Thakins

Dobama Asiayone (Burmese: တို့ဗမာအစည်းအရုံး, We Burmans Association, DAA), commonly known as the Thakins (Burmese: သခင် sa.hkang, IPA: [θəkʰɪ̀ɴ]) was a Burmese nationalist group formed around the 1930s and composed of young, disgruntled intellectuals. Drawing their name from the way in which the British were addressed during colonial times, the party was established by Ba Thaung in May 1930, bringing together traditionalist Buddhist nationalist elements and fresh political ideals. It was significant in stirring up political consciousness in Burma, and drew most of its support base from students.

The party's song, Myanmar Kaba Ma Kyei ("Till The End of the World, Burma") also became the country's first national song and eventually its national anthem. Composed by Saya Tin (later known as "Thakin Tin"), the song was a national symbol during the Japanese occupation of Burma and was adopted in 1948 upon the achievement of independence

The DAA was established in 1930 in Rangoon after Burmese Indian dock workers and their families were murdered by Bamars who believed that the Indians had taken jobs that rightfully belonged to them. The Dobama organisation was nationalist in nature, and supported Bamar supremacy. Its members used the Burmese word Thakin ("master") as their honorific title rather than the standard U or Maung, as Thakin was the word traditionally used to address the British. The slogan of the organisation was "Burma is our country; Burmese literature is our literature; Burmese language is our language. Love our country, raise the standards of our literature, respect our language." Dobama Asiayone was keen assimilating ethnic minorities into Burman culture, and most of its activities stemmed from Rangoon University. Unlike former parties in Burma, the DAA was not reliant on support from foreign interests or Buddhist monks, and its establishment was a significant change in Burmese political history. Its founders rejected compromise with the British authorities, and formed its own paramilitary group, the Letyon Tat.

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