Page 33 - myanmar

UNREST AND INSTABILITY (1987 – 1991)
Anti-government riots broke out when, in 1987, currency devaluation wiped out many people’s life savings. The long-time military leader General Ne Win stepped down and mass demonstrations for democracy followed, peaking on August 8, 1988, a day seen as auspicious (8-8-88). The State Law and Order Restoration Council was formed to
put down the riots, and hundreds of people were killed as Slorc declared martial law and renamed the country Myanmar, with Yangon the new name for the capital Rangoon. A new military junta took power and thousands of pro-democracy activists were arrested. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy group and the daughter of Aung San, was put under house arrest in 1989, where she remained for 15 of the next 21 years. The NLD won elections in 1990 but the results were ignored by the military and junta rule continued. Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
ASEAN
STRUGGLE FOR PROGRESS (1992 – 2010)
Tension between the government and pro- democracy activists continued, and the country came under pressure from the international community to improve its treatment of protesters and minority groups. The country was admitted to the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) and Slorc was renamed the State
Peace and Development Council. In 2005 the government announced that a new seat of government would be established at a site near the central town of Pyinmana, to be named
Nay Pyi Taw. In 2007 a fresh wave of public protest erupted over rising fuel prices, but what was notable about this demonstration was that thousands of Buddhist monks joined in. Again, the government rounded up dissenters and there was a heavy military presence on the streets. Bomb blasts in 2008 were blamed on “insurgent destructionists”, highlighting underlying tension among minority ethnic groups. That same year, Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy delta and killed up to 134,000 people. In late 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest, a week after elections she was banned from taking part in.
SLOW JOURNEY TO DEMOCRACY (2011 – 2015)
Thein Sein became president in 2011 in a shift towards a civilian government. A law was signed allowing peaceful protest, and the NLD said it would run in the next election. Peace deals were agreed with ethnic Shan and Karen rebels, pre-publication media censorship was abolished, and NLD candidates performed well in 2012 by-elections. The international community relaxed trade sanctions and the European Commission offered the country development aid. The launch of four private daily newspapers in 2013 showed a relaxation
of government control, and President Thein Sein visited Washington. But the year was marred by violence between Muslims and Buddhists south of Mandalay, and there was continued international criticism over the government’s treatment of Muslim minorities.
TURNING POINT (2015-)
In 2015, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the government and 16 rebel groups. Elections were held in November, resulting
in victory for the opposition National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi. She is currently barred from becoming president under the constitution because her late husband and their two sons are British. The military has said it will honour the election result and a new government is due to take over in early 2016.
33