SPEAKING
FREELY The
progress flows in Myanmar By
David Koppers
Speaking Freely is an
Asia Times Online feature that allows guest
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With the
announcement of freedom for hundreds of opposition
activists in Burma/Myanmar and the normalization
of United States/Myanmar relations, we have may
have now seen significant progress toward openness
in Myanmar. During the recent visit by US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she observed
"flickers out of progress". We can now say that
those flickers have manifested into real progress.
The question now becomes, can Myanmar continue on
the path toward democratization, or will
it quickly close the door
to freedom as it has in the past?
On
November 13, 2010, Nobel Peace laureate and
opposition leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi was freed from
house arrest. This can be seen as the end of a
chapter in her life in which she was under house
arrest in for almost 15 of the past 21 years. She
continues to be the most prominent and vocal
supporter of democracy in her country. Her release
from house arrest and the recent reforms made by
former generals and current president Thein Sein
have heralded the unraveling of Myanmar's military
dictatorship.
In the 1990 general
election, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy won 59% of the national vote. By the
time of the election however, she had already been
placed under house arrest. Time and again,
Myanmar's military rulers would not cede power,
regardless of election or popular protest.
The student protests of August 8, 1998,
known as the 8888 Uprising, ushered in the era of
Aung San Suu Kyi as a national icon of her
country. It also brought about the worst in the
military government. Soldiers opened fire on
demonstrators, killing hundreds, if not thousands.
Starting in August 2007, hundreds of
Buddhist monks assembled to protest against the
government. The "Saffron" revolution, as it has
been called, saw a similarly violent crackdown
against the opposition. This time the authorities
had to contend with the information age as
Internet and cell phone usage was blocked.
Throughout Myanmar's military
dictatorship, internal conflict has persisted. A
low-intensity war has pitted the majority Bamar
against various minority groups such as the Shan,
Karen, Kachin and Mon. The Burmese army has been
fighting guerilla armies of these different ethnic
groups.
Inevitably, the minorities,
particularly women and children, become displaced.
They flee into refugee camps in Thailand. Now,
Myanmar's minorities have communities in the US,
Canada, Australia and Europe. From their new homes
they have spread the word of the troubles in their
native land.
One of the worst atrocities
to befall Myanmar was not man-made; it was caused
by nature. On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck,
killing at least 138,000. The natural destruction
was the worst Myanmar had ever faced. Compounding
this disaster was the military government's
refusal to allow in foreign aid. Ships carrying
assistance were unable to dock. Thousands
needlessly suffered and died while relief was
stranded at sea.
One might say that things
could not get any worse. Surely, the dictatorial
rule of General Than Shwe will go down in history
as one of Asia's, if not one of the world's,
worst. Only since he handed down control to his
successors have we seen any kind of improvement.
What large-scale protests as seen in the
Arab Spring could not achieve in Myanmar, now may
take place sheerly through the weight of history.
Perhaps not wanting to be a surrogate of China or
another North Korea, Myanmar sees reforms as a
chance for new economic opportunities with the
West. Interestingly, both Aung San Suu Kyi and
President Thein Sein are the same age. Perhaps
their shared generational perspectives can help
bring about the freedom many have dreamed of for
so long.
David Koppers teaches
refugees from Myanmar in Aurora, Colorado.
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say.Please
click hereif you are interested in
contributing. Articles submitted for this section
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