Amar Nag[1] alias Yebaw Tun Maung or U Hla (1917 - 1968), was one of the founding leaders of the communist movement in Burma.[2] [3] [4] [5] Dr. Nag was active in the struggle for Burmese independence.[6] He was an important leader of the Communist Party of Burma, but was killed in an ambush in 1968.
Nag was of Bengali origin. He became interested in communism after meeting with Harinarayan Ghosal, the great personality of the communist movement. He was involved the Bengali revolutionary groups active in Burma.[7] On August 15, 1939 Nag took part in the founding meeting of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB).[8]
During the Second World War he went to India to study. He obtained a M.B.B.S. degree there. During his stay in India he was active in the Communist Party of India and led the field work of the Bengal Medical Relief Camp and Coordination Committee. He worked closely with Dr. Bijoy Kumar Bose (from the Congress Medical Mission to China), organizing relief efforts for the people of Bengal suffering from plague and famine with instruction of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was also active in organizing the Calcutta Tramways Workers' Union in Park Circus section.[3]
In 1947 he returned to Burma and began to practice at the Rangoon General Hospital.[9] However, politics would soon put an end to his career. Dr. Nag went underground in March 1948. He set forth to travel to Pyinmana, where the party headquarters was located, reaching the site in May 1948.[9]
Dr. Nag served as a member of the Central Committee of the party. As a medical practitioner in the communist movement, Dr. Nag trained the first batch of medical brigades of the party. He was a key figure in the party in the 1950s. Dr. Nag was a Political Commissar for the party in the North-West Military Region, operating in Sagaing and Magwe.[9] He served as the principal of the Central Medical School of the Communist Party of Burma.[10]
On November 9, 1968 the 77th Division of the Burma Army attacked the CPB Medical School in the Pegu Yoma mountain range.[11] Several students of the school were killed in the attack. Dr. Nag and a small group of followers managed to escape, but was killed by Army forces on November 11, 1968.[4] [11]