A Brief Look at Myanmar

Myanmar's Buddhist monks -- who are highly respected by the population -- decided last week to take part in pro-democratic protests. That was the turning point. Over the past eight days, the world has become increasingly concerned. Will the generals react with violence or will they finally start a real dialogue with the opposition? Since Tuesday, it is clear that the generals have chosen violence.

Myanmar is about twice the size of Germany. The former British colony used to be known as Burma. In 1989, the military regime changed the name of the country to the “Union of Myanmar”. Myanmar describes the largest section of the country’s population, the Myanma, also known colloquially as “the Bamar”.

Ethnically diverse

But the name “Myanmar” is not recognised by all countries in the world. The UN does recognise the name but many countries dismiss it to indicate their disapproval with the country’s military regime, and continue to call the country Burma. The opposition leader and the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under on-and-off house arrest for the last 18 years, also advocates using Burma because, in her opinion, “Myanmar” does not reflect the country’s ethnic diversity.

The Myanma form an estimated two-thirds of the country’s population of 47 million. The rest of the population is formed by various ethnic minorities such as the Shan or the Kayin, which fought vehemently for their rights, but have in recent years declared a truce. 90 percent of the population is Buddhist.

Turbulent history

Until 1948, Myanmar was a British colony. Buddhist monks played a big role in the independence movement. The leader of the Burma Independence Army was the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, now a national hero. In 1962, after a short and chaotic period of democracy, the military took over the country’s government. Although there have been protests and uprisings, the military has been able to retain and expand its power.

Before now, the biggest pro-democratic protests took place in 1988. They were led mostly by university students, and actively encouraged by the clergy. They were brutally suppressed and up to 3,000 people were killed.

The first general election took place under the military government in 1990. But the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy was not recognised by the regime. Since then, Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Opposition supressed

Ever since, the military government has brutally suppressed any kind of opposition. Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest is constantly renewed. Many political activists have gone into exile to organise resistance against the military regime from abroad.

The regime is almost completely isolated by the international community. The EU and the US have imposed economic sanctions because of the regime’s ongoing violation of human rights. The UN Security Council is trying to issue resolutions against Myanmar but without success because Russia and China tends to use their veto against them.

China is the military regime's closest ally. Myanmar is rich in natural resources, particularly in oil and gas. Apart from China, Myanmar also has economic ties with its neighbour India.

Despite its natural resources, Myanmar belongs to the world’s poorest countries. The inflation rate is almost 25 percent. In August, the government decided to double the fuel prices, which caused a massive increase in commodity prices. Many took to the streets to protest and were later joined by the monks.