Young Tigers: Chao Tzang Yawnghwe and the Shan Rebellion in Myanmar

Bertil Lintner
with Hseng Noung Lintner

When Myanmar emerged from colonial rule, it promised a united federal future. Instead, the country spiraled into dictatorship, ethnic conflict, and shattered dreams. Young Tigers unravels this gripping history through the life of Chao Tzang Yawnghwe—son of Burma’s first president and last Saohpa (prince) of Yawnghwe—who transformed from privileged aristocrat to guerrilla fighter, exiled intellectual, and visionary political thinker.

His story is one of personal tragedy and national upheaval. In 1962, a military coup by General Ne Win changed everything. Chao Tzang’s father disappeared, his younger brother was killed, and Myanmar plunged into decades of brutal rule. Forced into the jungles, he joined the Shan rebellion, navigating a tangled web of resistance movements, secret alliances, and the murky world of opium-funded insurgency—all in a desperate fight for autonomy.

With meticulous research and riveting storytelling, Young Tigers exposes the betrayal of the 1947 Panglong Agreement, the military’s iron grip on Myanmar, and the unyielding struggle of the country’s ethnic minorities. At its heart, it is also a battle of ideas—Chao Tzang’s dream of a truly federal Myanmar against the relentless forces of dictatorship and division.

A must-read for anyone seeking to understand Myanmar’s past, present, and future, this is history told through the eyes of a revolutionary—one who dared to believe in a different destiny.

About the Author

Bertil Lintner is a journalist and author who has written twenty books on Asian politics and history, including Outrage: Burma’s Struggle for Democracy; Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948; Land of Jade: A Journey From India through Northern Burma to China; Bloodbrothers: Crime, Business and Politics in Asia; Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korea Under the Kim Clan; Merchants of Madness: the Methamphetamine Explosion in the Golden Triangle; Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma’s Struggle for Democracy; World.Wide.Web: Chinese Migration in the 21^st Century; Great Game East: India, China and the Struggle for Asia’s Most Volatile Frontier; China’s India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World; and The Costliest Pearl: China’s Struggle for India’s Ocean. He lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and his website is at www.asiapacificms.com