Burma - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Denomination

The democratic opposition prefers to employ, in French, the name of Burma , which refers to the old name of the country and the majority Ethnie, the Burmese S.

In 1989, the Junta, in order to mark the change, decided to modify the noun of the country in Union of Myanmar which refers to the former mythical inhabitants of the country and either only to one ethnicity (literally, Myanmar extremely means in Burmese “and rapid”, qualities of these famous mythical ancestors). More exactly, " Myan Ma" mean the marvellous country created by these " spirit-inhabitants mythiques" (Bya My). This name was used before colonization. With this denomination and the use of the word “Union”, the multi-ethnic character of the State is underlined.

The change of the name of the country in Burmese makes it possible to post a rupture with the old period and disturbs the action of the organizations favorable to the Démocratie by scrambling the communication. This is why the opponents with the military regime still refer to the old name, to mark their fight with the Junte. However, Myanmar name is most exact, the English having deformed this name in Bur My (Burma translates into French).

History

Chronology

1044 : Foundation of the first Burmese Empire (kingdom of Pagan) by Anawrahta.
1287 : Catch of Pagan by the Mongolian .
1531 : Foundation of the second Burmese Empire (kingdom of Toungou) by Tabinshwehti.
1581: Died of Bayinnaung which marks the beginning of the decline of the second Burmese Empire.
1752 -1760 : Reign of Alaungpaya, founder of the third Burmese Empire.
1824 - 1826: 1e war anglo-Burmese: the English annex the Arakan, the Assam, the Manipur and the Tenasserim.
1852 : 2nd war anglo-Burmese: the English annex the Low-Burma.
1885 : 3rd war anglo-Burmese: the English seize Mandalay and deposit king Thibaw.
1886: Burma is officially attached to the British India.
1937 : Burma is separated from India and becomes a distinct British colony.
1942 - 1945: Japanese occupation. Destruction of the royal palace of Mandalay.
February 12th, 1947: Agreement of Panglong which recognizes the principle of the autonomy of the border regions as regards central administration.
July 19th 1947: Assassination of the general Aung San, the father of independence.
the January 4th 1948: The country becomes independent and free the the Commonwealth, the Prime Minister being U Naked which founds a parliamentary democracy (1948-1958 and 1960-1962).
In 1962, the general Win does not make a military Coup d'etat and reigns during more twenty-six years, introducing socialist reforms with forced march. In spite of the socialist policy installation, Win does not keep its distances with the Soviet block and China. It places Burma in the camp of the non-aligned ones.
In 1988, the army represses violently a protest movement against the economic situation and policy: the August 8th 1988, the soldiers opened fire on the crowd which protested; this day is commemorated like the 8.8.88 uprising . Nevertheless, the indirect effect of this movement was that it allowed the behavior of the elections.
In 1990, of the free election S take place, with the victory of the NLD (National League for Democracy) directed by Aung San Suu Kyi but cancelled then by the military Dictature.
the November 7th 2005, the capital is transferred from the day the shortly after Rangoon to Pyinmana to the center of the country. The city is famous Naypyidaw ( royal Ville or Demeure of the Kings ).
September 2007 following a brutal increase in the price of the gasoline in August (200%), transport and products of first need a new crisis appears, of the monks express, then members of the opposition as well as many inhabitants of the big cities. The arrests and repression by the army intensify as of on September 26th, the official sources evoke ten deaths, and some casualties. The country is world cup, the phone lines are inaccessible (except satellite), Internet is blocked. According to local sources located at Mandalay, whole trucks of prisoners circulate. It would seem that the number of killed rises to several hundreds.
October 2nd 2007 Burmese the Prime Minister, Soe Win, number 4 of the junta, dies of one leukemia at the 59 years age.

One of the major characters of the country at the 20th century is the general Aung San, the father of the independence, whose girl, Aung San Suu Kyi, obtained the Nobel Prize of peace in 1991, as well as the Sakharov price in the European Parliament in 1990, for its combat in favor of the democracy in Burma. Another Burmese personality knew international notoriety: it is about U Thant, which was General secretary of the United Nations of 1961 to 1971.

Policy

See also: Political of Burma

Burma is member of ASEAN (Association of the nations of the South-East Asia) and should have assumed the chairmanship in of it 2006 if the pressure of the international community had not succeeded in avoiding this embarrassing situation.

Authoritarian regime, the State of Myanmar is directed by a military Dictature since the Coup d'etat of September 1988. The forced labor is a current practice. The international organizations of the human rights classify Burma among the poor pupils as regards public freedoms: the Freedom of the press and the Human rights are not respected, the judicial power is not independent of the executive and the opposition parties are not tolerated.

