162 Yearbook of the United Nations D. COMPLAINT BY THE UNION OF BURMA REGARDING AGGRESSION AGAINST IT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA

1. Consideration by the General The memorandum further stated that Burma, Assembly at its Seventh Session since the middle of 1950, had enlisted the good offices of some friendly governments, particularly On 25 March 1953, Burma proposed (A/- the , which had been requested to 2375) that the item "Complaint by the Union make repeated demarches to the Government of of Burma regarding an aggression against her Formosa, since Burma had severed diplomatic by the Government of Formosa" be relations with that Government. Attempts to included in the agenda of the seventh session of find a solution through diplomatic channels had the General Assembly. On 31 March, the Gen- so far proved unsuccessful. The refusal of the eral Assembly decided to include the item under Kuomintang forces to submit to disarmament and the amended title "Complaint by the Union of internment in accordance with international law, Burma regarding aggression against it by the their hostile acts against Burmese troops and Government of the Republic of China". their depredations against the civilian population In an explanatory memorandum, the Foreign amounted to aggression, the explanatory memo- Minister of Burma stated that, in 1949, some randum stated. In the opinion of the Burmese Kuomintang troops had retreated south west and Government, the Kuomintang troops were being crossed into Indochina, where they had been directed and supported in their illegal activities disarmed and interned, and that, early in 1950, by the Government of Formosa. some 1,700 Kuomintang troops had crossed the border into the Kengtung State of Burma, preyed a. DISCUSSIONS IN THE FIRST COMMITTEE upon the countryside and caused great hardship The item was considered by the First Com- to local inhabitants by their demands for food, mittee at its 605th to 612th meetings, from 17 transport and services. Units of the Burmese army to 22 April 1953. had contacted these troops and demanded that they should either leave Burmese territory forth- Together with its explanatory memorandum, with or submit to disarmament and internment in Burma submitted a draft resolution (A/C.1/- accordance with international law. On the refusal L.42), by which the General Assembly would: of the Kuomintang troops to comply with either (1) note that "the armed troops of the Kuomintang of these alternatives, units of the Burmese army Government of Formosa have committed acts of in- fringement against the territorial integrity of the Union had taken offensive action to enforce compliance of Burma and acts of violation of its frontiers"; and with their demand. After several engagements in (2) recommend to the Security Council to "con- the latter half of 1950, the Kuomintang troops demn the Kuomintang Government of Formosa for the were dislodged from the area in which they had said acts of aggression" and to "take all necessary steps established themselves. It was subsequently found to ensure immediate cessation" of such acts. that they had withdrawn westward and had estab- The Assembly would further call upon all States lished a new headquarters at Mong Hsat near the "to respect the territorial integrity and the political independence of the Union of Burma and to be guided Burma- frontier, where they constructed by the principles of the Charter in their relations with a regular airfield to facilitate the receipt of sup- the Union of Burma". plies from sources outside Burma. New recruits The representative of Burma stated that his had been obtained from the Burma-Yunnan Government recognized the Central People's border area; the number of the troops was cur- Government of the People's Republic of China rently estimated at about 12,000. The command- as the only legitimate Government of China; he ing general of these forces, General Li Mi, had would thus use the word "Kuomintang" to de- been moving between Mong Hsat and Formosa signate the authorities of Formosa, for the sake (Taiwan) and there was other evidence of a of clarity and not in any derogatory sense. direct link with the Kuomintang Government. At the end of 1952, the troops which had so far He stated that the Kuomintang troops now in been operating in areas east of the , Burma called themselves the Anti-Communist had extended their activities to areas west of the Nationalist Salvation Army. General Li Mi was river in conjunction with elements in active rebel- their over-all commander, while General Liu lion against the Government of Burma. Kuo Chwan appeared to be the actual com-