Sunday, January 30, 2011

Opening up it's economic doors,

Aung San Suu Kyi has declared that she wants international companies to start investing in Burma, as the country has been 'left behind' after years of political strife. She addressed the World Economic Forum and said that these international economic ties will help bring Burma political stability, although while investing, foreign companies must put a premium on respect for the law, environmental and social factors, workers rights and many other things, or it will not help change the country for the good.

Suu Kyi seems to have also changed her mind on tourism in Burma. She has stated that while large package tours should be discouraged as they are run by the government and will only help increase the power of the military, people should be encouraged to come as individuals and see the country for themselves, not just as a news story or some facts on a page. Having been to Burma I agree completely with Aung San Suu Kyi, as Burma is not a country you can understand simply by reading about it, and by visiting and staying in privately owned hotels, you will greatly help the economic situation for the Burmese people, without putting money in the Junta's pockets. 

Parliment is opening...

Even though official election results have not been released, the new government will meet tomorrow as a 'democratically' elected government for the first time since the general elections in november. The military junta-linked party have also said that they won the elections with about 80% of the votes, and a quarter of the seats in parliament have been reserved for the military. The country's newspaper, 'The New Light of Myanmar' states that the elections have created a feeling of independence and patriotism, and that the election results were the 'fruit of democracy'. 




Opposition group launches website

Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the NLD, have now launched a website. Having recently been released from house arrest Suu Kyi is evidently keen to get back into politics, and having her party launch a website is obviously the first step towards this. The NLD boycotted last november's elections, calling them unfair and corrupt. Now that the junta are officially in power, they have launched a website, meant for supporters both in burma and internationally, however it is unknown yet whether the government will block the website in Burma or not. The website allows supporters to learn about the party's beliefs, media appearences, and it shows any breaking news concerning the party. I believe that this website is a great step forward in helping the rest of the world become more involved in what is happening in Burma right now.

http://www.nldburma.org/

Monday, January 24, 2011

The blog thus far...

It is that time when I review your blog to date, and make comments about going forward.

I found initially when you started blogging a real sense of excitement regarding the elections and events surrounding Aung San Suu Kyi - the blog begin with a bang - well done! And I found that as I log on each week, I'm keen to learn more about Burma, but unless I'm mistaken, I only note two posts in the new year, both on Jan 16, I think, the last one a link to an on-line newspaper. You mention it's a propaganda tool for the military junta: why? Discuss an article in it. It might be useful as a link you can access any time, rather than a posting. It will certainly be useful as "cannon fodder" going forward. So, although I'm impressed by what you've written, I don't get the sense of events and the country being trended. That's really your challenge, Kirstin, remain engaged with blog, and then develop it and with it your expertise. Are there other links you could include? Does Kyi have a website of or a blog? Have an major articles been written on Burma in the recent past in major publications? Are there any books in Chapters or the library that will help you develop further your expertise? And of course what's happening with the election?

I've included a couple of stories below about Burma that may get you thinking: The first is from the Wall Street Journal, posted tomorrow (Asia is a day ahead), and also contains video footage.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703398504576101013572919394.html?mod=googlenews_wsj


The other is from the Guardian (UK) on line. It contains a plethora of important information, including links to Aung San Suu Kyi's pages, material on Human Rights, the dictatorship, the Burma Daily, an interactive guide and a profile of Than Shwe.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/burma

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The new light of Myanmar

The 'New Light of Myanmar' is Burma's longest running newspaper and is published daily in both English and Burmese. It is government run and a large propaganda tool for them, with many articles about military officials. Here is a link to the english online version:

http://www.myanmar.com/newspaper/nlm/index.html

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi was born on the 19th June, 1945 in Rangoon, and was educated at a Methodist English high school, which is now creatively known as basic education high school no. 1, Dragon, and Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, from which she graduated in 1964 She then gained a degree from St. Hugh's college, Oxford, in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, in 1969. She also worked with the UN for three years, and gained a PHD in Oriental and African studies from the University of London in 1988. Her parents were both politically active, with her father negotiating independence from the british in 1945, and her mother became Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960.

Aung San Suu Kyi's political career started in 1988 when she returned to Burma to look after her ill mother, and she made a speech to half a million people at a mass rally on the 26th August, just after the 8888 uprisings (because general Ne Win stepped down) , about Burma's need for a democratic government. On the 24th September, the National Leauge for democracy (NDL) was formed, and Aung San Suu Kyi was general secretary. She was put under house arrest on the 20th July 1989, and refused to leave the country in exchange for freedom. This house arrest lasted until the 10th July 1995. Aung San Suu Kyi has been influenced by Gandhi's concept of Satyaragha, or non-violence, and many Bhuddist concepts.

In 1990 the Junta ran a general election, in which the NLD won 59% of the votes, however the Junta refused to give up power and the party was refused office. This caused international outcry, and led to Suu Kyi being given the Sakharov prize in 1990 and the Nobel peace prize in 1991.

On the 9th November 1996, Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD members were attacked while driving through Rangoon. The attackers were thought to be members of the Union Solidarity Development Association, and an official complaint was filed with the government, however no action was ever taken.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 15 of the past 20 years, with it being illegally prolonged (both in Burma and Internationally),  on the 28th May 2008 and the 11th August 2009. She was released again on the 13th November 2010, only 5 days after the 2010 elections, where it became apparent the USDP were going to win the elections, despite no official results being released.

She has also been very involved with the UN, with the UN making many failed appeaks to the junta to try and get her released from house arrest

Burma's political system.

Burma is run by an oppresive military government, otherwise known as the junta, which took power in a coup in 1962. After only 14 short years of democracy after gaining indipendance from the UK, General Ne Win seized power on the 2nd March, becoming Prime Minister and chairman of the revolutionary council.

Before seizing power General Ne Win had also stepped in as interim Prime Minister in 1958 when the current prime minister, U Nu, only just survived a vote against his confidence as a leader. Ne Win restored order to Burma and reliquished his power in 1960 when U Nu won the election.

In 1990 an election which was held, which was won in a landslide by Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party, with 59% of the votes, however she was barred from office and instead was put under house arrest, and the junta continued to rule.

This military coup led to Burma becoming a single party socialist state with everything being controlled by the government, and ethnic groups being punished especially. Now the head of state is Than Shwe, although this could all change when the results of the election are released.