What the heck?

1. 
   2007 September 25

   straightarrow permalink

   Back in Burma
   Back in Burma

   East of India, south of China
   Map all of Asia

   Yesterday, on our way to meet the Buddha, we reviewed the current crisis in Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar), where monks have been on the march against a longstanding military regime. Today, we’re returning to Burma.

   Burma Basics

   Mention “Burma” and many westerners picture a small Southeast Asian nation. They don’t realize that the country covers more territory than France and has more people than Ukraine or Spain.

   Why not? In part because Burma’s military dictators like to keep the country out of the news. They’ve worked for years to isolate the nation from the rest of the world–expelling foreign journalists and suppressing internal dissent. Want to defy those dictators? Then let’s learn a little about Burma, by running down its recent history and sizing the country up.
   rab Rangoon

   The British Empire conquered Burma in the late 19th century and made Rangoon its capital. They kept control until 1948, when the nation officially became an independent republic. Ten years of constitutional rule followed, though the republic was plagued by political disputes and ethnic insurrections.

   Amid rumors of a coup in 1958, the prime minister asked a military commander, General Ne Win, to take over temporarily. He agreed, led a caretaker government for 18 months, and passed power back to civilians. But Ne Win evidently didn’t like losing power. In 1962, he led his own coup. Then he took the country down “the Burmese Way to Socialism,” a path that led straight to poverty and political oppression.

   8/8/88

   Ne Win ruled Burma as dictator until 1988, when a series of student-led protests in Rangoon (a.k.a. Yangon) forced his resignation. Further demonstrations culminated in the “Four Eights Uprising,” a massive pro-democracy rally that began on 8/8/88. That day, military forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing hundreds (perhaps thousands). Yet demonstrations continued and spread across the country.

   Aung San Suu Kyi–the daughter of a general who had helped win Burma’s independence–soon emerged as an important pro-democracy leader. But when the old military regime finally fell, Burma didn’t get democracy. A new military regime, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, stepped in to “restore order” and killed thousands more protesters.

   That military regime–now known as the “State Peace and Development Council”–remains in charge today, despite elections in 1990 that should have brought Aung San Suu Kyi’s party to power. Aung San Suu Kyi herself has been under house arrest for much of the last two decades, despite a Nobel Peace Prize and international outcry on her behalf. In 2006, the regime moved the capital hours north to Naypyidaw, a planned city where it maintains strict control.

   Burma, By the Numbers

   262,000 – Burma’s total area, in square miles (678,500 sq km). That makes it a little smaller than Texas, but larger than Afghanistan or France.

   47 million – Burma’s total population. That’s more people than live in Ukraine or Spain. It’s also more people than live in California, Oregon, and Washington combined.

   89 – Percentage of Burma’s people who are Buddhists. Christians and Muslims make up most of the rest.

   68 – Percentage of Burma’s people who are ethnic Burmans. Other ethnic groups include the Shan (9 percent), Karen (7 percent), and Rakhine (4 percent). Ethnic tensions have been a source of separatist rebellions.

   32 – Percentage of children under five in Burma who were underweight for their age in 2004. Burma is resource rich, but political problems have kept it poor.

   –Steve Sampson

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