Many Americans know what happened on June 4, 1989 in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China. However, not a whole lot of Americans know that 10 months earlier, on August 8, 1988, almost the exact same scenario played out in Rangoon, Burma, with almost exactly the same estimated number of pro-democracy demonstrators killed – somewhere in the 3,000 range. The reason why the images from Tiananmen Square were beamed worldwide, and 8-8-88 went virtually unnoticed outside the region may be the political and economic insignificance of Burma, as opposed to China.
The history of post-colonial Burma is particularly tragic, considering how much potential the country had, and Burma has been ruled by dictators for most of it. The numerous non-Burman ethnic groups (the Burman ethnic group is the largest and the reason for the country's name) rose up in armed insurgencies against the dictatorships, and although many of the insurgent groups signed cease-fire agreements over the past decade, some are still fighting. These count for the longest armed insurgencies in the history of the world, and has necessitated the military government to spend more than 40% on its armed forces. This is a country with no external enemies.
After 8-8-88, General Ne Win, who had been dictator since 1962, stepped down, and the dictatorship was replaced by a brutal military junta, called SLORC (a name worthy of a criminal organization in a James Bond movie). The country reached incredible social and economic lows during Ne Win's reign, and in SLORC's attempt to gain international legitimacy after 8-8-88, they renamed the country "Myanmar" (and the capital "Yangkon"), decided to develop the country on the backs and at the expense of the people, and stepped up the military campaign to quash the insurgencies, also at the expense of the people. The SLORC junta, renamed to a less ominous SPDC in 1998, has violated just about every human right on the books, and has been under U.N. sanctions for human rights abuses every year since 1988.
Aung San Suu Kyi: in brief
She is the daughter of General Aung San, whose assassination during the process of ending British colonization precipitated the downward spiral the country fell into. He was one of few who realized that for Burma to succeed, the ethnic groups needed to be included and participate in the central government.
Aung San Suu Kyi came to prominence as the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) political party after 8-8-88. As part of SLORC's grab for international legitimacy, they decided to hold general elections in 1990. What made SLORC think they could win is beyond imagination, and the NLD won over 80% of the vote. SLORC dismissed the results and maintained their hold on power, arresting Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the NLD.
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her non-violent resistance. U2 dedicated the song "Walk On" to her. The album "All That You Can't Leave Behind" has been banned in Burma.
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