The British government recognised and guaranteed the independence of the
Karenni States in a treaty with the Burmese King
Mindon Min in 1875, by which both parties recognised the area as belonging to neither to the
Konbaung dynasty (
Kingdom of Burma) nor to the
British Empire. Consequently, the Karenni States were never fully incorporated into British Burma. The Karenni States were recognised as tributary to British Burma in 1892, when their rulers agreed to accept a stipend from the British government. The Constitution of the
Union of Burma in 1947 proclaimed that the three Karenni States be united into a single constituent state of the union, called Karenni State. It also gave the possibility of secession from the union after 10 years if the state's leaders were not satisfied with the central government. In August 1948, the Karenni leader U Bee Htu Re was assassinated by a pro-central government militia for his opposition to the inclusion of the Karenni States in the Union of Burma. ==Flags==