June 2008
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Burmese Tragedy
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Burmese Tragedy
As recently as 1940, Burma was the most prosperous nation in southeast Asia. It was the largest exporter of rice in the world, and had vast reserves of valuable teakwood, not to mention its treasure of rubies and jade. Unfortunately most of this wealth had flowed to her colonial masters, the British, who had annexed Burma to British India in the 19th century. The British developed the rice and logging industries, and built railways and schools. But as in India, they were basically colonial exploiters.
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| Burmese Monks refusing alms! |
When Burma negotiated its political independence from Britain in 1947 there was finally hope that the Burmese could have both freedom and economic prosperity. But it was not to be. The Burmese revolutionary hero, Aung San, was assassinated even before the official independence day, and years of fragile democracy and civil war culminated in the army taking control in 1962, with General Ne Win creating a kind of hermit kingdom, isolating Burma from the world.
The recent devasting cyclone in Burma that left as many as 100,000 dead in the Irawaddy Delta is only the latest Burmese tragedy. There have been glimmers of hope in the past, especially in 1990, when a rare democratic election was won by the National League for Democracy. The NLD was led by Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Aung San. Though she was prohibited from standing for election, the NLD won over 80% of the parliamentary seats. But the generals refused to recognize the election results and have kept Aung San Suu Kyi under almost continuous house arrest ever since.
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| Daw Aung San Suu Kyi |
The international community has struggled to find a way to help the Burmese people. Even much of the humanitarian aid for the victims of Cyclone Nargis has been refused by the paranoid Burmese junta. Economic sanctions have failed, since Burma's vast natural resources are eagerly consumed by China. Recent attempts to prevent the importation of Burmese gemstones into the USA and the European Union may make the west feel like they are taking action, but this only serves to further limit the livelihood of ordinary Burmese. With the protection of China, Burma can withstand any international pressure.
The situation in Burma is indeed tragic, and it is hard to see much cause for hope in the latest catastrophe. But sometimes tragic events have positive outcomes. It has happened before. India's aid to Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake helped to bring the two archrivals closer together. The same happened in 1999 when Greece was the first country to come to Turkey's aid after a devastating earthquake, leading to a breakthrough in once-hostile relations between the two countries. The Burmese generals are now being forced to open the doors to accept international aid for their suffering people. But the generals have also demonstrated their utter callousness to their own citizens, including younger member of the military. It will not be forgotten. In a country that recognizes the power of karma, the generals may well have sealed their own fate. |
