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MYANMAR STORIES
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- MYANMAR’S 8888 DEMOCRACY UPRISING
- 1962 onwards : Since 1962, the Burma Socialist Programme Party had ruled the country as a totalitarian one-party state, headed by General Ne Win. The agenda was called the Burmese Way to Socialism and involved economic isolation and strengthening the military. During this, Burma became one of the world's poorest countries. Many firms in the formal sector of the economy were nationalised, and the government combined Soviet-style central planning with Buddhist and traditional beliefs.
- The crisis of 1988 : A peculiar economic crisis hit Myanmar in 1985 when the govt. suddenly withdrew local currency notes on some pretext. Before the crisis, Burma had been ruled by the repressive regime of General Ne Win since 1962. It had a national debt of $3.5 billion and currency reserves of between $20 million and $35 million.
- November currency notes withdrawal : In November 1985, students gathered and boycotted the government's decision to withdraw Burmese local currency notes. Economic problems coupled with counter-insurgency required continuous involvement in the international market. On 5 September 1987, Ne Win again announced the withdrawal of the newly replaced currency notes, 100, 75, 35 and 25 kyats, leaving only 45 and 90 kyat notes, because only the latter two are numbers divisible by 9, considered lucky by Ne Win.
- Student protests : Students were particularly angry at the government's decision as savings for tuition fees were wiped out! The protests began as a student movement and were organised largely by university students at the Rangoon Arts and Sciences University and the Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT).
- The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests : This was a series of nationwide protests, marches and civil unrest in Burma that peaked in August 1988. Key events occurred on 8 August 1988 and therefore it is known as the 8888 Uprising. Hundreds of thousands of monks, children, university students, housewives, doctors and common people protested against the government. Time period of uprising – March – Sept. 1988
- End in September 1988 : The uprising ended on 18 September after a bloody military coup by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which led to thousands of deaths.
- Rise of Aung San Suu Kyi : During the crisis, Aung San Suu Kyi emerged as a national icon. When the military junta arranged an election in 1990, her party (the National League for Democracy) won 80% of the seats in the government (392 out of 492). The military junta refused to recognise the results. Aung San Suu Kyi was also put under house arrest.
- New government : The State Law and Order Restoration Council would be a cosmetic change from the Burma Socialist Programme Party. Suu Kyi's house arrest was finally lifted in 2010, when worldwide attention for her peaked again during the making of the biographical film The Lady.
- Key reasons for 8888 : Withdrawal of currency notes without compensation, Economic mismanagement, Failure of the Burmese Way to Socialism, Police brutality, Corruption and Military dictatorship.
- Key methods used in 8888 : Civil disobedience, Civil resistance, Demonstrations, Riots, and Strike actions. The military assured elections (but results were not honoured), and resignation of General Ne Win was ensured. Upto 10,000 perished in repression.
- 21st Century Panglong :
- 21st Century Panglong : This was a peace conference in Myanmar in 2016.
- Historical precedent : The first Panglong Conference was held in the Panglong region of British Burma in 1947, and was negotiated between Aung San and ethnic leaders. Despite several meetings between ethnic insurgent groups and the government prior to the Panglong Conference in 2016, it was unclear how many of them will actually attend.
- Attendance : 18 ethnic insurgent groups were expected to attend the conference, whilst three ethnic insurgent groups (The Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army) were not expected to attend. UN Secy General Ban Ki-moon attended the opening ceremony.
- Regular conferences : The government planned to hold similar conferences semiannually until a permanent ceasefire and peace agreement was drafted. The conference was chaired by Lt. Gen. Yar Pyae from the Tatmadaw, Tin Myo Win from the union government, Shila Nan Taung from the parliament, Khun Myint Tun from the ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) and Myint Soe from the political parties.
- Basic demands : The EAOs called for a federal system that "guarantees justice, equality, self-administration and protection of racial, religious and political rights of ethnic minorities.” On 15 October 2016, the Burmese government announced their "Seven Steps Roadmap for National Reconciliation and Union Peace".
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