On 12 February 1947, leaders from the Kachin, Chin, Shan, and Bamar ethnic groups, including General Aung San, signed the Panglong Agreement in Panglong, Shan State, aiming at establishing a Union of Burma with equality.
12 February, the day when the Panglong Agreement was signed to jointly gain independence from British rule by uniting the hill regions and mainland, was designated as Union Day. As of 12 February 2025, it marks the 78th anniversary.
Although the Panglong Agreement led to the official establishment of states in Myanmar, the Bamar government practiced a centralized unitary system and one-party rule using majoritarian policies, rather than implementing a true federal system.
The Myanmar military has repeatedly seized power – in 1958, 1962, 1988, and 2021 – not only through a one-party dictatorship but also through coups, which continue to this day. As a result, Myanmar has gradually deteriorated in terms of politics, economy, education, and healthcare, plunging the entire population into poverty and hardship.
On this 78th Union Day, the Kachin National Forum (KNF), comprising 20 Kachin civil society organizations, issued a statement urging armed groups, political organizations, and civil society organizations to form a strong united front to completely eradicate the military junta forces together with the people and build a federal democratic nation.
Furthermore, the Kachin Political Interim Coordination Team (KPICT) sent a message to the NUG stating that they believe the efforts of emerging forces after the military coup to implement the commitments in the Panglong Agreement can end the decades-long civil war and lead to a federal union with full self-determination.
On this 78th Union Day, Kachin News Group (KNG) has compiled views of some Kachin locals on Union.
A Kachin Youth (Studying at a university in Chiang Mai, Thailand)
As Kachin people, we have never felt the essence of what a Union means. What I knew as a child was that on Union Day, we would wear our traditional clothes and see performances and singing on TV. But, there has always been war. Because we have always faced problems, I want to say that we have never truly felt the “Union”.
A male Kachin political observer
All of us citizens must unite. First, the armed groups should come together. Second, political organizations, and third, community-based organizations – these three must unite firmly to push out the military council. Only by overthrowing the terrorist military council can we establish the federal country we want. So, I urge everyone to work together.
Ah Pan (A young Kachin woman working in Malaysia)
What I personally hope for is to see people treated as humans and for human life to be valued. Instead of the larger ethnic groups looking down on or dominating smaller ethnic ones, I want to see a federal nation where people aren’t divided by their ethnicity, where everyone has equal rights and opportunities they deserve, and where the country progresses. And, one thing we always overlook is that I want to see women in Myanmar being given decision-making positions in politics, judiciary, and various other sectors. This is the kind of federal nation that I personally would like to see.
Sent by KNG.