Asia and Oceania

Burma
Last reviewed: 02 December 2008

Country information

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HISTORY

Burma was an independent Buddhist kingdom from 11th to 13th centuries, when the country fell to Mongol invaders, before becoming a satellite of China. Burma came under the control of the British Raj in 1885. In 1937, Burma became a self-governing protectorate.

During WWII, Burma was the site of heavy fighting between the Japanese and the Allied forces. In 1948, Burma gained independence from the British. General Aung San, the leader of Burma’s Independence movement, assassinated in 1947, is still regarded as the father of the nation. Military governments have ruled Burma since 1962.

Throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s the so-called "Burmese path to socialism" caused economic stagnation and isolation from the international community. In 1988, public discontent over mounting economic chaos caused Ne Win to resign, but public order could not be restored. On the eighth of August 1988 hundreds of thousands of people nation wide marched to demand the BSPP (Burma Socialist Programme Party) regime be replaced by an elected civilian government. Soldiers fired on crowds of unarmed protesters, killing thousands. In September 1988, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) took power and in a brutal crack-down to impose civil order, killed thousands of demonstrators and arrested many more.

In response to the people’s call for democracy, the SLORC pledged to hold elections. However, in the run-up to elections, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the most popular opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was placed under house arrest and many other senior NLD officials were jailed. A free vote took place on 27 May 1990. Of 485 parliamentary seats contested, the NLD won 392 (over 80%). Ethnic minority parties opposed to the SLORC won 65 more seats. The military regime refused to recognise the results claiming a new constitution must be passed before power could be handed over. Many NLD leaders were imprisoned. Others fled the country and remain in exile.

In May 2003, supporters of the military authorities attacked Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy of NLD supporters in Depayin, central Burma. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into 'protective custody' by the regime and held incommunicado until September 2003, when she was moved to house arrest where she remains.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 13 out of the past 17 years in detention. She won the Nobel Peace Price in 1991. U Tin Oo, NLD Vice Chairman, was held in prison until February 2004 when he too was placed under house arrest.
NLD party offices, except the Rangoon headquarters, remain closed.

The military regime, renamed the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 1997, declared a ‘roadmap to democracy’ in 2003. As part of the Roadmap a new constitution was drafted in 2007/8. A referendum was held on 10 May 2008 (delayed until 24 May in cyclone-hit areas). The government announced on 26 May 2008 that the constitution had been approved by 92.48% of the voters. Presidential and parliamentary elections are planned for 2010.

Timeline - Excel spreadsheet

Protests and the Crackdown: September 2007

Sudden fuel-price hikes in mid August 2007 sparked anti-government protests. In September monks in Rangoon and other towns began peacefully marching the streets, chanting prayers, in protest at the mistreatment of monks by government officials in Pakokku, central Burma. Activists and public supporters joined the protests, which evolved into calls for wide reform, with tens of thousands marching.

On 26 September the military responded, establishing a curfew and beginning night time raids of monasteries, beating and arresting monks and destroying property. On 27 September, several thousand civilians gathered in several locations in Rangoon. When the crowds refused to disperse the military and police troops threw smoke grenades and shot into the crowd. Official figures are that 15 were killed, but the true figure is likely to be higher. A Japanese journalist was among those killed.

The international community was swift and united in condemning the military government for the violent crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters. The UN Secretary General's Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari visited Burma shortly after the crackdown and met separately with junta leader Senior General Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi. The UN Security Council issued a Presidential Statement on 11 October 2007, which strongly deplored the use of violence against peaceful demonstrations.

Cyclone Nargis

Cyclone Nargis, a Category 4 cyclone, struck Burma’s Irrawaddy delta and townships in Rangoon, Mon and Karen states on 2nd and 3rd May 2008, leaving 140,000 dead or missing. The UN estimated that about 2.5 million people were affected by the cyclone.

Following the Cyclone the international community pressed the Burmese government to up the scale of the response and to accept the need for foreign aid workers to access the affected areas to increase the effectiveness of the support reaching the victims. On 25th May, an international pledging conference was held in Rangoon attended by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. Following the conference a Burmese-UN-ASEAN coordination mechanism set in place to co-ordinate the aideffort.

On 21^st July, a Post-Nargis Joint Assessment(PONJA) Report on the impact of the cyclone Nargis, compiled by a joint team ofthe ASEAN, Burmaand the United Nations, estimated the total damage and losses due to thecyclone at over 4 billion US dollars.

Following the Cyclone Nargis, the UK’s Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) is providing £45 million for emergency relief and recoveryactivities which includes relief items, support for food distributions, supportfor emergency health care and support to help farmers restart agriculture inthe Cyclone affected areas.

The Ethnic Minorities

Ethnic minorities make up more than 30% of the overall population. There are around 120 different minorities, and seven main groups besides the dominant (Buddhist) Burmans. Armed conflict continues in several parts of Burma, although the government has negotiated ceasefire arrangements with several armed groups including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Shan State Army - North (SSA-N). Those still fighting include the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Karenni Army, the Shan State Army - South (SSA-S) and the Shan State National Army (SSNA). The Karen National Union (KNU) has been fighting since 1949. The picture now is a complex patchwork of ceasefire and non-ceasefire groups. Some, like the Wa - close to the border with China - have carved out a significant degree of autonomy. Some have splintered and there is intra ethnic tension.