Anti-Indian Riots

   (1930, 1938)

   When Indian dockworkers in Rangoon (Yangon) went on strike in 1930, their employers hired Burmese to replace them; as soon as the strike was settled in May, the Indians were rehired, the Burmese discharged, and fighting broke out between the two groups of workers, which soon turned into mob violence in which hundreds of Indians, including women and children, were killed. The British authorities were overwhelmed by the scale of the riots, which raged unchecked for two days. In July 1938, U Saw and politically active members of the Sangha denounced a book written by an Indian Muslim that allegedly disparaged the Buddhist religion, leading to further anti-Indian riots and almost 200 more people killed. Both incidents showed the fragility of Burma's colonialera plural society.

   See also Indians in Burma.