Causecast

by AARON HORWITZ, Contributing Writer

1) Burma is spatially the largest nation in mainland Southeast Asia, with a population of over 50 million. The nation achieved independence from Britain in 1948, and despite ethnic strife, maintained some form of democracy for the next 14 years. In 1962, the military staged a coup and seized power, paving the way for a brutal oppression that remains strong 47 years later.

2) After 26 years of hardship and suffering, the people of Burma protested en masse on August 8th, 1988 (8-8-88) in the hopes of encouraging democratic elections. The military junta responded by massacring over 3,000 peaceful protesters.

3) Unable to ignore the international backlash, the junta in 1989 agreed to hold elections. The most popular opposition party, the National League For Democracy (NLD), won an astounding 82% of parliamentary seats. However, the results would go largely unrecognized by the government. The NLD’s leader, Aung Sun Suu Kyi, was placed under house arrest, where she has spent 13 of the past 19 years. In 1991, Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

4) In 1989, the ruling military junta renamed the country Myanmar and changed the capital’s name from Rangoon to Yangon. However, many nations, including the UK and the United States, refuse to acknowledge it as such, unwilling to recognize an unelected government. The capital was also recently and suspiciously relocated.

5) In an attempt to stifle any future uprisings, the military junta issued a 1996 decree that promised up to 20 years in prison for anyone who publicly opposed government policies. Another law introduced that same year states that anyone who fails to register their fax machine, computer or modem with the government will receive a punishment of no less than seven years in prison. Media inside Burma (or rather the lack thereof) has always been strictly controlled.

6) In addition to Aung Sun Suu Kyi, the Burmese government has held over 2,100 political prisoners in torrid conditions. Suu Kyi herself is currently on trial and faces up to 5 years in prison for allowing an American intruder into her home. The international community has condemned this trial as a sham. Acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey has created a new image of Suu Kyi to be promoted around the globe in support of her freedom.

7) During the military’s reign of terror, over 3,000 villages have been destroyed in an attempt to stifle the nation’s Karen and other minorities. This has resulted in the displacement of over 1.5 million Burmese citizens, not counting those who never made it out alive.

8) On May 2nd, 2008, Cyclone Nargis tore apart Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta region and claimed the lives of over 140,000 people, severely impacting up to 2.5 million others. Unwilling initially to let international aid agencies into Burma, the military junta waited nearly three weeks before relenting and temporarily opening its borders.

9) Nearly half the government’s budget is spent on the military of 500,000 soldiers, despite having no external enemies. Additionally, Burma uses an estimated 70,000 child soldiers, more than any other nation. Meanwhile, health care expenditures per person average a shocking 31 cents per year. As a result, one in 10 children die before reaching age five.

10) Despite the countless human rights violations committed daily and the many international sanctions against the nation, hundreds of large corporations continue to maintain large investments in Burma. And the number keeps growing.

Photo by jmhullot, flickr