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View on Myanmar/Burma Uniya JESUIT SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTRE VIEW ON ASIA briefing series MYANMAR/BURMA Union of Myanmar (Burma) Capital: Yangon (Rangoon) Head of state: Sen. General Than Shwe Border countries: Thailand, Laos, China, India, Bangladesh India KACHIN Myanmar/Burma 1 has had a spurt of foreign relations controversies ever since it abruptly Bangla- China adjourned its controversial 2004 National desh CHIN Convention to draft a new constitution. In Mandalay August 2004, Myanmar/Burma was hit by SHAN Vietnam RAKHINE renewed sanctions from the US, faced being Laos banned from the upcoming Asia-Europe Meeting Yangon KAREN (ASEM) and its officials were barred from the 28th Olympic Games in Athens for its lack of MON Thailand human rights and democracy – a reminder that Myanmar/Burma still remains one of the most Cambodia difficult foreign policy challenges in Asia for the international community. Myanmar/Burma is situated east of the Andaman Sea and strategically buffers the world’s two Malaysia largest populations, China and India. The 1 Since 1989 the authorities have promoted the name Myanmar instead of Burma as a conventional name for their state. The name change is recognised by the UN but not the US. Australia does not seem to have an official position on the choice of terminology. Burmese expatriates, including those residing in Australia, continue to use the old colonial name. This paper uses both names, attaching no political significance to either term. Released: September 2004 PO Box 522 Kings Cross NSW 1340 Australia Author: Minh Nguyen Tel (02) 9356 3888 Fax (02) 9356 3021 Web www.uniya.org Em [email protected] VIEW ON ASIA Myanmar/Burma 2 country is rich in resources and diverse in the lower Myanmar/Burma region; the its ethnic demography. A former pariah Shan, a Thai-related hill people who lives state in the region and to the world, the along the Thai border; the Mon, who are military government of Myanmar/Burma concentrated in the southern part of has in recent times opened up the country’s Myanmar/Burma; the Chin, who live side- economy and attempted to build friendly by-side with the Mizoram of India; and relations with its regional neighbours. The Kachin, a hill tribe people along the deepening of bilateral relations with China Chinese border. Under British colonial rule and the Association of South East Asian (which conquered and ruled Nations (ASEAN) has been particularly Myanmar/Burma for more than a century) significant, with China now one of the diverse ethnic minority groups were Myanmar/Burma’s staunchest political administered as separate mini-states known defenders and top weapons suppliers. as “Frontier Areas”. British rule established a complex system of differing treatment for While Australia presently has very little different ethnic groups, the consequences of economic interest in Myanmar/Burma which continues to resonate today. itself, its interest in promoting human rights and good regional relations should in turn The “divide and rule” strategy of the British engage Australia’s foreign policy priorities Raj entrenched ethnic nationalist in the country. With its eyes firmly on the sentiments, which became an impediment Asian economies, Australia also has an to creating a unified sense of nationhood in interest in a politically stable and confident Myanmar/Burma following independence region. As the military government of in 1948. Although there were early Myanmar/Burma attempts to woo its attempts at creating a federal political regional neighbours and prepares to take up framework for the newly independent the ASEAN chair in 2006, Australia should Myanmar/Burma, such plans eventually be keenly interested in the regime’s gave way to a unitary model. The new earnestness in delivering democracy and central government faced almost immediate human rights to its people, conditions armed challenges from political faction which are fundamental for national unity groups and ethnic minorities. The conflict and stability and therefore the prosperity of with ethnic groups continued almost the region as a whole. uninterruptedly until cease-fire processes were initiated just over a decade ago. The Karen, demanding greater autonomy, was Historical overview one of the first minority groups to take up Myanmar/Burma’s diverse ethnic mix – arms against the central government. By with 8 major ethnic groups and over 100 the mid-1970s, nearly every major ethnic spoken dialects – is a result of a long group was armed, so that from the birth of history of migration and conflict along its an independent Myanmar/Burma, the fluid frontiers. The Burmans are the ruling military has been engaged in suppressing an Burmese ethnic group that dominates the ongoing internal rebellion. The cost has country’s military and government.2 Most been massive with tens of thousands dead, of Myanmar/Burma’s ethnic minorities hundreds of thousands more displaced, a inhabit areas along the country’s crumbling economy and a thriving narcotics mountainous frontiers. The largest of