Equipped with a budget accounting for approximately 50% of the GNP, the army, strong of 400.000 men, however does not have a declared external enemy, in spite of recurring tensions with the Thailand, which led to skirmishes at the border between the two countries. Consequently, in addition to external protection, its role is to control the population and it takes part in maintenance missions of the order and repression as well as the police force.

The opposition party carried out by Aung San Suu Kyi (the National league for the democracy or NLD) gained the legislative elections in May 1990 with more than 80% of voice in its favor, with surprised of the junta which hoped to legitimate her capacity thus. This one then invalidated the elections. The NLD fights for the return of the democracy in the country.

The junta has an ambiguous position towards adverse the Aung San Suu Kyi, which is very popular in the world following its Nobel Prize of peace in 1991. Its popularity and its statute of girl of the symbol and national hero Aung San, get a certain protection to him, whereas the junta would like to be able to get rid of this spine in the foot. Vis-a-vis this dilemma, the junta thus placed the adverse one under house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi entered its 10th year of detention the October 24th 2004.

The policy installation by the generals causes massive migrations of certain minorities, like Karen for example, towards the Thailand.

The October 19th 2004, the Prime Minister, the general Khin Nyunt, was put at the variation and authorize to take its retirement for health reasons and assign with residence. It was replaced by Soe Win, “hard” held for person in charge of the ambush against the convoy of Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2003. Khin Nyunt has reached the post of Prime Minister in August 2003, it supervised the Burmese secret services for more than twenty years. It had signed the agreements of cease-fire with the ethnos groups of the north and the east which could in exchange continue to cultivate the Opium. It was at the origin of the bringing together with India from which it wanted to use the model to open the country with the democracy. He was the privileged interlocutor of the foreign companies. Its opponent within the junta, the general Maung Aye, famous very hard, who hitherto occupied the functions of vice-president of the Council of State for peace and the development, is also chief of staff. He is in competition to be able it with the general Than Shwe, president of the junta and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Khin Nyunt, 65 years, incarnated the way of the reforms. Khin Nyunt had known to maintain the contact with the rebellious groups representing the ethnic minorities (in particular the Karens) and to put a term at the armed conflicts opposing the mode and the rebels.

Economic sanctions taken against the Burmese military regime by the international community, whose the United States, China, the Malaysia and the countries of the European Union whose France, had only little effect, this being due mainly to the inventiveness of the collaborators of the Junta, as with the will of many Asian countries anxious to continue to promote the economic exchanges with Burma and in particular for the profits generated by the investments in the extraction of the natural resources of the country. One can however say that these sanctions caused to put at the Chômage more than 100.000 people, of the day at the following day, who worked before in the textile factories which started to emerge in the country. Many the young girls who worked in this sector went to enlarge the rows of the Prostituée S of the capital. The sanctions thus seem more to contribute to an impoverishment of the population that to a democratization of the country.

In same logic as the sanctions, many voices protested against the companies like Total investing in the country and against the travellers who make function the industry of the Tourisme. According to the democrats, the entry of foreign currencies, would help the current government and would contribute to the generalization of the forced labor.

Displacement of the capital

The capital was moved of Rangoon, city located in the delta of Irrawaddy, with Pyinmana, (to 300 km inside the grounds) during the year 2005. The speculations abound as for the reasons of this abrupt removal of the government towards a city practically built from nothing in a completely isolated area.

According to the official explanations of the junta, the old capital of Rangoon had become too skimped; moreover, the new capital occupies a more central site, which would allow transport easier with the various places of the country. Certain observers made the bringing together with the old habit which had the new kings to build a new capital. Displacement would express a will of the junta to sit her legitimacy by this symbolic gesture, from where the name of the new capital, Nay Pyi Daw, which means: Sit of the Kings.

Others estimate that displacement reflects the will of the government to be protected at the same time from an invasion of outside and popular movements interior, which had shaken the capacity in 1988. In particular, an Indian journalist, after a visit of Nay Pyi Daw, described vasteté of the new capital like “the ultimate insurance against the regime change, a masterpiece of town planning drawn to counter any attempt at revolution coloured - not by the tanks and the water cannons, but by the geometry and the cartography. ” The government indeed seems to want to insulate itself, at the point to limit the means of communication.

Lastly, of the esoteric reasons seem to return in account. Since always, the Astrology and the capacity were dependant in Burma. The dissatisfaction with 1988 was in particular related to the fact that Win, listening to its astrologer, had decided to replace all the tickets by others whose values would be multiples of 9, its figure amulet. The removal towards Nay Pyi Daw being made at one specific time determined by the lunar Calendrier, it is probable that the decision to change capital was influenced by the astrologers of the junta.

