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Understanding The Current Situation in Burma
Burma
gained independence from Great Britain in 1948 after 62 years
of colonial rule, and a tumultuous modern era in the countryÕs
history commenced. A brief experiment with democracy was cut
short by a military coup in 1962, and a series of military
regimes have ruled ever since with an iron fist. The New York
Times recently called Burma a "perfect dictatorship", referencing
the extent of the current juntaÕs power that has devastated
the economy, isolated Burmese citizens, and crushed dissent.
By
1988, the militaryÕs policies had caused extensive food shortages
in a land once considered the "Rice Bowl" of Southeast Asia,
and such policies resulted in widespread distrust of the junta.
Seeking democratic leadership, the Burmese people turned to
Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of revolutionary hero General Aung
San. She rose to prominence as the leader of the National
League of Democracy (NLD) and became an articulate voice for
the democracy movement, as well as a symbol of hope to many
Burmese.
On
August 8, 1988 (8-8-88), tension exploded in the streets of
Rangoon. Their tolerance exhausted, millions of Burmese people
took to the streets to demand an end to military oppression.
The student-led popular rebellion demanded that the military
forces yield power to an elected civilian regime. Soldiers
responded by firing on nonviolent protestors, killing thousands
of citizens. Shortly thereafter, the regime renamed itself
the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), jailed
thousands of political prisoners, and consolidated military
power through the quick and methodical suppression of dissent.
The junta placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest and jailed
and tortured many elected NLD members of parliament.
Responding
to international and national outcries, SLORC held a national
election on May 27, 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD party
won an overwhelming 82% of the seats, but SLORC refused to
honor the results of the election. More political prisoners
were seized, and the Army increased its presence in both urban
and rural areas, building a surveillance network that continues
to monitorÑand crushÑpro-democracy activities.
There
are many points of departure for the study of Burma; one is
to consider the pluralism of Burmese society, and the challenges
this poses towards building a representative government. Among
the dozens of ethnic groups in Burma, their only commonality
is geographic inclusion within the national borders. People
living in Burma have different cultures, religions, and languages,
and are all struggling to preserve their heritage and lifestyles.
The
on-going civil wars with BurmaÕs ethnic minority groups have
resulted in hundreds of thousands of refugees spilling into
neighboring countries, human rights abuses against minority
peoples of genocidal proportions, food shortages, a burgeoning
and grossly neglected HIV/Aids crisis, environmental devastation,
and a narcotics-dependent economy. Seeking to be left alone
by the Burmese military, many armed revolutionary groups have
signed cease-fire agreements with the junta only to find that
soldiers become more pervasive and menacing in their daily
lives. Other groups hold out against surrender, walking a
thin line between a desire to preserve their autonomy and
the possibility of outright extinction.
Although
the military junta adopted a new Constitution in 1997, renaming
itself the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the
lack of political freedom in Burma has not changed. Thousands
of political prisoners remain jailed. Aung San Suu Kyi is
once again under house arrest and unable to perform her political
activities. Political organizing is outlawed and there is
no freedom of assembly or speech. Information is similarly
censored, and consequently the 45 million Burmese people have
no access to democratic ideas. This "perfect dictatorship"
has succeeded in creating a palpable climate of fear in Burma,
thwarting many popular efforts to usher in democracy.
The
international community, including the United States, has
responded to the crisis with sanctions and diplomatic pressure
especially on Southeast Asian nations to cut trade with Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi has advocated a ban on tourism, as well as
a halt on foreign aid and investment, claiming that international
transactions only legitimize and strengthen the junta, failing
to relieve the suffering of the Burmese people. Recently the
International Labour Organization (ILO) dealt a significant
blow to the junta in calling on its member nations, employer
and worker groups to impose sanctions against a fellow member
for the first time in the organizationÕs 80 year history.
In 1997 the Clinton administration imposed U.S. sanctions
banning new investment in Burma. Many corporations have divested
their interests in Burma under pressure from international
human rights groups, though some still preserve their investments
there.
International
pressure is mounting against the regime, but still Burma does
not receive the media attention that other conflicts such
as Kosovo or East Timor elicited. The situation in Burma may
be compared to other global conflicts and non-violent resistance
movements. Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu KyiÕs approach parallels
that of the Dalai Lama, the Reverend Desmond Tutu, and Martin
Luther King, Jr. The study of Burma is an appropriate model
to examine the pros and cons of the non-violent philosophy
in a historical and modern context.
By
Katrina Anderson, Global Source Education, 2001
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