The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century

by Thant Myint-U

Almost all populations were placed in one of five overarching categories: Myanma, Shan, Mon, Kala, and Tayok. The first three are peoples in Burma. Kala, before the British conquest, meant Indian and other similar-looking people from the West. “Tayok” is a word likely derived from “Turk,” which by the 20th century referred to the Chinese.