“Burma is a majority Buddhist nation of about 52 million people located in Southeast Asia to the west of Thailand.” (U.S. Campaign for Burma) Burma was first formed in the 11th century when King Anawratha ascended the throne in 1044 and united Burma under his monarchy. (CFOB) Ever since, numerous monarchs and other local governments evolved among Burma’speople over many centuries. (Backpacking Burma) Eventually, an expansionist British government gained complete control over Burma after sixty years of war in the 19th century. Burma immediately became a province of British India, which was the name of the British empire in the Indian subcontinent (South-Central Asia), and the British began implementing foreign elements into the ancient Burmese culture. During the British colonial rule, ethnic tensions were further aggravated when certain ethnic groups were favored over others. (CFOB) During the 1920s, the first protests began against the British rule for national independence. Burmese nationalists, led by General Aung San and 29 others, known as the “Thirty Comrades”, fought for independence during the final years of World War II and “demanded complete political and economic independence from Britain”. (U.S. Campaign for Burma) The British government consented to those demands and in 1948, the Union of Burma achieved independence. General Aung San and most of his cabinet were assassinated before the constitution even went into effect. The assassination of Aung San hugely affected the peace and stability of the Union of Burma. During the years from 1948 to 1962, different ethnic groups who felt under represented in the 1948 constitution continuously challenged Burma’s democratic government and several ethnic groups formed their own armies. Shortly afterwards, the Union of Burma collapsed and in 1962, the military staged a coup and took over the government. (U.S. Campaign for Burma)
The Burmese military regime, in power since 1962, is one of the most repressive military junta in the world. Junta is the word for “a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force.” (Oxford Dictionary) The population has not forgotten the violence of the repressions of the pro-democracy uprising in 1988, which ended in the deaths of more than 3000 demonstrators and thousands of arrests (International Viewpoint). Since this uprising, the generals have massively expanded their army and security services, and switched the capital from Rangoon to the town of Naypyitaw, a well-protected town from the people they rule. (Red Pepper) Yet, despite a tight lockdown of the country by the militias, the Burmese people have once again defied the junta and have begun protests and demonstrations in August and September of 2007. These demonstrations were triggered by the rapid increase in fuel prices, which forced many to go to work by foot. The average citizen of Rangoon, the former capital of Burma, could no longer even afford a bus ride. (International Viewpoint)
It all began with peaceful protests in numerous Burmese towns. The first demonstrations were repressed by organizations supported by the government, like the paramilitary group “Swan Arr Shin”, which means “the all powerful”. Hundreds of protestors were arrested by the police and were condemned to heavy jail sentences. Members of the National League of Democracy (NLD) and the country’s main political activists were also imprisoned. On September 5th, the Buddhist monks
Monks
joined the demonstrations and several hundred monks marched down the streets of Pakokku, a religious center located close to the city of Mandalay. (Human Rights Watch) Their support was essential because they were well respected and had played a significant progressive role in politics on numerous occasions (International Viewpoint) For the first time, the army intervened and reacted violently by beating the monks and civilians with bamboo sticks. The death of one of them due to the violent repression led to fury among the monks.
This was a turning point in the uprising because since then, massive protests began developing everywhere. The monks demonstrated to protect the people as well as to support them. The group of monks organized in an “All Burma Monks Alliance” (ABMA) issued a statement on September 9th of 2007, giving the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) until September 17 to abide with four demands or face religious boycott: apologies for the brutality they suffered in Pakokku, economic reforms, the liberation of all political prisoners, and an immediate dialogue with the “democratic forces” in order “to resolve the crises and the difficulties facing and suffering by the people” (Human Rights Watch). The deadline of September 17th was symbolic since September 18th was the anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy movement. After the SPDC refused to meet the four demands, the Buddhist monks refused to accept alms, which is food or money, from the SPDC officials and their supporters through a religious excommunication also known as the overturning of the alms bowls or Patta Nikkujjana Kamma. “In Buddhism, the giving and receiving of alms is a fundamental expression of religious piety, and considered among the most meritorious of acts.” (Human Rights Watch) This was a powerful gesture against the Buddhist SPDC leadership who went to great lengths to conserve their image as the protectors of the Sangha, a community of Buddhist monks.
From that day on, the monks lead the demonstrations throughout the streets of Rangoon and at least 25 cities and towns across Burma. The protest in Rangoon expanded to an estimated 20 000 protesters, involving more than 3000 monks, which was the largest anti-government demonstration seen in Burma since the crackdown of 1988. (Human Rights Watch)
