The First Aircraft Hijacking in Myanmar

In 1954, a historic aircraft hijacking took place in Myanmar that would be recorded as the first of its kind not only in the country but also in world history. This Hollywood action movie-like incident occurred in Myanmar just nine years after World War II. It is often referred to as the world's first aircraft hijacking or the earliest recorded plane hijacking in history.

The year was 1954, during the administration of Prime Minister U Nu. Myanmar had recently gained independence and was engulfed in civil war. It was a time when various factions were fighting due to ideological differences, and Prime Minister U Nu's AFPFL government was striving to extinguish the flames of civil war.

U Nu's government was simultaneously battling Communists, military battalions, the PVO (White Band) who had split from AFPFL, and various ethnic armed groups.

Around 1950, the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO), the armed wing of the Karen National Union, had been forced to withdraw from their position in Insein. This setback left the KNDO in urgent need of weapons to rebuild their strength.

The operation was led by Bo Osborne from the KNDO, along with Saw Kyaw Aye, Saw Thin Kyaw, Saw A Nyein, and other Karen soldiers. They devised a plan to hijack an aircraft to acquire weapons.

Their plan centered around weapons left behind by the Japanese forces during their hasty retreat in World War II, which were located in the Dawna Range in Karen State. The KNDO soldiers, known for their resourcefulness and courage, figured they could hijack a government aircraft and land in the Dawna Range to retrieve these weapons.

Saw Kyaw Aye took charge of the aircraft seizure operation, supported by Saw Thin Kyaw and Saw A Nyein. Bo Osborne would be positioned in the Dawna Range to signal the aircraft from the ground. After seizing the plane, Saw Kyaw Aye's team would land in the Dawna Range, collect the weapons, and transport them to their forces in the Pegu Yoma and Irrawaddy Delta region.

Before executing their plan, Saw Kyaw Aye, Saw Thin Kyaw, and Saw A Nyein conducted reconnaissance by taking several flights on government aircraft.

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On June 25, 1954, Dakota aircraft XY-ACT was preparing to depart from Yangon's Mingaladon Airport for Sittwe. The flight was delayed as they waited for a military officer who was to be a passenger. Soon after, the military officer boarded and took his seat.

Unknown to others, three KNDO soldiers - Bo Saw Kyaw Aye, Saw Kyaw Thin, and Saw A Nyein - were also aboard. The military officer was seated in front of Bo Saw Kyaw Aye, causing some anxiety among the KNDO group about whether their plan had been discovered.

Shortly after, the UBA Airlines Dakota XY-ACT took off for Sittwe with 14 passengers aboard.

Minutes into the flight, Bo Saw Kyaw Aye held his gun to the back of the military officer's seat. He announced they were Karen soldiers and that while the officer was just a passenger and not their concern, they were taking control of the aircraft. He left his companions to guard the passengers while he proceeded to the cockpit.

In the cockpit, Bo Saw Kyaw Aye encountered a foreign pilot and a Myanmar co-pilot. He informed the foreign pilot at gunpoint that they had seized the aircraft and needed to be taken to a specific location in the Dawna Range.

The pilot didn't understand his instructions but grasped the situation due to the presence of the gun. He attempted to turn the aircraft back toward Mingaladon Airport, but Bo Saw Kyaw Aye noticed and pulled out a hand grenade, threatening to detonate it. The Myanmar co-pilot then translated the instructions, and the pilot redirected the aircraft toward the Dawna Range.

When they reached the designated location, they circled multiple times but couldn't spot Bo Osborne's ground signals. Unknown to them, Bo Osborne had been prevented from reaching the location by government troops.

Running low on fuel, they were forced to land on a beach near Ma Gyi Zin in Gwa Township, Rakhine State. Upon searching the aircraft, they discovered 742,000 kyats in government salary payments being transferred from Yangon's government bank to Kyaukpyu treasury. They took this money as it was government funds but didn't touch any passengers' personal belongings or valuables.

Notably, they didn't harm any of the passengers or crew, including the pilots, and allowed them to leave. The pilot informed the passengers that they had enough fuel to reach Sittwe, which brought relief to everyone. The aircraft then continued its journey to Sittwe airport with the remaining fuel.

Only the three men and the money boxes remained on the beach at Ma Gyi Zin. As villagers gathered to watch them, they asked for assistance in relocating. However, the PVO (White Band) learned about the money boxes through the villagers. The PVO, a group that had split from Prime Minister U Nu's AFPFL government and taken up arms, launched an attack to seize the money boxes and succeeded in taking them.

When Bo Osborne, who had been waiting in Ngwe Saung, learned of this, he immediately pursued the PVO forces and managed to recover two-thirds of the money through a counterattack.

This news was reported in the Hanthawaddy newspaper in June 1954 and the Myanmar Alin newspaper in July 1954 as "The Great Myanmar Aircraft Hijacking."

Ironically, the money that Bo Saw Kyaw Aye and his team had risked their lives to obtain was never used for the Karen national liberation cause. Their superiors spent the money on salaries for Christian preachers and other Christian religious activities.

Times were changing, and Prime Minister U Nu's AFPFL government was working toward peace. On August 14, 1954, Bo Osborne surrendered to Lieutenant Colonel Thaung Kyi, along with 250 of his soldiers. As this was during a period of peace negotiations, U Nu's AFPFL government did not take action against Bo Osborne.

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Furthermore, in 1964, Bo Osborne was appointed as a Police Captain and served as Deputy Police Superintendent in Kyaukpadaung. His soldiers who wished to join the police force were also allowed to do so and were assigned to various regions.

Similarly, Bo Saw Kyaw Aye, who had led the hijacking, came out of hiding in 1956 and worked toward peace. U Nu's government took no punitive action against him either.

Bo Saw Kyaw Aye remained the main protagonist of this hijacking who lived well into modern times. In later media interviews, he explained that their bold action was solely for the Karen national liberation cause.

Therefore, Bo Saw Kyaw Aye expressed sadness when people referred to the incident as a hijacking or air piracy. They considered it a temporary requisition of a government aircraft to obtain necessary weapons for Karen national liberation.

Saw Kyaw Aye, also known as Grandfather Saw Kyaw Aye, lived to be 102 years old and passed away on February 28, 2014.

The aircraft seizure by Bo Saw Kyaw Aye and his KNDO soldiers remains both the first and last aircraft hijacking in Myanmar's history. Later, author U Hla Thaung wrote about this incident in his book "Myanmar's World First Aircraft Hijacking." A movie based on this story was also produced.

Whatever the case, this first and last aircraft hijacking in Myanmar's history has entered the historical record as a remarkable event, notably because it wasn't motivated by financial gain.

By Han Thit Ein (Y3A)

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