The Communist Party of Burma (Burmese: ?????????????????????; CPB) is the oldest existing political party in Burma. The party is unrecognised by the Burmese authorities; rendering it illegal; so it operates in a clandestine manner; often associating with insurgent armies along the border of People's Republic of China. It is often referred to as the Burma Communist Party (BCP) by both the Burmese government and the foreign media.

Bertil Lintner was born in Sweden in 1953 and left for Asia in 1975. He spent 1975-79 travelling in the Asia-Pacific region but he has been living permanently in Thailand since December 1979; working as a journalist for; amongst others; the Far Eastern Economic Review; the Swedish Svenska Dagbladet; and the Danish Politiken.

In 1985-1987; Lintner; together with his wife Hseng Noung; a Shan national from Burma; made an 18-month; 2;275-km overland journey from northeastern India across northern rebel-held areas in Burma to China (including ten months in Kachin territory). Travelling by foot; jeep; bicycle and elephant; they were the first outsiders to cross this isolated land since the 1940s. Their daughter; Hseng Tai; was born during that journey. Pictures From History Hseng Noung Lintner