Eyewitness to Early Reform in Myanmar Eyewitness to Early Reform in Myanmar TREVOR WILSON ASIAN STUDIES SERIES MONOGRAPH 7 Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email:
[email protected] This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Creator: Wilson, Trevor, author. Title: Eyewitness to early reform in Myanmar / Trevor Wilson. ISBN: 9781925022988 (paperback) 9781925022995 (ebook) Series: Asian studies series monograph. Subjects: Democratization--Burma. Government, Resistance to--Burma. Burma--Politics and government--1988- Dewey Number: 320.9591 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU Press. Cover photograph: Golden Rock Kyaiktiyo at Dawn by David Wansbrough. This edition © 2016 ANU Press Contents Preface . vii Acknowledgements . ix List of Acronyms and Abbreviations . xi 1 . Introduction . 1 2 . The Historical Contexts . 9 3 . Australian Ambassador to Myanmar . 23 4 . Working Under Military Authoritarian Rule . 33 5 . Myanmar in 2000: Ready Or Not For Change? . 57 6 . Engagement Versus Disengagement . 69 7 . Australia’s ‘Limited Engagement’ Initiatives . .. 83 8 . Encounters with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi . 97 9 . Bilateral Sanctions and Successful Alternative Approaches . 115 10 . Early Australian Public Diplomacy Possible in Myanmar . 129 11 . Reflections on Coming to Terms with Myanmar: Personally and as Convener, ANU Burma/Myanmar Update 2004–13 . 145 Bibliography . 153 Map of Myanmar/Burma Source: The Australian National University CartoGIS Preface The period between 1999 and 2003 proved to be quite an interesting period in modern Myanmar history, because it provided unusual insights into the political and other forces that propelled Myanmar on its pathway towards a transition to democracy.