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Burma: The Forgotten Land -- A Call For Compassion
By JoAnne Green
September 3, 2008
(Photo courtesy of The Burma Campaign UK)
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese democracy activist, has been
under almost continuous house arrest by the ruling military junta of Burma
for more than 20 years. August
8, 2008, marked the 20th anniversary of her arrest and
detention. It also marked the beginning of more than two decades of bravery by the
people of Burma
who rose up together to call for the restoration of democracy in their country
and an end to misrule and the abuse of their human rights.
I would like to dedicate this special article to the people
of Burma,
especially Ms. Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s
National League for Democracy.
Since a 1962 coup by an oppressive military dictatorship, Burma
has been one of the most isolated countries in the world. Few outsiders have
had an opportunity to witness first hand what has gone on inside Burma.
It has become a forgotten land.
Recently, the military government of Burma
has been lusting after tourist dollars. It has created several aggressive marketing
campaigns since 1997 to promote its tourism to international travelers.
However, there have been very few travel agencies promoting Burma
to international travelers due to recent headlines about human right abuses in this
country.
To have a better understanding of Burma
and its plights, I invite you to get acquainted with some facts about this
unfortunate country and its unique people.
(Photo courtesy of CIA Facts Book)
Land and People
Burma
is situated in Southeastern Asia, between two giant
nations, China
and India. Burma
shares its eastern border with China
and western border with India
and the Bay of Bengal. Burma’s total land mass is about
678,500 sq. km (262,000 sq. miles) with rugged terrain that bears rich natural
resources such as natural gas, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten,
lead, coal, limestone, precious stones such as sapphires, pearls, and jade,
hydropower, marine products, and petroleum.
Burma once was one of the main rice-growing countries of the world.
Pagodas in Bagan, Burma
Photo by:
Hintha
Burma’s
old capital used to be in the port city of Rangoon
which has a population of approximately five million people. In January of 2006,
the military junta government moved the capital of the country to Pyinmana which is located in a mountainous region some 390 kilometers (243 miles) to the north. Many Burmese citizens were very unhappy about their government's decision. It seems that Burma is going to be further isolated from the rest of the world.
The major religion in Burma
is Buddhist, which is the religion of 89% of the population. This is reflected in the artistic
and elaborate architecture of many pagodas and temples all over the country.
With a population of nearly 58 million people and many diverse
ethnic groups -- Burman (68%), Shan (9%), Karen (7%), Rakhine (4%), Chinese (3%),
Mon (2%), Indian (2%), other (5%) -- Burma
has been struggling for peace and prosperity since the 15th century.
There have been constant battles, with internal conflicts and rebellions among
tribes. The nation has also suffered from four invasions by China
and three major wars with Britain.
Historical Summary
The following historical summary is adapted from a U.S.
State Department report:
After the end of last war with the British in 1885, Burma
was completely under the control of Britain
until 1948. During that period, the British had transformed Burma’s
economy from subsistence farming to a large-scale export economy. By 1939, Burma
had become the world's leading exporter of rice.
Under the command of Burmese nationalists, led by General Aung San and
29 other "Comrades," the British was forced out of Burma
after shortly World War II ended in 1945. General Aung San then demanded complete
political and economic independence from Britain.
The British Government granted these demands. A constitution was completed in
1947 and independence granted in January 1948. General Aung San was
assassinated with most of his cabinet before the constitution went into effect.
During the constitutional period from 1948 to 1962, Burma
suffered widespread conflict and internal struggle. Constitutional disputes and
persistent division among political and ethnic groups contributed to the
democratic government's weak hold on power. In 1958, Prime Minister U Nu
invited the military to rule temporarily to restore political order. The
military stepped down after 18 months; however, in 1962 General Ne Win led a
military coup, abolishing the constitution and establishing a xenophobic
military government with socialist economic policies. These policies had
devastating effects on the country's economy and business climate, according to
the State Department report.
In
March 1988, student-led disturbances broke out in Rangoon
in response to the worsening economic situation and evolved into a call for
regime change. Despite repeated violent crackdowns by the military and police,
the demonstrations increased in size as many in the general public joined the
students. During mass demonstrations on August 8, 1988, military forces killed more than 1,000
demonstrators. At a rally following this massacre Aung San Suu Kyi, the
daughter of General Aung San, made her first political speech and assumed the
role of opposition leader, the report continued.
In
September 1988, the military deposed Ne Win's Burmese Socialist Program Party
(BSPP), suspended the constitution, and established a new ruling junta called
the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In an effort to
"restore order," the SLORC sent the army into the streets to suppress
the ongoing public demonstrations. An estimated additional 3,000 were killed,
and more than 10,000 students fled into the hills and border areas.
