Burnt villages, displaced civilians, unbridled human rights abuse, spread of diseases, drug trafficking, robbed freedom of expression, mismanagement of resources tells of a country not ruled but ravaged by the severity of over half a century of military dictatorship.

When Burma gained independence in 1948, it was believed to be on its way to become the first Asian Tiger in south Asia. However, military dictatorship took hold in 1962 and Burma has since become an isolated and impoverished nation.

Five decades of military rule in Burma

For over five decades the levers of power have been controlled by the military dominated Burma Socialist Programme Party and resistance to the regime, which occasionally flared up, like the student and worker demonstrations in the 1960s and 1970s were brutally crushed.

On “8-8-1988′’- hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated nationwide and demanded that an elected civilian government replace the Burma Socialist Programme Party government. The date became popular as the 8888 uprising and paved the way for a People’s Assembly elections in 1990. The price paid was high and cost more than a thousand lives. Soldiers fired on crowds of unarmed protesters, killing hundreds.

Indomitable Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi

Senior General Saw Maung’s government subsequently annulled the election results. It was the only way for the military junta to retain control as the National Unity Party having the backing of military rulers won less than 2% of the seats in the election.

The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won overwhelmingly with over 60% of the votes polled and over 80% of parliamentary seats, even though the NLD had little access to media and few resources compared to the SLORC-backed National Unity Party (NUP).

Unleashing draconian measures, Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest in July 1989. Since then the ruling junta has repeatedly placed her under house arrest. Many other senior NLD officials have also been jailed from time to time.

For her struggle, Aung San Suu Kyi has earned international recognition as an activist for the return of democratic rule, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Ironically, more the generals attacked her, the stronger she has become. Even today, as the incompetence of the country’s military leaders propels Burma into economic and political chaos, the country still yearns for Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite a direct appeal by former U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan to Senior General Than Shwe and pressure by ASEAN, the Burmese military junta extended Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest for another year on 27 May 2006.

Rebellion is improbable, and regime change by outside forces is not an option. So what do you think is the solution? Conferring a Nobel prize is not enough, the world needs to direct more attention to this region.

Human Right Abuses

The junta’s brutal conflicts with ethnic minorities have resulted in tens of thousands of Burmese killed and thousands of villages destroyed. More than half a million people have been internally displaced, and some 150,000 Burmese minorities live in camps along the Thai-Burmese border. Reports persist of forced labor, human trafficking and vast numbers of forcibly recruited child soldiers.

Myanmar is also a source country of sex workers and forced labourers in China, Bangladesh, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Korea, Macau, and Japan. Internal trafficking of women for the purpose of prostitution occurs from rural villages to urban centers, military camps, border towns, and fishing villages.

The widespread use of landmines by the Burmese army against civilians to terrorize them and hamper the annual harvest, tell tales of cruelty. The Burmese government is the only government in the world that has used antipersonnel mines on a regular basis throughout 2006.

Meanwhile, Burma’s 52 million people endure increasingly appalling conditions. About one-third live in poverty; male life expectancy is only 56 years. More than 30 percent of children under age 5 suffer malnutrition, and nearly half of all children never attend school. Tuberculosis and malaria are endemic in some areas, and the country’s mortality rates are among the highest in Asia. At least 37,000 people died of HIV-AIDS in 2005, and more than 600,000 others are infected with HIV. Do these desperate people not need humanitarian aid? And if given will it actually reach them or get used by the regime?

What is the international stand?

The U.S. and European government have put in place sanctions against the military government, along with boycotts and other direct pressure however, several Western companies remain due to loopholes in these sanctions. Once the largest exporter of rice in the world it is today the poorest of nations. Rather it is in the forefront of a nefarious trade, as the world’s second largest producer of opium. Asian countries continue to invest in and trade with Myanmar. They vie for stakes especially in natural resource extraction for oil, natural gas and teak wood.

Myanmar has close relations with neighboring India and China. Burma’s military government formulates foreign policies to make the old enemies compete for its own benefit. The Indian government has promised them an increased military aid and training as part of its policy to counter strategic inroads being made into that country by China and Pakistan. The insurgent groups on the border with Burma include the United Liberation Front of Asom, the United Nationalist Liberation Front and the People’s Liberation Army, all of which have reportedly set up bases in the jungle along the border. China has a vested interest in its gas resources.

The military regime has just recently privatized 100+ public sectors in the country. This is hardly likely to lead the country towards prosperity. Given the military’s deep stake in the economy, (it controls mainly energy, heavy industry, and rice trade) it is unlikely to give up power. Any economic gains from trade or tourism will only go to strengthen the regime. If privatising public sectors is for the good of the civilians, then why is it that different sections some even led by Aung San Suu Kyi are fighting against the same? The international community seems to be ignoring this situation, is it because it undermines their stakes in the country?

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