• Burmese
Friday, July 11, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Specials On This Day

The Day Myanmar’s PM Arrived in London on a Failed Quest for Independence

Wei Yan Aung by Wei Yan Aung
October 10, 2019
in On This Day
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Galon U Saw

Galon U Saw

7.6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON—On this day 78 years ago, Prime Minister of British Burma U Saw arrived in London to seek independence for Myanmar from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

U Saw asked Churchill to promise dominion status for Myanmar after World War II in exchange for helping Britain during the war. Dominions were the semi-independent polities under the British Crown that constituted the British Empire. Canada became the first dominion upon its confederation in 1867.

Churchill received U Saw for two hours, but told him Britain’s response to his request would depend on the outcome of the war. He promised that Britain would decide with magnanimity if it won the war.

RelatedPosts

From Foreign Policy Drift to Diplomatic Freefall in Myanmar

From Foreign Policy Drift to Diplomatic Freefall in Myanmar

July 1, 2025
2.4k
Iran Vows Retaliation After US Strikes on Nuclear Sites

Iran Vows Retaliation After US Strikes on Nuclear Sites

June 23, 2025
231
Trump Unveils Website For $5 Million US Residency Visa

Trump Unveils Website For $5 Million US Residency Visa

June 12, 2025
523

Dismayed, U Saw went to the US and asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt to urge Churchill to grant dominion status to Myanmar. When Roosevelt replied that he would not intervene in Britain’s decision, U Saw decided to return to Myanmar.

On his way home, he was arrested by the British in Haifa (in what is now Israel) after making contact with officials in Japan, which was then at war with Britain and the US. The British imprisoned U Saw in Uganda during World War II, and he did not return to his home country until the war was over.

U Saw became embroiled in a series of disputes with General Aung San, and in 1947, hand-in-glove with British officers, he assassinated the national hero along with his cabinet. Charged with high treason, his life ended on the gallows the following year.

You may also like these stories:

How a Prime Minister of British Burma Became a Killer

When Burma’s Cries for Democracy Were Answered With a Coup

The Day Dictator Ne Win Won Asia’s Nobel Prize

The Day the Butcher of Yangon Began His 17-Day Presidency

Your Thoughts …
Tags: arrestBritish BurmaBritish EmpirecolonialColonialismdominionFranklin RooseveltGen Aung SanIndependenceJapanPrime Minister U SawUgandaUSWinston ChurchillWorld War II
Wei Yan Aung

Wei Yan Aung

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Japan’s ‘Special Relationship’ With Myanmar Has Abetted Decades of Military Rule
From the Archive

Japan’s ‘Special Relationship’ With Myanmar Has Abetted Decades of Military Rule

by Bertil Lintner
May 17, 2024
17.7k

In light of EAO and NUG leaders’ recent talks in Tokyo, The Irrawaddy revisits a column from 2022 exploring Japan’s...

Read moreDetails
Elon Musk Calls for Closure of Radio Free Europe, Voice of America
World

Elon Musk Calls for Closure of Radio Free Europe, Voice of America

by Naung Naung
February 10, 2025
7.1k

The billionaire’s call to shut down the US-funded media organizations, which reach hundreds of millions of people globally, follows his...

Read moreDetails
US Red-Faced as Contractor Lists Myanmar Resistance Groups in Terrorism Index
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

US Red-Faced as Contractor Lists Myanmar Resistance Groups in Terrorism Index

by The Irrawaddy
December 12, 2023
5.5k

State Dept. contractor Development Services Group (DSG)'s inclusion of ethnic armies and PDFs in an annex to a US global...

Read moreDetails
Will Trump Seek to Engage With the Myanmar Junta?
Guest Column

Will Trump Seek to Engage With the Myanmar Junta?

by Bertil Lintner
March 12, 2025
4.6k

Given the US president’s closeness to regime ally Russia, and the EU’s priority in Ukraine, Myanmar’s pro-democracy forces are in...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s NUG Names Controversial US Businessman as Envoy to Washington
Burma

Myanmar’s NUG Names Controversial US Businessman as Envoy to Washington

by The Irrawaddy
May 5, 2025
4.2k

The civilian government has appointed US businessman John Todoroki, once jailed in Myanmar for growing marijuana, to lobby the Trump...

Read moreDetails
Senior US Diplomat Reportedly Met Myanmar Junta Navy Officer in Hanoi
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

Senior US Diplomat Reportedly Met Myanmar Junta Navy Officer in Hanoi

by The Irrawaddy
June 25, 2024
4.1k

Another US official and the top diplomat at the US Embassy in Myanmar also attended the meeting; it is not...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Dekkhina Thiri District Court in Naypyitaw / Moe Moe / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar Court to Announce Bail Decision in Toddler Rape Case in Two Weeks

Residents of Wat Hmay Village leave the court in Sagaing Region’s Salingyi Township after being fined over a dispute with Wanbao Copper Mining Co. on Wednesday. / Voice Of Myanmar

Myanmar Court Fines Villagers, Chinese Mining Firm Employee in Waste Dispute

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

2 days ago
963
Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

2 days ago
963

Most Read

  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Junta Bombing of Resistance-Held Areas in Mandalay, Karenni Kills Seven Civilians

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.