Current Issues in Refugee Education

The Aggression of the Military Government

"Myanmar, also known as Burma, was long considered a pariah state while under the rule of an oppressive military junta from 1962 to 2011." —​ BBC News

A general introduction to Burmese History 

Burma was colonized by British as a province of India in 1886. Throughout colonial rule, all the power and wealth remained in the hands of several British firms, Anglo-Burmese people, and migrants from India, which resulted in discontent among the local populace. 
In 1943, Japanese declared Burma​ and turned into a fully sovereign state. Under Japanese occupation, 170,000 to 250,000 civilians died. The Japanese were routed from most of Burma by May 1945. After the war ended, the British Governor, Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith returned. The restored government established a political program that focused on physical reconstruction of the country and delayed discussion of independence. Since Burma’s independence in 1948, various ethnic minority groups have pursued a higher level of autonomy. To fight against the aggression of the military government, ethnic insurgent groups adopted guerrilla-style tactics. In response to this, in the 1960s, the government started counter-insurgency strategy called Four Cuts that was designed to cut four main sources between insurgents, their families and local villagers, including food, funds, intelligence, and recruits. 
After the coup 1962, ​General Ne Win seized control of the government and imposed iron-fisted military rule. A number of protests followed the coup, and initially the military's response was mild. But then the military started to suppress protests, and in 1963, all opposition parties were banned. Ne Win, the head of state from 1962 to 1981, quickly took steps to transform Burma into his vision of a 'socialist state' and to isolate the country from contact with the rest of the world.
In 1978, a military operation was conducted against the Rohingya Muslims in Arakan, called the King Dragon operation, causing 250,000 refugees to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.The Burmese Way to Socialism turned Burma into one of the world's most impoverished countries, which caused many complians and problems within Burma. Following a coup in 1982, the nation was ruled by a xenophobic military government for thirty years, until a period of reform following civil unrest.
Triggered by brutal police repression of student-led protests causing the death of over 100 students and civilians in March and June 1988, widespread protests and demonstrations broke out on 8 August throughout the country. The uprising ended on 18 September, after a bloody military coup causing an estimated 3,000 deaths. 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. But the military junta suppressed everything that could have developed from these democratic achievements. Part of the strategy was to place Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. 

. The military government announced that they wanted foreigners to stop using the words Burma and Burmese. Instead they wanted the world to use Myanmar for the country and its national people. Although the international business community and international organizations like the United Nations have adopted Myanmar as the new name without reser- vation, not everyone has accepted these name changes. Foreigners and Burmese expatriates who oppose the military government, and contest its right to rule, deliberately persist in using the old names, Burmese and Burma, as a symbol of their opposition and defiance.  The 2007 Burmese anti-government protests were a series of anti-government protests that started in Burma on 15 August 2007. The protest demonstrations were at first dealt with quickly and harshly by the junta, with dozens of protesters arrested and detained. In a White House statement President Bush said: "Monks have been beaten and killed.... Thousands of pro-democracy protesters have been arrested". With its new leader Thein Sein, a former general who took office in 2011 (after the country's first election in 20 years in November 2010), the Burmese government has initiated a series of political and economic reforms. However, a new constitution brought in by the junta in 2008 entrenched the primacy of the military. A quarter of seats in both parliamentary chambers are reserved for the military, and three key ministerial posts - interior, defence and border affairs - must be held by serving generals.
And since 1988, the army has more than doubled in size and now has a staggering troop-force of almost half a million soldiers, around the same number as the U.S. army. It is estimated that 40% of the national budget is spent on building the army’s strength, while education reportedly receives as little as 1% to 2%. 
Therefore, despite these reforms, human rights abuses are still commonplace in Burma. While certain positive developments were reported in a number of fields, such as political engagement, media or foreign investments, the majority of Burma’s people, especially ethnic and religious minorities, still face many challenges.

 

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