Burma* and its struggle for freedom - timeline and commentary

Prior to 1886

• Burma as we know it did not exist; the territory was home to various independent nations.

British Conquest:

• 1886 - Britain annexed the Burman Kingdom (including Arakan and Mon states).
• Karenni (Kayah) states recognized as Sovereign States.
• The Shan States became a British protectorate – the Federated Shan States.
• The Chin & Kachin Hills, and the Salween District (Karen State) ruled indirectly as Frontier Areas

Before Independence:

• 1930s - the rise of the Burmans campaign for independence.
  
• 1940s - 2nd World War:
  • Burman nationalists were trained by Japan and the British were defeated.
  • Chin, Kachin, Karen and Shans remain loyal to the British – they fight the Japanese and Burman Nationalists.
  • Burman-Karen atrocities were committed during the second world war 
  • Japan loses the second world war

After Independence:

• 1947 - Panglong Agreement to form the Union of Burma
  
• 1948 - Burma gained independence from Britain as the Union of Burma
  
• 1960 - Federal movement to legally amend the union constitution
  
• 1949 - Civil war started in Arakan, Karen, Karenni, & Mon states
  
• 1962 - General Ne Win led the military coup ‘to prevent the disintegration of the nation’ & civil war also started in Kachin, Chin, & Shan States
  
• 1988 - Start of People’s Power Movement for Democracy;
  
• 1990 - General Elections: The National League for Democracy (NLD) wins 82% of seats, the United Nationalities League for democracy ( UNLD) wins 15% of seats, and the military-backed National Unity Party (NUP) wins 2% of seats.
  
• 1994 - United Nations General Assembly Resolution:
  To resolve Burma’s problems and to build a sustainable democracy, there should be a ‘Tripartite Dialogue’, amongst:
  -          The military led by the SLORC / SPDC
  -          Democracy advocates led by the NLD and
  -          The Ethnic Nationalities.
• 2007 - Military Rule continues

The Military

The Burma Army believes in:“One blood, one voice, one command.”

Burma has been ruled by a military dictatorship since 1962, when General Ne Win seized power from the democratic government of U Nu. Since then, successive juntas have ruthlessly suppressed individual and political freedoms in the country and outlawed all forms of political expression. Over 1100 political prisoners have been in jail since the 1990s, including elected Members of Parliament.

The Burma Army is modeled on the 1930’s Fascist movement. It remains fascist in outlook. Its policies leave no room for ethnic diversity or political dissent. The Army uses Burman Kingdoms under Anaw-ratha and Bayin-naung as models for national unity – by conquests. These kings were enemies of the other ethnic states.

The Burmese Democracy movement:

The Democracy Movement

The summer of 1988 brought a student uprising and pro-democracy rallies across the country. A year later Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders established the National League for Democracy, to challenge the regime. The NLD won 82% of parliamentary seats in the elections of 1990, but the military prevented it from fulfilling its democratic mandate to govern, and stopped the elected parliament from convening.

Democracy leader and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest, on and off, since July 1989. She has been unable to leave Burma for more than 12 years, for fear of being barred from returning.

Despite her courageous stand for democracy, the regime remains in power and seeks to win legitimacy. But resistance both inside and outside Burma continues.

The Government-In-Exile

In December 1990, elected parliamentarians formed the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) under the leadership of Dr Sein Win. The NCGUB, joined with other democratic forces such as the Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB), the National Democratic Front (NDF), and the NLD-LA (Liberated Area), to form the basis of a growing democratic network. In August 1992 they established a parliament in exile: the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB).

Challenges:

The National League for Democracy functioned as a party for one year (1989 to 1990). It had no time to develop policies or build-up party structures or leaders. The NLD has only one extremely charismatic, prominent and capable leader – the detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The leadership of political parties have been decimated by arrests.They are considered to be ‘traitors’ by the present ruling generals. The exile leadership has been weakened due to all these factors.

The Ethnic Nationalities

The ethnic nationalities in Burma, such as the Arakan, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon and Shan, make up the third party in the Tripartite Dialogue called for since 1994 by the United Nations General Assembly. Prior to Burma gaining independence from Britain in 1948, they had their own separate homelands and military and political organisations.There are also minority ethnic groups in each of the seven ethnic states mentioned above.

The question of an equitable constitutional arrangement between the various states and peoples has plagued Burma from its independence. But the heavy-handed and repressive response of the military aggravated the situation. The abolition of the 1947 constitution by Ne Win, threw the nation into a constitutional vacuum which allowed the states to claim that they are independent, and that they are being occupied by an invading army.

Currently, some ethnic armies have ceasefire agreements with the Burmese military, and others continue to fight. There is a certain level of division between ethnic political parties and armed groups, as well as religious tensions (mainly between Christians, Buddhists and Muslims). The ethnic states have no single political voice – and debate continues on the issues of independence versus federalism, however they are actively working together to ensure that a new constitutional arrangement between the various states is negotiated in the process of transition from military rule to democracy.