Protests in Myanmar

Buddhist monks march in a downpour against the ruling junta of Myanmar

Buddhist monks march in a downpour against the ruling junta of Myanmar

Starting on August 15, pro-democracy activists led protests against the military-run government, or junta, of Myanmar after the government doubled the price of gas. When the government began arresting the protesters and using force to break up demonstrations, the country’s large number of Buddhist monks got involved.

The protests gained momentum, and during the month of September, tens of thousands of monks participated. They called on citizens across the country to join them in peaceful protest to overthrow the military dictatorship.

Myanmar’s government acted to stop the protests. They set a dawn-to-dusk curfew, and sent troops out into the streets. The government cut Internet and cell phone connections to hide its actions from the outside world. Troops used force to end the protests. The government admits that 10 people died, but some reports say as many as 200 were killed.

The government has since arrested thousands of people who participated in the protests. They are being held in detention compounds before they are released or shipped to prison camps.

Myanmar, formerly called Burma, has been run by a military dictatorship since 1962. Democratic elections were held in 1990, but the military has not allowed the elected party to take over. The government announced plans to create a new constitution that would lead to democracy, but no time frame has been set.

Image credit:  © epa/Corbis

Related Links

  • Q&A: Protests in Burma
    Report on the protests in Myanmar, in question-and-answer format. Follows the protests from the first spark in August through the current action being taken by the government. Includes international reaction to the crisis. (Source: BBC, October 2, 2007)
  • Myanmar junta continues crackdown on pro – democracy protesters
    Report on Myanmar’s announcement of the creation of a Constitution Drafting Commission. Also covers the U.N.’s response to the Myanmar crisis, and the conflicting reports coming from Myanmar’s state-run media and Amnesty International.
    (Source: International Herald Tribune, October 18, 2007)
  • BBC News Country Profile: Burma
    Good overview of Myanmar (also known as Burma) from the BBC. Includes general information about the country, facts about the junta, as well as the opposition to the government.
    (Source: BBC, October 13, 2007)
  • Map of Myanmar
    Map of Myanmar, including a global locator map, from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
    (Source: OHCHR)

Critical Thinking Questions

  1. Sequence Events How did the situation in Myanmar develop from small protests over the price of gas starting on August 15 to the international crisis it became?
  2. Compare and Contrast Compare and contrast the information that has been released by the Myanmar government with the information that has been gathered from citizens and other news sources.
  3. Evaluate Do you think that the U.N. and other countries have done enough to try to help the people of Myanmar? Why or why not?

Comments are closed.