Shan Culture - Social Life

"No justice, no law, no life." A Burma Story - By Kate Benge

Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 3:01pm

“No justice, no law, no life.” - Burmese refugee, Mr. Asara, gives this simple account of what it is like to live under the current Burmese government.

A Lisu women and children shelter in an IDP camp inside Burma under the protection of the Shan State Army.

Burma is in a state of turmoil. For almost fifty years it has been governed by a violently oppressive military dictatorship. Severe breaches of human rights are routinely documented throughout the country by human rights organisations. Asara tells of the mass relocation processes inflicted mainly upon remote village communities,

“The SPDC [Burmese Government] gives the villagers three days. Unless they can pick up all their food and livestock in that time, the army burns everything. They kill people too, saying you’re a spy. Sometimes more than sixty people – with a machine gun.”
Other widespread abuses include rape, mass relocations, forced labour, routine recruitment of child soldiers, torture and beatings, and extra-judicial killings and imprisonments.

Burma's history is marked with conflict and insecurity. Led from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s by Britain, as an extension of their rule over India, Burma was exposed to a separatist and elitist government which tended to serve its own needs rather than those of the whole country. Burmese historian, Dr Aung Kin likens the current junta to the British colonial rule,

“There is a military mentality that is conditioned by colonial period. It's like a colonial army occupying the country. They behave like a corporate body, serving its own interests. So they don't recognise the people’s representative or the will of the people because they themselves regard it as separate from and superior to the populous. That tradition derived from colonial period.”

- Quote taken directly from John Pilger's documentary, 'Inside Burma: Land of Fear' (96)

After gaining full independence from Britain in 1948, Burmese independence movement leader, General Aung San was assassinated by political rivals, leaving the position of power to fellow party member, U Nu. Aung San had great hopes of uniting the different ethnicities in Burma under a peaceful and prosperous government. He signed the Panglong Agreement in 1947, giving selected states within the country the right to secede as self-governing states of Burma after a period of ten years. Unfortunately, after his death, the agreement was not honoured. This created unrest and a strong sense of betrayal within some of the ethnic minority states. A high ranking official from the Shan State Army, one of the many resistance armies in Burma, tells of why he and his army are fighting,

“We have to fight for a freedom state because Myanmar’s promise was broken. We would like to have independence through talking, not fighting. We need support from other nations to help open peace talks otherwise the leaders will not listen.”

A Shan State Army soldier on duty as his post. They are hopelessly out-manned by the 500 000 strong Burma Army. Only the mountainous landscape keep them safe, for now.

Another lady from the IDP camp. There are 1.5 million displaced people in this region, all victims of the Junta's rule of fear.

Democratic rule was overthrown in 1962 by a coup d'etat led by General Ne Win, replacing it instead with a strict military dictatorship. Throughout this predominantly xenophobic and socialistic rule, the world has witnessed some of the worst events in Burmese history.

The infamous 8888 Uprising took place on 8th August, 1988. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets calling for democracy and an end to the severe mismanagement of the economy. The junta responded with gunfire. Thousands were killed, children and doctors included, over a period of just a few days.

Two years later, in 1990, the first democratic elections since the overthrow of the preceding government took place. Leader of the National League for democracy and daughter of the late General Aung San, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory, winning 82% of votes. However, the military refused to recognise the results and so instead of leading the country, Aung San Suu Kyi has spent fourteen of the last twenty years under house arrest.

On the nineteenth anniversary of the 8888 Uprising, tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns took to the street in a peaceful demonstration protesting against a sudden rise in fuel prices. This was responded to by the killing of an estimated fifty to seventy people and imprisonment of over 2,100, some of whom were later released. The junta has a zero tolerance policy regarding political dissent. In 2008, Burma held an estimated 2,150 political prisoners.

Another recent example of the Burmese Government’s reckless approach to human life and suffering is found in their reaction to Cyclone Nargis in May 2008. The cyclone tore through the Irrawaddy Delta region and Rangoon, leaving 84,000 dead and 53,000 missing. The SPDC actively resisted international aid, refusing to grant relief teams’ visas to travel to many of the areas worst hit for the crucial first few days following the disaster. More then two million people were waiting for weeks before relief teams reached them.

So how come, even with the knowledge of these atrocities, there has been no effective action taken by international bodies to debilitate the Burmese government, which is a member of the United Nations and signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Burma is extremely rich in natural resources such as oil, teak wood and natural gas, yet it is one of the poorest nations in the world. Since the junta opened its trade barriers to outer nations, Burma's annual GDP has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, each year the junta spends 0.04% of government funds on health care and 1.2% on education, contrasting with a staggering 70% on the military. The UN has made several attempts to address Burma's human rights crisis, however the Chinese government, one of Burma's trade partners, has repeatedly insisted that the problems Burma faces are 'internal matters' that do no require international assistance. China's own human rights record is no secret and so it is easy to see that in the face of sufficient financial gain, the respect of human rights and dignity might take a back seat.

These child's entire life has been wrenched by the actions of the Burmese Junta. How much longer will such precious lives continue to be ruined?

So, what can be done?

Floods of Burmese refugees flee Burma each year into surrounding nations. There are an estimated two million Burmese refugees living in Thailand, with approximately two to three thousand more arriving each month. The Thai government gives a great deal of support to the refugee camps, but they could not function without the enormous amount of support given by non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Blood Foundation. These organisations rely on donations and people's generosity to ensure the people of Burma are met with some degree of safety and security, after making the dangerous journey across the border.

Cross-border work is another form of assistance NGOs give to help relieve some of the suffering caused by the junta. Mainly focused on the mountain regions, organisations such as the Free Burma Rangers and Backpacker Medics cross the border into Burma to supply the villages with much needed health care and training, education programs, and also brings out invaluable information on the junta's actions and movements.

This young girl looks to the heavens as if in hope. Right now that looks like the only place help is coming from...

Raising awareness is absolutely crucial. Many people have no idea of the situation in Burma. It has not received the same media coverage as Tibet, but ultimately the circumstances of violence, oppression and fear are just as bad. People around the world can help. By telling Burma’s story, the junta’s actions and policies will be increasingly exposed to the scrutiny of other nations which in turn will put the spotlight on the atrocities of the regime.

“Please use your liberty to liberate us.”
- Aung San Suu Kyi

Article written by Kate Benge.
Photos by Amir Fathi

*Asara name changed for safety reasons.

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