Burmese Gurkha

History and demography

Like many other people who reside in Myanmar and who have their origin in Nepal, the majority of Gurkha came along with the British administration. Many Gurkhas served during the Second World War in the Burma Campaign, especially as rear guard units for the British retreat from Burma.

After Burma's independence in 1948, the Gurkhas joined the new Burma Army. Many Gurkhas have served in the new republic's various campaigns against ethnic insurgents and the Kuomintang invasions. The Gurkha were considered key assets of the Burmese Army in the 1950s. There was also a soldier named Suk Bahadur Rai that won the highest honor of Tatmadaw, The Aung San Thuriya Medal.

In the Myanmar civil war, many Gurkhas fight for the Kachin Independence Army.

Culture

Many of Gurkha in Myanmar practice Hinduism and Buddhism. A very small number of them practice Christianity. There are a few Gurkha Hindu temples Buddhist monastery in the cities around Kachin State, Shan State, Yangon and Mandalay. Gurkha form a large minority in Myitkyina, Mogok, and the hill station of Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo).

Language

Most Gurkha typically speak Nepali and Burmese languages.

Education

The Gurkha place high importance on education, and they represent a disproportionately high share of those with advanced (medical, engineering or doctorate) degrees in Burma.

Notable Gurkha people in Burma

• Private Aung San Thuriya Suk Bahadur Rai – No.4 Burma Regiment (4th Gurkha) Myanmar Army. – recipient of the Aung San Thuriya award, the highest gallantry award in Myanmar.
• Suk Bahadur (Burmese: ဗဟာဒူး) is a Burmese footballer who served as the captain of Myanmar national football team (1952–1970). He is considered the greatest Burmese footballer that ever lived. He was also a major in Myanmar Army
• Nandar Gyawali, Podcaster, human rights activist and feminist activist

References

References

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2. (2020-09-24). "Emerging dynamics among Southeast Asia's Nepali diaspora".
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4. Defence Museum, Yangon
5. Lawi Weng. (May 20, 2014). "The Forgotten Gurkhas of Burma".
6. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14442213.2022.2110150 Child-Soldiering: A Nuanced View Through the Eyes of a Gorkha Youth in Kachin State, Myanmar]. Gareth Davy. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology. Volume 24, Issue 1. 2023. [https://doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2022.2110150 doi: 10.1080/14442213.2022.2110150]
7. Tuladhar, Pratibha. (2021-03-09). "Memories of a country in transition".
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11. (23 February 2016). "ဆာ့ခ္ဗဟာဒူးရြိဳင္း၊ (ေအာင္ဆန္းသူရိယ)".
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