The
SLORC ruled by martial law until national parliamentary elections were held in
May 1990. The results were an overwhelming victory for Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won 392 of the 485 seats, even
though she was under house arrest. However, the SLORC refused to honor the
results and call the parliament into session, and instead imprisoned many
political activists.
According
to the State Department report, the ruling junta changed its name to the State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 1997, but did not change its policy of
autocratic control and repression of the democratic opposition. It continued to
subject Aung San Suu Kyi to varying forms of detention and other restrictions
on her movement, which it periodically lifted only to reinstate later.
In
2000, the SPDC began talks with the political opposition led by Aung San Suu
Kyi. These talks were followed by the release of political prisoners and some
increase in political freedoms for the NLD. In May 2002, Aung San Suu Kyi was
allowed to leave her home, and subsequently traveled widely throughout the
country, where she was greeted by large crowds.
On
May 30, 2003, Aung
San Suu Kyi and a convoy of her supporters were attacked by a group of
regime-affiliated thugs. Many members of the convoy were killed or injured, and
others disappeared. Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her party were
detained, and the military government forcibly closed the offices of the NLD.
Today, only the NLD headquarters in Rangoon
is open, all the party's other offices remain closed, and Aung San Suu Kyi and
NLD Vice Chairman U Tin Oo remain under house arrest, according to the State
Department report.
In
October 2004, hard-line members of the senior leadership consolidated their
power by ousting Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and removing him and his allies from
control of the government and military intelligence apparatus. In late November
2004, the junta announced it would release approximately 9,000 prisoners it
claimed had been improperly jailed by Khin Nyunt's National Intelligence
Bureau. Approximately 86 of those released had been imprisoned for their
political beliefs.
The
report disclosed that those released since November 2004 include Min Ko Naing
and Ko Ko Gyi, both key figures in the 1988 demonstrations. On July 6, 2005, authorities
released 323 additional political prisoners and on January 3, 2007, the authorities
released over 2,800 prisoners, of whom over 40 were political prisoners. In
August 2007 the regime re-arrested Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi, and subsequently
arrested thousands of political activists and young people after demonstrations
in September 2007. Over 2,100 political activists are held in prisons around
the country.
Following
a sharp increase in fuel prices on August 15, 2007, pro-democracy groups began a series of
peaceful marches and demonstrations to protest the deteriorating economic
situation in Burma.
The regime responded by arbitrarily detaining over 150 pro-democracy activists
between August 15 and September 11.
On
August 28, as popular dissatisfaction spread, Buddhist monks began leading
peaceful marches. On September 5, security forces violently broke up
demonstrations by monks resulting in injuries and triggering calls for a
nationwide response and a government apology.
According
to the State Department, monks resumed their peaceful protests beginning on
September 18, in several cities throughout the country. These marches grew
quickly to include ordinary citizens, culminating in a gathering of
approximately 10,000 protestors in Rangoon
on September 24.
On
September 25, the regime tried to stop the protests by imposing a curfew and
banning public gatherings. On September 26 and 27, the regime renewed its
violent crackdown, shooting, beating, and arbitrarily detaining thousands of
monks, pro-democracy activists, and onlookers.
Underestimating
the number of deaths during the crackdown, the regime confirmed the deaths of
only 10 protestors, according to the State Department report. Some
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) estimated the number of casualties to be
much higher, and in his December
7, 2007, report to the UN General Assembly, Special Rapporteur
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro stated that there were over 30 fatalities in Rangoon
associated with the September 2007 protests, the report continued.
In
retribution for leading protest marches, monks were beaten and arrested, many
monks were disrobed, and several monasteries were raided, ransacked, and
closed. In addition to the more than 1,100 political prisoners whose arrests
predate the September 2007 crackdown, another thousand or more were detained
due to their participation in the recent protests.
Additional people continued to be arrested through the end of May 2008.
Record of human
rights abuses of the junta military government in Burma
Burmese mother with her young children
(Photo courtesy of Global Unions)
According
to the 2006 report of the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Department,
the Burmese government's human rights record has worsened over the years, and
the government has continued to commit numerous serious abuses. The following is
a summary of reported human rights abuses:
- abridgement of the right
to change the government
- extrajudicial killings,
including custodial deaths
- disappearances
- rape, torture, and
beatings of prisoners and detainees
- arbitrary arrest without
appeal
- politically motivated
arrests and detentions
- incommunicado
detention
- continued house arrest
of National League for Democracy (NLD) General Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi
and NLD Vice
- Chairman U Tin Oo, and
the continued closure of all NLD offices, except the Rangoon
headquarters
- imprisonment of members
of the United Nationalities Alliance, including Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Nyunt
Lwin, both leaders of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy
- infringement on
citizens' right to privacy
- forcible relocation and
confiscation of land and property
- restriction of freedom
of speech, press, assembly, association and movement
- restriction of freedom
of religion
- discrimination and
harassment against Muslims
- restrictions on domestic
human rights organizations and a failure to cooperate with international
human rights organizations
- violence and societal
discrimination against women
- forced recruitment of
child soldiers
- discrimination against
religious and ethnic minorities
- trafficking in persons,
particularly of women and girls for the purpose of prostitution and as
involuntary wives restrictions on worker rights
- forced labor (including
against children), chiefly in support of military garrisons and operations
in ethnic minority regions
Tributes
to Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
(Photo courtesy of The U.S. Campaign for Burma)
In
April 2008, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives voted to bestow on Ms.
