By the time that the Burmese Governor General Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith arrived back in Rangoon on 17 October 1945 Aung San led a coalition that included virtually all political, ethnic, and religious groups in the country, under the leadership of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL). By this time he openly rejected Dorman-Smith's proposed plan for gradual road to Burmese independence as a member of the British Commonwealth, and rejected taking part in his cabinet, since he did not believe that he and his supporters would be included in sufficiently senior positions. As the head of the AFPFL he advocated for a general amnesty for crimes committed during the Japanese occupation and promoted civil disobedience while arguing against the use of force.