Burma: Military Rule in the 1990s - Essay Example

Burma Military rule in the 1990’s Order No: No: of pages: 6 – 6530 Burma is located on the mainland of Asia and it is adjacent to India and China. Most of the Burmese are Buddhists but many other ethnic and religious minorities live in harmony following their own culture. The Burmese, trace their roots back to Pagan which is in Central Burma where the first empire was created and a rich civilization was born. Traditionally, in days gone by, it was believed that there was a sharp contrast between the military and the civilians of Burma by way of attitudes, interest and values. On one hand the civilians were interested in ideology, process and power and on the other hand the military was concerned with values, professional skills and weapons. Modern studies have now shown that this divide no longer exists. With the emergence of National conscript armies, with the use of sophisticated weapons, and the importance of industrial production, and transport and communication, a kind of fusion has been brought about between the military and the civilian bureaucracy. Military and Foreign Policy in Burma. During the first decade of freedom the military sought to perfect its professional organization and skills and left the matters of Foreign Policy to its civilian counterparts. By the time the military intervened and tried to gain back their power, there was a wide gulf between the civilians and the soldiers which chiefly arose from power over the domestic policy. War-Stricken Burma. Burma particularly takes pride in the fact, that in the eighteenth century it turned back four Chinese invasions. In their history spanning many years, they were also successful in defeating the Thais and Laos in the East and Manipuri and Assamese in the West. But they could not achieve the same results when it came to fighting against the Europeans. The indigenous Burmese army fought bravely, but they were no match for them because of the use of sophisticated weapons, tactics and modern arms of the Europeans. Anti Fascist’s Peoples League. Just before World War II and the Japanese occupation, the Japanese agents recruited 30 young Burmese nationalists’ soldiers and gave them good military training with the idea of helping them to over throw the British rule. But the actual objective of the Japanese was to claim power once they defeated the British. The Burmese leaders never lost contact with their civilian counterparts. They jointly understood that Japan was not genuine in its dealings and so they secretly formed a resistance group called the “Anti Fascist’s Peoples League” and through this common organization maintained contact with the Allied Forces of India. On March 27th 1945, the Burmese defeated the Japanese and joined forces with their colonial rulers. Thus the birth of modern military rule took shape during World War II which helped them to improve their military skills and use them to gain independence. Burma in an International Perspective. According to Government scholars and analysts, Burma (Myanmar) had been isolated for so long and that any attempt of threat by foreign countries will not have any effect on its policies or actions. In July 1991, US made an attempt to put pressure on Burma to end its Human Rights Violations and transfer its power to an elected Government. Burma was unfazed by the episode and didn’t adhere to it. But the Nations of the world were not to be put off and adopted strong resolutions and objectives for getting Burma to make a change. Then on April 23rd 1992, a series of announcements and action was passed by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) for a change in leaders, the release of political prisoners, sanction of family members to visit DAW Aung San Suu Kyi, writing a new constitution and that is how the process of change had begun. When the SLORC came into power they announced that they were here to perpetuate National Sovereignty, bring about law and order, provide security and bring about the well being of the people. The SLORC’s Declaration was made clear to the world, that it did not want interference from other Nations as they did not intend to interfere in their affairs. The SLORC did not live up to the expectations of its people. During this period it created one of the worst civil and human rights record in the world. United States, Germany and other Non-governmental Organizations (NGO’s) reported and documented violence of the SLORC against defenseless and unarmed citizens of all age groups, economic status and religions. These actions provoked the Foreign Governments and other diplomats and they demanded that the SLORC stop their uncivilized behavior. Serious tensions brewed around the Burma-Bangladesh Border due to persecution and forceful eviction by the military of the Burmese Muslims. Around 30,000 refugees gathered around the border of China and Burma. Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, who fought for political change in Burma, won the “Nobel Peace Prize in 1991”, but the award provoked the world’s demand for change. After 4 years of cruel and inhumane ruling by the army, they had no accomplishments what-so-ever to show. Today Burma is a police state and its rulers govern them by terror and violence. They use the radio, television and press to proclaim that they are the protectors of the people, but in true fact they have informers planted everywhere and no one is above suspicion. Refugee Camps. Since 1990, the Burmese army had forcefully relocated about 4 million people to help in development of infrastructure programs and to build natural gas and oil pipelines for multi- national corporations. As a result the number of refugees along the Burmese –Thai border had risen alarmingly. Their number rose steadily and by 1997 there were around 112,412 of them. Political Misfortunes. To counter their political misfortunes, they began building “Pagodas”. It was their tradition or custom of the Burmese kings to build pagodas to atone for the sins committed against their subjects. The workers were forced by the Local Peoples Council to contribute to its construction. A lot of money was wasted in the construction of these huge monuments. Isolating Burma – Xenophobia During the rule of General Ne Win, Burma was a reclusive socialist state whose citizens were cut off from the outside world. Time and again they xenophobically condemned corrupt Western influences and culture. They had no access to foreign exchange or opportunities to travel abroad. This legacy still continues in the present regime. They encourage widespread propaganda across Burma calling Westerners “destructionists of the state”. This negative and xenophobic statement is spread through its news, booklets, billboards and other media. The Legacies – Feudalism and Capitalism. This custom dates back to the days of the Burmese kings who rewarded loyal followers with the power to tax land, properties and contraband traders of Opium and heroin in Burma. This legacy is rampant even today where they take from the subjects and reward loyal followers with wealth, privileges and political power. It is satirically termed by the Burmese as “Waisar” which means divide or distribute. Financial and Economic Crisis of Burma. The current indicator of Burma’s travel backward into a reclusive position is its financial debacle which occurred recently. The accelerated depreciation of the Burmese Kyat as against the US dollar rose to alarming heights. In December 1997, it reached a panic level of 380 Kyats per US dollar, over 60 times more than the artificially fixed official exchange rate of 6 Kyats per US dollar. International reports say that Burma’s foreign exchange reserves have drastically fallen and as a result of this economic crisis, the FDI flows from the ASEAN countries have been sharply curtailed. This situation came about due to the halt in the production of rice and other main products. Inflation is another factor because of the shortage of basic necessities. The Bureaucrats and powerful ministers who have and iron grip on the economy are not accountable to anyone and therefore the Burmese economy remains in a shambles. Burma – Constitutional Reforms. For the past two years, a clarion call has been announced by the UN General Assembly to the ruling military State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to transfer power to the democratically elected representatives. The UN Commission of Human Rights expressed grave concern over the abuse of human rights by the Burmese military. They elected a body to monitor the progress on the constitutional front. However the military effectively thwarted the visits of the UN envoy and instead the SLORC is planning a change in constitution which would legitimize the governing of the people by the military. By this constitution, any attempt by genuine citizens to air their opinions or views would be unheard of. In the General elections carried out on May 27 1990, in spite of the strict orders against campaigning, the National League for Democracy, (NLD) under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi won 392 out of the 485 seats in the assembly elections, but till date the SLORC refuses to relinquish power to the newly elected government. The very presence of the SLORC is distasteful to a genuine constitutional making process and Democracy because it has declared itself above the law and has entrenched its power through exercising Martial Law in Burma. Only when the SLORC gives up its governing power to the elected people’s Assembly, only then a genuine constitutional process can begin. References: The Military and Foreign Policy in Burma and Indonesia, Josef Silverstein. Asian Survey Vol. 22, No.3, (March 1982), pp 278-291. Japan’s Scheme for the Liberation of Burma. The Role of the Minami Kaikan and the “Thirty Comrades”. Ohio University Centre for International Studies, 1973 Southeast Asia Series No. 27 http://links.jstor.org. “The Military and Politics in Modern Times”, Amos Perlmutter, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977 Burma in an International Perspective, Josef Silverstein International Herald Tribune May 18th, 1992. The Burma Road to the past, Mya Maung Asian Survey, Vol, 39, No. 2. (Mar- Apr., 1999), pp 265 – 286 International Labor Organization.(ILO) International Labor Conference Report of the Committee on application of standards No. 14, Geneva, June 20th 1996, p. 56. Constitutional Reforms in a Repressive State, Janelle M. Diller The Case of Burma. Asian Survey Vol, 33, No. 4 (April., 1993) pp 393 -407 Http://www.ibiblio.org/obl http://www.burmanet.org Read More