Slowing the Bleeding in Myanmar (VIDEO)

It is difficult to foresee which of the international communities or individual countries may be the first to begin a process that could truly restore peace and security in Myanmar- Burma.

Burma, or Myanmar, has been the scene of violence for weeks Photo: uscampaignforburma.org

(SALEM, Ore.) - In an effort to better understand the problems in Myanmar, the nation formerly known as Burma, Salem-News wrote to academic experts on the Asian continent who are watching the sensitive political situation very closely.

The military leader of Myanmar is Senior General Than Shwe

Our goal was to gain a more complete picture of what is happening in this section of the world from distinguished academics in Asian countries who have dedicated their lives to understanding and in turn, educating people about these problems as well as the potential solutions.

The person who holds the country in limbo is Senior General Than Shwe. The military government he heads has been in charge of Burma since a 1962 coup led by General Ne Win. That victory brought an end to the civilian government of U Nu.
Burma had been part of the British Empire since 1948.

Most of the arrests and violence has been suffered by Buddhist monks who have been staging protests and civil demonstrations in the streets of Burma in defiance of government demands and directives.

While current problems dominate headlines, the tensions in Burma have not subsided in years, and people there deal with many ethnic issues as well. Historically, Burma's diverse population has played a large role in defining its politics. Today it proves to be a hindrance.

The country’s culture is based on Theravada Buddhism, intertwined with local elements. Theravada Buddhists number over 100 million worldwide, it is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka for many centuries. Other countries include Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand.

Theravada philosophy promotes the concept of Vibhajjavada, literally "Teaching of Analysis." This is a doctrine stating that insight must come from the aspirant's experience, critical investigation, and reasoning, instead of by blind faith. In recent decades, Theravada has begun to take root in the West and in the Buddhist revival in India.

Is the UN Helping?

The 14 states and divisions of Myanmar.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "Myanmar needs to take major steps towards democratizing, protecting human rights and accelerating its national reconciliation process." He called the authorities’ recent use of force against peaceful demonstrators in the Asian country “abhorrent and unacceptable.”

As the United Nations issues demands and threats toward Than Shwe's government, experts like Professor OOI Keat Gin of the University Sains Malaysia School of Humanities, say the UN's efforts are like spinning tires on ice.

"Myanmar like China is not going to heed any UN resolution or public condemnation, etc. The peoples of Myanmar are going to be the victims of UN sanctions or other pressure exerted on the junta. The more you push the junta to the wall, whether physically or metaphorically, their reaction is simple: they bring out the guns, and more people are going to be victims of decisions (to exert pressure, sanctions, etc.) made by diplomats in New York."

I asked Dr Noel Morada, Associate Professor with the University of the Philippines' Political Science Department in Manila, if there are there emerging theories that could lead to peaceful resolution to this crisis, points that the government will actually listen to?

"This is indeed a very difficult question. First, one has to bear in mind that nobody could really have access to the mindset of the military junta, led by Than Shwe. There are conflicting reports and analysis regarding the cohesion of the military after the violent crackdown. Second, with less access now to information provided by those who are inside the country, it is also difficult to assess and weigh between what the military is saying and what it is actually doing to pro-democracy supporters, including monks."

The professor says it is always difficult to anticipate the country's armed forces response.

"The military remains unpredictable, and what it says one day could be different the next day. I think that for now, the military is buying time and hopes that international anger and condemnation would subside."

Professor Morada says the UN's role helps, "but only to the extent that it could sustain international support for peaceful change in Myanmar. I don't think that it would be effective in putting a stop to the military junta's continuing crackdown and intimidation of civilian protesters, including abuse of unarmed monks."

He says another possible scenario would be a coup within the military. "But even with that, it would difficult to assess where the developments would lead to" he added.

Cultural Understanding

For Americans, a movie available in video stores called "Beyond Rangoon" is a great way to gain a quick education into some of the region's politics.

In the 1995 film, Patricia Arquette's character takes a holiday to Burma in an attempt to heal her spirit. But she is left behind in Rangoon during a military crackdown and so begins a compelling story that portrays one of the region's most important leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi, the person who truly seeks to bring peace to Burma, and is a rightfully elected leader.

Why should Americans care? There are many answers beyond the obvious humanitarian reasons. The situation in Burma has spiraled out of control in the hands of the UN, according to the U.S. Campaign for Burma.

"China is paralyzing UN Security Council action on Burma. They are the main economic, military, and political supporters of the military junta. For fifteen years China has refused to press its closest ally to allow its people human rights, and used its veto power to block the UN Security Council from acting. As a result, the UN is making the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda."

When nations are mismanaged for long periods of time, it seems almost inevitable that bloodshed joins the scenario. Of course when you are dealing with countries that are not primary oil suppliers, U.S. military intervention will often takes a back seat.

Perhaps Americans should care most of all that another region of the world does not suffer further destabilization, as we continue to wage war in the Middle East.

A Beacon of Hope in an Asian Fog

Aung San Suu Kyi is a pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar, and a noted prisoner of conscience and advocate of nonviolent resistance. She is a Buddhist who won the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990. In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a military dictatorship.

Aung San Suu Kyi Courtesy: actionburma.com

Suu Kyi is currently under detention, and the Myanmar government has repeatedly extended her detention. But based on the results of the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi should be the country's Prime Minister, as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party.

However her detention by the military junta prevented her from assuming that role, and the problem continues.

Professor Gin of the University Sains in Malaysia says that it amounts to a lot of posturing, a little headway.

"For public consumption on both sides of the fence, viz. the junta and pro-democracy elements (like) Aung Sun Suu Kyi, both offered a tough stance to not appear as weak. However behind-the-scene and clandestinely brokers of peace from ASEAN must bring both parties to the conference table and to work out a compromise deal."

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) encompasses 10 South East Asian countries. Its key position is in the Asia-Pacific region. The organization is dedicated to peace and stability in the region and its important economic weight have made ASEAN an essential partner for the European Union in Asia.

Too young? Courtesy: der.org

ASEAN was established during the Vietnam War, on August 8th, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signature of the Bangkok declaration by the five original member nations. Those countries were Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

The professors say they do believe that resolution can exist, but it is difficult to foresee which of the international communities or individual countries may be the first to begin a process that could truly restore peace and security in Myanmar- Burma.

If the world can find a way to persuade the government to place Aung San Suu Kyi into her proper office and even somehow share power with Than Shwe, an unlikely scenario, then the process would at least be underway.

In this video, actor Jim Carrey calls for people to support the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.

He decries Burma's military regime for recruiting more child soldiers than any other country in the world, destroying 3,000 villages in eastern Burma, and forcing 1.5 million refugees to flee. And he appeals to viewers to help her by emailing Ban Ki Moon at the United Nations using this address: inquiries@un.org

Video

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Special thanks to Wikipedia for information in this article on Aung San Suu Kyi and Theravada Buddhism.

Video courtesy: YouTube, The Human Rights Action Center and humanrightsactioncenter.org

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with almost twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist and reporter. Today, in addition to his role as a war correspondent in Afghanistan where he spent the winter of 2006/07, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated only with Google News. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com