Responsible Traveler: An In-depth Look at the Situation in Burma
* Cishore (flickr)
Part of being a responsible traveler is knowing what’s going on in the world around us. We’ve all heard about the recent protests in Burma, but what is it actually all about. What are the historical precedents, and what has led the country, it’s government, and it’s people to this point?
I am certainly not an expert on Burma, but I have spent some time attempting to better inform myself on the country’s current plight. I have put together a brief summary of the Burma’s modern history, which describes the current situation of the country, and what it’s people are protesting and fighting for. Read on for more information regarding the Burmese struggle:
1948 / Burma becomes an independent nation:
On January 4th, 1948, the Union of Burma (as it was then called) gained independence from the British Empire. The country formed an independent and democratic republic, that even supplied the United Nations with it’s first “non-Western” Secretary General, Pantanaw U Thant.
1962 / The end of democracy and the beginning of military rule:
In 1962, General Ne Win led a successful military coup of the democratic government, and assumed power transforming Burma into a military dictatorship. He led the country down the “Burmese Way to Socialism”, an isolationist path focused on self-sufficiency and the nationalization of practically all private industry.
Nationalized companies are managed or rather mismanaged by military personnel, who slowly run them into the ground creating mass inflation, and leading the country to the brink of economic collapse by the late 1980’s.
1988 / More mismanagement, and the first strike back:
Economic troubles were exacerbated in 1987 by a highly questionable move made by Burma’s leader General Ne Win. Ne Win decided, “he wanted only 45 and 90 kyat notes in circulation. This was because they were divisible by nine, which he considered a lucky number” (BBC News).
He decided to cancel all other monetary notes, and consequently stamped out many Burmese’ life savings overnight.
The economic crisis spurred protests by Burmese students, who were then joined by other citizens and the highly revered Burmese monks, all of whom were fed up with the incompetent and seemingly quack policies of the Burmese military regime. They protested for the dismantling of the military government, and the embracing of democracy.
Protests continued until the 18th of September when, as anticipated, the government decided they had had enough, and broke up rallies by firing on a crowd of protesters and carrying away others - never to be seen or heard from again.
The BBC reports that human rights groups estimate at least 3,000 people were killed in the government led attacks on protesters.
1989-2007 / False reform and widespread poverty:
Following the 1988 protests, Burma’s military government attempted to appease protesters by opening up the economy to market forces. However, the reform was far from genuine as government officials limited actual change by shrouding privatized industry with bureaucratic red tape and by transferring the most important industrial sectors (food production/distribution) to military run companies.
Despite the hollowness of these economic reforms, protest settled down and the country passed quietly through the next decade and a half. However, while the rest of Southeast Asia was experiencing historical economic growth, Burma’s leaders seemed incapable of lifting the country out of poverty. While the government seems content spending roughly half it’s budget on the armed forces, UN reports show that government spending on healthcare and education are among the lowest in the world. 31.8% of children under 5 are malnourished and the average income is under $300 per year - 70% of which goes toward the purchase of food.
Unphased by growing poverty, and increased costs of food staples such as rice, eggs, and cooking oil (up 30-40% by the end of 2006 - BBC News), the Burmese military regime continued to make highly questionable policy decisions. The country, rich with natural resources, has recently profited from rising oil prices and has received an influx of cash. However, the government seems unconcerned with reducing poverty or investing in the country’s infrastructure, and instead spends government funds purchasing nuclear reactors from Russia, and embarking on a high priced relocation of their nations capital to an inaccessible region of the jungle. The countries current head of state, General Than Shwe (who leads an extremely lavish lifestyle - See video of his daughters extravagant wedding), is even believed to take national policy advice from astrologers (who suggested he move the country’s capital out into the jungle).
August 15, 2007-present day / Dramatic raise in fuel prices, and the second strike back:
On August 15, 2007, in another questionable policy decision, the Burmese military government implemented a dramatic increase in fuel prices, and did so without any notice or warning. Petrol and diesel fuel doubled in price, while compressed gas increased by 500%. The tremendous price raise resulted in increased costs for public transportation and trickle-down price increases for food staples.
Again, frustrated by the government’s blatant disregard for public welfare, demonstrators took to the streets. The government took quick recognition of rising public unrest, and attempted to quiet protesters before the movement could build momentum. They used force and arrests to break up rallies across the country, until September 5th when at least 3 Burmese monks were injured as the military attempted to break up a rally in Pakokku. In Burma, where roughly 90% of the population is Buddhist, seeing three monks injured during peaceful protest was extremely upsetting. The monks gave the government until September 17th, 2007 to apologize for their brash actions.
September 17th came and went without any apology or admission by the Burmese government. This resulted in mass protests by monks across the nation. A highly revered and respected population among the general Burmese citizenry, the monks quickly gained support from the general citizenry who are tired of living under what they consider to be an oppressive and incompetent government.
All of this now leads us to today. The Burmese monks and citizens continue to protest for democracy, while the government continues to strike back, cutting internet and other communication links with the outside world and using arrests and violence to intimidate protesters.
Further Reading:
Sources:
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Interesting read. I learned a lot about Burma. It’s sad that the governments of the world seem unwilling or unable to help them. If the truth were known, it’s a little of both. Thanks!
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Hi Nancie: It seems the problem with putting pressure on Burma diplomatically is that it’s most important trading partners, China, Russia, and India, are unwilling to take a hardline stance on the government. China, especially, has more diplomatic sway in Burma than any other country in the world, however, they seem very weary of taking on this type of role and using their influence to promote policy change.
If you haven’t already seen it, this article offers a very interesting break-down as to where individual countries and governing bodies stand on the Burma issue:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7018285.stm
Are they still issuing travel visas? I know in the old days of the 7 day visa at the first sign of trouble all the visas got cancelled! Its a real shame for the country - and I’ve now been waiting over 20 years to get to Mandalay!
@Lissie: To my knowledge, yes travel visas are still being issued.
There is, however, some debate as to whether tourists should visit Burma. The democratic movement has actually asked that foreigners not travel to Burma at this time, as the tourism industry is known for bad human rights practices and all the money made through tourism simply goes to government. However, people on the other side of the debate contest that what the country needs more than anything is international awareness of its situation. They say that it is possible to travel responsibly through Burma, minimizing the amount of money sent to the oppressive regime, and promoting international awareness for the country’s struggle.