Living Silence in Burma (53 page)

15
‘Bar the name, much the same’,
Asiaweek
, 23 June 1989.

16
‘Anniversaries of anger’, ibid., 7 July 1989.

17
‘Heading for a showdown’, ibid., 14 July 1989.

18
Michael Aris, ‘Introduction’, in Aung San Suu Kyi,
Freedom from Fear
, p. xxi.

19
For a description of events at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound on the day of her arrest, see ‘Truth will come one day’,
Burma Debate
, August/September 1995, p. 11.

20
Interview with Daw San Kyaw Zaw, 29 November 1998.

21
Lintner, Burma in Revolt, p. 304.

22
This figure was given in an Amnesty International report cited in ibid., p. 377. He says others put the number even higher.

23
Robert Taylor,
The State in Burma
(London: C. Hurst,
1996
), p. 177.

24
See ‘Burma’s cheated voters’, Letters to the Editor,
Asiaweek
, 10 August 1990.

25
See All Burma Students’ Democratic Front,
To Stand and be Counted: The Suppression of Burma’s Members of Parliament
(Bangkok, June
1998
), p. 20, for the full statistics.

26
‘The ides of September’,
Asiaweek
, 14 September 1990.

27
Lintner, Burma in Revolt, pp. 311–12.

4 Military rule continues

1
Mary Callahan,
Political Authority in Burma’s Ethnic Minority States
(Washington, DC: East West Center),
2007
, p. 7.

2
New Light of Myanmar
, 6 June 1996.

3
Anthony Davis and Bruce Hawke, ‘Burma: the country that won’t kick the habit’,
Jane’s Intelligence Review
, 1 March 1998.

4
Bruce Hawke, ‘Narcotics – Burma’s military implicated’, ibid., 1 October 1998; François Casanier, ‘A narco-dictatorship in progress’,
Burma Debate
, March/April 1996.

5
Davis and Hawke, ‘Burma’.

6
Ibid.

7
International Narcotics Control Strategy Report
(Washington, DC: US Department of State, March 1996).

8
Kei Nemoto, ‘The Japanese perspective’,
Burma Debate
, August/September 1995, pp. 23–4.

9
I did not attend this event but subsequently watched a videotape of the performance.

10
See ‘Human Rights Watch/Asia condemns sentencing of NLD supporters’,
Human Rights Watch/Asia
, Press release, 20 March 1996.

11
Human Rights Watch/Asia reported the arrest of three men in Mandalay for distributing videos of the People’s Forum. ‘Human Rights Watch/Asia condemns new arrests of NLD supporters’,
Human Rights Watch/Asia
, Press release, 11 January 1996.

12
New Light of Myanmar
, 12 November 1996 (posted on the Internet).

13
The USDA was modelled on General Suharto’s mass party, Golkar, in Indonesia. See David I. Steinberg, ‘The Union Solidarity Development Association’,
Burma Debate
, January/February
1997
.

14
‘SLORC chief incites mobs to crush opponents of junta’,
The Nation
(Bangkok), 13 November 1996.

15
‘Notification No. 6’, Committee Representing the People’s Parliament, 9 February 1999.

16
‘183 parliament representatives remain valid in Myanmar’,
Xinhua
, 18 October 1999.

17
Craig Skehan, ‘Junta cut off Aris’ last words’,
Bangkok Post
, 31 March 1999.

18
The Karenni State Nationalities People’s Liberation Front, the Shan State Nationalities People’s Liberation Organization and the Kayan New Land Party issued a joint statement, and the New Mon State Party and the Shan State Army issued individual statements. See
The BurmaNet News
, no. 1104, 25–27 September 1998, regarding the military regime’s reaction and statements by some groups against the CRPP.

5 The Than Shwe years

1
Quoted in Larry Jagan, ‘Burma’s referendum: a done deal that may yet unravel’,
Mizzima
, 2 May 2008.

2
Preliminary Report of the Ad Hoc Commission on the Depayin Massacre
(Thailand: 4 July 2003), p. 8. See the rest of the report for witness accounts.

