oil & Gas Enterprise
MOI - Ministry of Interior (Thailand)
MOU - Memorandum of Understanding
MSC - Military Strategic Command
MTA - Mong Tai Army (led by Khun Sa)
n.a. [not available]
Na Wa Ta- State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
NBC - Norwegian Burma Council
NCGUB - National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
NCO Non-commissioned officer
NGO - Non-governmental organisation
NLD - National League for Democracy
NLM - The New Light of Myanmar
NMSP - New Mon State Party
Pa Wa Ta - State-level SLORC authorities
Pali - Sanskrit
Pvt - Private
Pyi - Country
pyi eight-condensed-milk tin
SAIN - Southeast Asia Information Network
Sd. - Signed with signature
Sgt - Sergeant
Shwedagon - The Great Pagoda in Rangoon
SHRF - Shan Human Rights Foundation
S.H.A.N. - Shan Herald Agency for News
SLORC - State Law and Order Restoration Council
sq - Square
SSA Shan State Army
SSIA Shan State Independence Army (now know as SSA after joining the latter army)
SUA Shan United Army (now-defunct when MTA exits)
SURA Shan United Revolutionary Army (now-defunct when MTA exists)
Ta Wa Ta- Division-level SLORC authorities
TOC - Tactical Operations Command
TRC - Tailand Revolutionary Council
USDA - Union Solidarity and Development Association
Ya Wa Ta- Town-quarter-level or Village-level SLORC authorities
yrs - Years
TERMS
Baht - monetary unit of Thailand (see under “Measurements”).
Black Areas - areas fully under the control of anti-government forces.
Bo - military commander.
Brown Areas - areas partially under the control of anti-government forces
Daw - an honorific used to address an adult female
furlong - (see under “measurements”).
jaggery - a hard brown crystallised substance which is obtained from boiling sugarcane juice and also sap
from toddy palm stems, and used as brown sugar or syrup
Kawthoolei - Karen name for the Karen nation.
Khun - form of address to an adult Thai male
Ko - form of address to a young male.
kyat - monetary unit of Burma.
longyi - sarong in Burmese language
Ma - form of address to a young female.
Mahn - form of address to a male.
Maung - form of address to a young male.
Mehm/Min - form of address to a young male
Mi - form of address to a female.
Movement the SLORC appoints a village “headman” (not the same as the real Paper- headman), usually against his will, and this man is then authorised to issue movement papers to his villagers, verifying who they are.
Na Ka Sa - Burmese abbreviation for paramilitary border patrol on Burma’s Bangladeshi border.
Nai - form of address to an adult male.
Naw - form of address to a female.
plah - Karen measurement of distance, from elbow to fingertip (1 plah is under 2 feet).
pya - 100 pyas = 1 kyat.
ringworm - derogatory SLORC reference to KNLA soldiers.
Sai - form of address to a young male.
Sangha - Buddhist order of monks.
Sao - male of royal descent.
Saw - form of address to a male.
Sayadaw - Buddhist abbot.
Tatmadaw - Burmese Army.
Thakin - master (used to address the British colonial rulers; later politicised by the Burmese independence movement in the ’30s).
tickle - (see under “Measurements”).
tin - (see under “Measurements”).
tract (village) - area consisting of 4-6 villages.
U - an honorific used to address an adult male.
viss - (see under “Measurements”).
White Areas - area fully under the control of the Tatmadaw.
MEASUREMENTS
acre 1 acre = 4,840 sq yards = 0.407 hectare
2.471 acres = 11,960 sq yards = 1 hectare
640 acres = 1 sq. mile = 2.590 sq kilometres
baht 1 baht = 100 satang = US$ 0.04
25 baht = US$ 1
FEC 1 FEC = US$ 1 (official)
1 FEC = US$ 110-120 (unofficial)
furlong 1 furlong = 220 yards (1/8) mile = 201 metres
kyat 1 kyat (Ks) = US$ 0.15 (official)
1 kyat = US$ 0.008 (unofficial)
6 kyat = US$ 1 (official)
110-120 Ks = US$ 1 (unofficial)
lakh 1 lakh = 100,000
tickle 1 tickle = 0.576 ounces = 16.33 gram
tin 1 tin (rice/condensed milk) = approx 250 ml
viss 1 viss = 3.6 lbs =1.633 kg
622.22 viss = 1 long ton (2,240 lbs) = 1.016 metric tons
NOTE ABOUT SPELLINGS:
Since there are no standardised transcriptions for Burmese, Mon, etc., in the Roman alphabet, words are spelt variously, according to different spelling conventions or usually by how they “sound’” (Halockhani refugee camp is a classic example of this, by Westerners as well as Thais and locals). In addition, spellings have further been confused by the ruling junta’s official Burmanisation of well-known, historical English spellings (like Myanmar for Burma).
Despite this, and to avoid confusion and politicisation, this report will restrict its usage to the established and more widely-accepted anglicised spellings, since this report was written in English.
A list of various alternative spellings from sources are provided as follows:
Ayeyarwady - Irrawaddy
Bagan - Pagan
Bago - Pegu
Bamar - Burman
Dawei - Tavoy
Hinthada - Henzada
Hpa-an - Pa-an
Kayah - Karenni
Kayin - Karen
Kyaing Don - Kengtung
Magway - Magwe
Mawlamyine - Moulmein
Muang Tai - Mong Tai
Myeit - Mergui
Myanmar - Burma
Pathein - Bassein
Pyay - Prome
Sittoung - Sittang
Sittwe, Sittway - Akyab
Tanintharyi - Tenasserim
Thandwai - Sandoway
Thanlwin - Salween River
Taungyin - Moei River
Toungoo - Taungoo
Yangon - Rangoon
Preface
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acronyms and Abbreviations, Terms and Measurements
Burma at a Glance: Facts and Figures
Ethnic Peoples of Burma
Headlines in Review: Events of 1995
THE STATE OF BURMESE ECONOMY UNDER MILITARY MANAGEMENT
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Burma