Aung San Suu Kyi the
Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of her heroic leadership in fighting
for democracy and freedom. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor
the U.S. Congress can confer on a civilian.
The
presentation of the medal “is a tribute to Suu Kyi's courage and conviction,
and a symbol of solidarity with the oppressed people of Burma,"
said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The
Congressional Gold Medal is but one of several high honors that Ms. Aung San
Suu Kyi has received for her heroism during the more than 20 years that she has
been under almost constant house arrest.
In
October 1990, she was named the recipient of Norway’s
Rafto Human Rights Prize. In May 1991, the European Parliament awarded her its
Sakharov Human Rights Prize. And on October 14, 1991, she was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace
Prize.
“Suu
Kyi's struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia
in recent decades. She has become an important symbol in the struggle against
oppression,” stated the Nobel Committee in announcing the award. “The Norwegian
Nobel Committee wishes to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to
show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to
attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.”
In
his Nobel Presentation Speech, Francis Sejersted, chairman of the Nobel
Committee said, “With her courage and her high ideals, Aung San Suu Kyi brings
out something of the best in us. We feel we need precisely her sort of person
in order to retain our faith in the future. That is what gives her such power
as a symbol, and that is why any ill-treatment of her feels like a violation of
what we have most at heart.”
“Any person in any
country who believes in the power of good, anyone who believes in justice, will
stand by Aung San Suu Kyi,” said Fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jose
Ramos-Horta in 1996.
Former
U.S. President William J. Clinton said of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, “Your
determination and courage continue to inspire friends of freedom around the
world. Like your courageous father, you symbolize the authentic aspirations of
the Burmese people. History is on the side of freedom throughout the world, and
I remain confident that your cause will prevail.”
U.S.
President George W. Bush said, “As a tireless champion of human rights and
democracy in Burma,
Suu Kyi inspires countless people around the world who strive for peace,
justice and freedom. In the face of great hardship, she has never wavered in
her commitment to peaceful change."
Points
to Ponder
Burma is one
of very few nations in Asia that has been blessed with
such rich natural resources. Over the years, the Burmese junta military regime
has allowed many western corporations to mine off Burma’s
natural resources in a large scale. The regime supplies many foreign companies
with a large pool of forced labor. Many Burmese citizens at all ages have been
forced to work for the government with little or no pay. At the same time, the
country continues experiencing severe economic difficulties. Ordinary Burmese
people have survived on very little of food, scarcely the basic essential
living conditions, and almost no freedom.
At the same time, the Burmese junta military regime has been receiving
substantial amount of “humanitarian assistance” from
many western countries. It is hard to assess how much the government has distributed
items from the international humanitarian assistance to the country’s most
needy people and how much has been retained by the ruling elites for their own
consumption.
As the Burmese junta military regime
continues to abuse the human rights of its people, the international community
and organizations, including United Nations, have increasingly used the carrot
of humanitarian aid to encourage the military
junta to loosen its shackles and chains on its people. So far, however, the Burmese
junta military regime has not changed its ruling grip.
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair along with
many international organizations have urged international travelers not travel
to Burma because the Burmese junta military regime uses forced labor around
many tourism projects. However, there are some advocacy groups who believe that
tourism brings some benefits to some small businesses in Burma
and to some of the struggling Burmese people. Tourism also brings something of
the outside world into Burma
helping at least some measure to minimize the isolation of the people in this
forgotten land.
# # #
Copyright © 2008 by JoAnne Green.
All Rights Reserved.
Do Not Copy.
About the Author: JoAnne Green is an American businesswoman. JoAnne is the founder and
principal of Sunburst International Risk Management (SRIM) and Sunburst Worldwide Insurance Services.
For information on SIRM international risk and insurance protection
programs, custom-designed risk mitigation and training services, please
visit Sunburst websites
www.InternationalRiskManagement.com and www.WorldwideMedicalPlans.com
JoAnne also hosts
21st Century MultiNational Perspectives/Blog/FYI
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