3
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro,
Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar: Report Submitted by the Special Rapporteur, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
, UN Commission on Human Rights (Geneva: 5 January 2004), pp. 7–8.

4
Ibid., p. 9.

5
Ibid., p. 10.

6
‘The Seven Step Road Map to Disciplined Democracy announced by Gen. Khin Nyunt’,
New Light of Myanmar
, 30 August 2003.

7
Kyaw Zwa Moe, ‘Game over if NC proceedings not changed, says ethnic leader’,
The Irrawaddy
, 7 May 2004.

8
‘A Shan veteran politician put under house arrest’, AAPP, 11 February 2005.

9
Shah Paung, ‘Ceasefire group says it can’t trust National Convention’,
The Irrawaddy
, 7 December 2006.

10
Wai Moe, ‘One blood, one voice, one command’, ibid., 27 June 2008.

11
Bertil Lintner, ‘Myanmar’s 88 Generation comes of age’,
Asia Times Online
, 25 January 2007.

12
Ibid.

13
Shah Paung, ‘Burmese open their hearts’,
The Irrawaddy
, 9 February 2007.

14
Quoted in ‘Myanmar’s new capital: remote, lavish and off-limits’,
International Herald Tribune
, 23 June 2008.

15
See Ministry of Health,
Health in Myanmar 2005
(Yangon, 2005), p. 61. The unofficial exchange rate in 2005 was approximately 1,000 kyat per US dollar.

16
‘Myanmar’s new capital offers luxury in isolation’, AFP, 24 February 2007.

17
Ibid.

18
‘Burma leader’s lavish lifestyle aired’, BBC, 2 November 2006.

19
Maung Maung Oo, ‘More trouble brewing for Mandalay Beer’,
The Irrawaddy Magazine
, December 2001.

20
Bertil Lintner, ‘Myanmar payback time’,
Jane’s Defense Weekly
, 15 April 2005.

21
Ed Cropley, ‘Myanmar biofuel effort raises doubts’, Reuters, 12 March 2008.

22
Sean Turnell, ‘Burma’s economic prospects’, Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 29 March 2006, pp. 6, 12.

23
William Boot, ‘Junta’s piggy bank full as economy sinks’,
The Irrawaddy Magazine
, March 2008, pp. 14–15.

24
‘Thailand: deaths of Myanmar workers highlight migrant labour problems’,
IRIN
, 11 April 2008.

25
Announcement of All Burma Monks’ Alliance: 12th Waning Day of Wagaung, 1369 BE, Sunday, Letter no. 1/2007.

26
For an excellent account of the demonstrations and the authorities’ response, see Human Rights Watch,
Crackdown: Repression of the 2007 Popular Protests in Burma
, December 2007.

27
‘Statement of the People’s Alliance Formation Committee to the entire clergy and the people of the whole country’,
People’s Alliance Formation Committee
, 21 September 2007.

28
‘Sharing Legislative Power: Article 5 B’,
2008 Constitution of Myanmar
.

29
Philippe Naughton, ‘UN chief Ban Ki Moon to meet Burma’s “Senior General” Than Shwe’,
Times Online
, 21 May 2008.

30
Ibid.

31
Ivo Daalder and Paul Stares, ‘The UN’s responsibility to protect’,
International Herald Tribune
, 13 May 2008.

32
‘Myanmar junta hands out aid boxes with generals’ names’, AP, 10 May 2008.

33
Glenn Kessler, ‘Burma gives “cronies” slice of storm relief’,
Washington Post
, 13 June 2008.

34
‘Referendum 2008; Burma’s road to a false democracy’,
Mon Forum
, 30 April 2008, pp. 6–9 (note: the publication actually came out in May); ‘Massive cheating reported from Referendum polling stations’,
The Irrawaddy
, 10 May 2008.

