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Background
Located in south-eastern Myanmar, Tanintharyi Region is bounded by Mon State to the north, Thailand to the east and south, and the Andaman Sea to the west. Previously known as Tenasserim Division, and later renamed Tanintharyi Division before being reclassified as a Region, Tanintharyi is a long and narrow strip of land which covers over 43,000km of territory. The region historically covered an even larger area, at one point in the 19th century encompassing almost all of south-east Myanmar, including what are now Mon and Kayin States and Bago Region, with Mawlamyine as its former capital. Kayin State, then known as Karen State, was created upon independence from the British in 1948, while Mon State was established as a separate territory in 1974. Since then the capital of Tanintharyi Region has been Dawei.
Unlike its neighbouring states to the north, Tanintharyi’s name is not derived from a particular ethnic group, nor has its history since independence in 1948 been defined primarily by ethnic armed conflict, although both the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and Karen National Union (KNU) have operated there. Although research for this profile did not clarify the historical origins of the names Tenasserim and Tanintharyi, it should be noted that both appear throughout the territory. In addition to Tanintharyi Region, there are townships and towns named Tanintharyi, as well as the Region’s main river, once known as “the Great Tenasserim” river, which runs north to south and empties into the Andaman sea at Myeik.
Karen leaders have historically envisioned Tanintharyi as part of Kawthoolei, the Karen free state that the KNU pursued before shifting its demands towards federalism in Myanmar, despite only a minority of the populations estimated to be Karen. In the KNU map of the area, which does not correspond directly with official government boundaries, the vast majority of Tanintharyi is considered the Mergui-Tavoy (aka. Myeik-Dawei) district under the administration of KNU Brigade 4. The NMSP’s own area of operation, also a product of overlapping boundaries and territory, has been historically limited only to the northern parts of the Region near the official border with Mon State.
In contrast to elsewhere in the South-East, there has been a relatively low level of armed conflict in Tanintharyi since British independence in 1948, with few armed clashes since the 1980s. A major factor has been Brigade 4’s limited capacity and isolation from central KNU authority, allowing the Myanmar army (Tatmadaw) to control most of the Region. For example, a KNU survey in 1995 reportedly found only 40,000 civilians in their controlled areas. Unfortunately, even in the absence of frequent armed clashes, the people of Tanintharyi have endured decades of displacement. Most sources suggest the peak of displacement occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s, with recent tensions more often connected to military practices, land confiscation and commercial investment projects.