the trade used to fund the conflict. minority groups are the Karen, who inhabit The second seed of Myanmar/Burma’s 2 In this paper, “Burmese” refers to the citizens and present troubles was sowed in 1962 when expatriates of Myanmar/Burma and to the official the country’s first prime minister, U Nu, language of Myanmar/Burma. “Burman” refers to was ousted in a military coup led by the dominant ethnic group in Myanmar/Burma. VIEW ON ASIA Myanmar/Burma 2 General Ne Win. The coup occurred lawful political activities of NLD and other shortly after elections that saw the return of legal political parties. These gestures the U Nu government after 2 years of Ne followed “confidence-building talks” Win’s “caretaker” government. The between Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta, military feared that a challenge for as the generals attempted to develop greater constitutional reform by ethnic minority cooperation with neighbouring powers and groups and U Nu’s sympathy towards their the international community. Bodies like concerns could undermine Burman the International Labour Organisation influence in the frontier areas and could (ILO), the United Nations (UN) and lead to the breakup of the Union. Amnesty International were granted various opportunities to engage the SPDC on its The Ne Win regime adopted a policy of democratic and human rights record. The economic and political isolation from the SPDC even permitted the UN Secretary- international political economy. This General’s Special Envoy to policy enabled Ne Win to consolidate his Myanmar/Burma, Razali Ismail, and the political rule and tighten oppression without UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights scrutiny from the international community. in Myanmar/Burma, Professor Paulo Sergio Ne Win dominated the government until he Pinheiro, to visit the country on numerous was forced to step down in 1988 following occasions. widespread riots and student-led pro- democracy demonstrations that grew out of However, these positive movements were the government’s sudden devaluation of the short lived and a year after her release Aung national currency. The military assumed San Suu Kyi was rearrested as part of power, declared martial law and brutally another major crackdown on the NLD. The suppressed the demonstrations. Despite SPDC’s latest campaign against its main this, multiparty elections were held in 1990 opposition followed an incident on 30 May resulting in a decisive victory for the main 2003 in which at least a hundred people opposition National League for Democracy were killed when a government-affiliated (NLD), led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the group brutally attacked Aung San Suu daughter of independence hero Aung San. Kyi’s motorcade in Depayin.3 The However, the results were never accepted international community including ASEAN and despite strong international pressure, members swiftly condemned the human the military junta, now called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), rights violations. Other countries took punitive measures. The EU and US continues its grip on power. renewed sanctions, including arms embargo, trade sanctions, and travel The political and human rights restrictions on senior junta officials. Japan situation – Myanmar/Burma’s largest aid donor – suspended new economic aid, while Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD Vice-President Tin Oo, and other opposition members have 3 The Burmese opposition refers to this incident as had various restrictions placed on their the “Depayin Massacre” or “Black Friday”. The Ad activities since 1989. In 2000 for the Hoc Commission on Depayin Massacre convened by second time since the election, she was the National Council of Union of Burma (NCUB) placed under house arrest. There were estimated the number killed could be as high as 282. Affidavits collected for the Commission hinted at positive signals coming from the regime by the premeditated and well-organised nature of the the end of 2001 however, including the attack. “It appeared that the attackers were restoration in May 2002 of Aung San Suu systematically trained”, one witness observed. “They Kyi’s freedom of movement, the continued mainly aimed and struck on the head. Even when I release of political prisoners and the was at a hundred yards, I heard with anguishing pain, the popping sounds of heads being broken by relaxation of some of the constraints on the savage blows.” VIEW ON ASIA Myanmar/Burma 3 Australia shelved its human rights leadership role of the state”.5 The workshops for middle-ranking Burmese Convention was adjourned at a time when officials. opposition to the Convention had been growing, domestically and internationally. Despite the international community’s reactions, the SPDC remained defiant, As the overall political situation in perhaps keen to show Western nations that Myanmar/Burma worsened after the the leadership had not been affected by Depayin incident, so too did its human criticisms or punishment. Unwilling to rights standing.
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