Events of 2007

Since September 5th, 2007, where buddhist monks were struck by militiamans of the Burmese junta at the time of a demonstration with Pakokku, with 500 kilometers in the north of Rangoun, a protest movement of the bonzes developed through all Burma. This movement made following organized demonstrations since August 19th, 2007 with Rangoun to denounce the massive increase in the prices of the fuels and public transport. Members of the opposition of the National league for the Democracy, directed by Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest for ten years, as well as students and other people have joined the peaceful demonstrations of the monks who are held mainly in Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay and probably of other cities. Starting from September 26th, 2007, of many arrests were operated and the assessment of died and wounded worsens day in day.

Administrative divisions

Divisions

Seven divisions form what the Burmeses call the " Burma itself " (" Burma proper" in English), i.e. country of the Burmese . It is:

Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy)
Bago (Pégou)
Magway (Magwe)
Mandalay
Sagaing
Tanintharyi (Tenasserim)
Yangon (Rangoun)

States

The seven States correspond each one to one of the other great ethnicities which populate Burma and are:

Chin
Kachin
Karen
Kayah
My
Rakhine (Arakan)
Shan

Geography

Economy

Demography

Culture

Literature

The Burmese literature starts to develop at the 12th century, in contact with the cultures Pāli, My and Thai, then Western after the fastening of the country to the British Empire.

It should be noted in term of literature referring in Burma that a chapter of the Miscellanées of Ben Schott refers to the strange deaths of the Burmese kings.

Ethnic groups and cultures

Burma gathers, in addition to Burmese majority of stock, more than 130 ethnic minorities with their own languages and their cultures. Seven " races nationales" are recognized by the government: Shan, Mons, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Kachin (Jingpo), Rakhine (Arakan). The heterogeneity of this population is at the origin of the many intercommunity problems which the country knew.

Education

The majority of the universities closed and/or moved in suburbs in December 1996 for safety reasons reopened their doors. But the quality of teaching remains poor, in particular because of endemic Corruption. According to UNICEF, only 28% of the children of the primary education finish their schooling.

Religion

The Buddhism in Burma east in a way prevalent of the tradition Theravada mixed with the local convictions. According to the military government, it is practiced by 89% of the population, especially among Bamar, Rakhine, Shan, My, and Chinese.

The Christianisme is practiced by 4% of the population, mainly among Kachin, Menton and Kayin, and Eurasians because of the work of the Missionnaire S in their respective sectors. Approximately four-fifth of the Christians of the country are Protestant S, in particular the followers of the Église Baptist of Convention Baptist of Myanmar; the Roman catholics form the remainder.

The Islam, mainly Sunnite, is practiced by 4% of the population according to the census of the government. However, according to the report/ratio of the international religious liberties of 2006 of the Secretariat of state of the United States, the populations not-Buddhists in the census were underestimated. The Moslem leaders estimate that 20% of the population can be Moslem. The Moslems are divided into Indians, Indo-Burmeses, Persans, Arab, Panthays and Rohingyas.

The Hindouisme is mainly practiced by the Burmese Indians.

The Muslim populations and Christian women face religious persecution. The military government revoked the citizenship of the Moslems Rohingya de Rakhine Septentrional and of the Christian populations of ethnic minority were attacked. Such persecutions targeting of the civilians is particularly notable in Burma of the east, where more than 3.000 villages these ten last years were destroyed.

Since the September 5th 2007, where buddhist monks were struck by militiamans of the Burmese junta at the time of a demonstration with Pakokku, with 500 kilometers in the north of Rangoun, a protest movement of the Bonze S developed through all Burma. This movement made following organized demonstrations since August 19th, 2007 with Rangoun to protest against the massive increase in the prices of the fuels and public transport. Launched by members of the opposition of the National league for the Democracy, it has been directed by Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest for 10 years.

Popular culture

August 1st

Codes

Myanmar has as codes:

BM (e.g. Burma), according to the Code list countries used by NATO, alpha-2,
MM, according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (code list country) code alpha-2,
.mm, according to the List of Internet TLD (Signal level domain),
MR., according to the Code list countries used by NATO, code alpha-3,
MR., according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (code list country), code alpha-3,
MYA, according to
MYA, according to the international Code list of the number plates,
VY, according to the List of the prefixes of codes ICAO of the airports,
XZ, XY, according to the List of prefixes ICAO of registration of the aircraft,

Others

The press in Myanmar:

In English:

The New Light off Myanmar , Official journal of the military, daily junta
The Myanmar Times , weekly Newspaper (500 kyat)

Burma in data base:

of Guy Delisle, Burmese chronicles ED delcourt 10/2007

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