35
‘Referendum 2008’,
Mon Forum
, p. 7.

6 Families

1
‘Burmese general, wife disown son’,
The Nation
, 26 February 1998. Lt Gen. Khin Nyunt was quoted as saying Ye Naing Win was disowned ‘for his inexcusable deed’.

2
While long-time Indian residents have suffered under this system, migrant Chinese with a bit of money have found ways to purchase citizenship papers. See Dermot Tatlow, ‘China’s shadow’,
Asiaweek
, 28 May 1999.

7 Communities

1
Written in huge letters on an elevated water tank at the Defence Services Academy in Maymyo, Shan State, among other places.

2
‘Burma: stop forced evictions’, Human Rights Watch press statement, 30 May 2008.

3
Karen Human Rights Group,
Summary of Forced Labor in Burma
, KHRG no. 97–S1 (7 August 1997).

4
Images Asia, Karen Human Rights Group and the Open Society Institute’s Burma Project,
All Quiet on the Western Front? The Situation in Chin State and Sagaing Division, Burma
(Thailand: January
1998
).

5
‘Forced labour in Burma’, ICFTU online press release, 7 May 1999.

6
International Labour Organization,
Resolution on Burma
(Geneva: ILO,
1999
).

7
‘Myanmar lashes West for ILO expulsion’, Associated Press, 17 June 1999.

8
See, for example, Amnesty International,
Crimes against Humanity in Eastern Myanmar
(June 2008), pp. 20–26.

9
Amnesty International,
Myanmar Aftermath: Three Years of Dislocation in the Kayah State
(June 1999).

10
Shan Human Rights Foundation,
Dispossessed: Forced Relocation and Extrajudicial Killings in Shan State
(Thailand:
1998
).

11
Ibid.

12
Shan Human Rights Foundation,
Charting the Exodus from Shan State
(Thailand: 2003), p. 6.

13
Thailand Burma Border Consortium,
Internal Displacement and International Law in Eastern Burma
(Thailand: October 2008), p. 2.

14
Ibid., p. 2.

15
See, for example, Karen Women’s Organization,
Shattering Silences
(Thailand: 2004); Shan Human Rights Foundation and Shan Women’s Action Network,
License to Rape
(Thailand: 2002); Women’s League of Burma,
System of Impunity
(Thailand: 2004); Women’s League of Chinland,
Unsafe State
(India: 2007).

16
Christina Fink, ‘Ongoing militarization in Burma’s ethnic states’,
Contemporary Politics
, 4(14), December
2008
, p. 456.

17
Ibid.

18
Karen Women’s Organization,
State of Terror
(Thailand: 2007), pp. 19–20.

19
Amnesty International,
Crimes against Humanity
, p. 2.

20
Zaw Oo and Win Min,
Assessing Burma’s Ceasefire Accords
(Washington, DC: East West Center,
2007
), pp. 47–50.

21
Andrew Bosson,
Forced Migration/Internal Displacement in Burma – with an Emphasis on Government-Controlled Areas
(Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, May 2007), p. 26.

22
Ibid., p. 47.

23
Ibid., p. 47.

24
Dermot Tatlow, ‘China’s shadow’,
Asiaweek
, 22 May 1999; Clifford McCoy, ‘Seedlings of evil growing in Myanmar’,
Asia Times Online
, 23 August 2007.

25
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,
Annual Report
2006 (May 2006), p. 105; Dennis Bernstein and Leslie Kean, ‘Ethnic cleansing: rape as a weapon of war in Burma’,
The Nation
, 31 May
1998
.

26
‘Govt, people and Tatmadaw will unitedly strive for emergence of peaceful, modern, developed democratic nation despite all obstructions’, Myanmar Information Committee, Information Sheet no. D-3389(I), 28 July 2005.

27
See Brian Heidel,
The Growth of Civil Society in Myanmar
(Bangalore: Books for Change,
2006
) for more detailed information.