Internal conflict in Burma
Encyclopedia
The internal conflict in Burma is a term that is employed to refer to the current violence
in Burma that has existed since approximately April 1948 between the Burmese government and the various ethnic groups in the country. More recently, the conflict has been against the military regime
that has ruled the country from 1962 to 2011. The conflict is the oldest ongoing war in the world, and has received international attention as a result of the 8888 Uprising
in 1988, the work of activist Aung San Suu Kyi
, the anti-government protests
in late 2007, and the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Nargis
, which left over 80,000 dead and 50,000 missing in mid-2008.
in 1948. Immediately afterwards, communist rebels began an uprising against the new government. Uprisings and ethnic conflicts began breaking out in various provinces of Burma continuing into 1949. The Karen, led predominantly by the Christian Karen National Union (KNU) began fighting for an autonomous Karen state, Kawthoolei, in the eastern part of the country. The situation worsened when Buddhism
was made the official religion, and questions regarding the rights of the Muslim Rohingya, Christian Karen
, Chin, Kachin
and other peoples under federalism were never really addressed; this was exacerbated by clauses in the constitution that granted nominal rights to secession to some groups. Due to the split of the party in power, the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
(AFPFL) became used as a transitional military government from 1958 to 1960.
The 1962 Burmese coup d'état
brought Ne Win
to power, and widespread human rights violations in frontier areas followed, intensifying the insurgency. Today organizations out of the ethnic groups of the Karen
and Shan (Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army
) in the east of the country fight against the government. The increasing persecution of the Rohingya people in the western part of the country and racialization
of Islam has led to the formation of small but active armed groups in the region, using refugee camps in Bangladesh
as bases. Also in other regions, there are sporadic battles. Due to the conflicts, around 160,000 Burmese refugees live in Thailand
and many more live in other countries in the region.
Currently, around 25 different ethnic groups had agreed ceasefires with the military government.
by the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC). Thousands of deaths have been attributed to the military during this uprising. But authorities in Myanmar put the figure at around 350 people killed.
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. However, the military junta refused to recognize the results and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest
. The State Law and Order Restoration Council would be a cosmetic change from the Burma Socialist Programme Party.
As a result of these uprisings the new government agreed to sign separate peace treaties with some insurgent groups.
started moving the government away from Yangon
to a location near Kyatpyay just outside Pyinmana
, to a newly designated capital city. This public action follows a long term unofficial policy of moving critical military and government infrastructure away from Yangon to avoid a repetition of the events of 1988. On Armed Forces Day (March 27, 2006), the capital was officially named Naypyidaw Myodaw (Royal City of the Seat of Kings), but is commonly called Naypyidaw
. Over 7,000 people, almost all participating in anti-government uprisings have been killed in the conflict.
Since 2006, an offensive of the Burmese army against the Karen National Union
has been going on in Karen State, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands. An estimated half a million people have been displaced within eastern Burma due to armed conflict and the forcible relocation of villages.
There is an informal yet relatively widespread controversy about what would be the most accurate term to describe Burma's internal conflict. A common argument would be that a civil war would have started in 1948 as the result of the social, economic and political background of the country and thus current violence could not be considered an isolated phenomenon. This application of the term civil war to the ensuing conflict that began in Burma has been considered debatable by some, as another position held by several analysts would point out that the conflict's characteristics, scale and intensity have not reached those of a full blown civil war.
In August 2007, about 160,000 Burma refugees fled to the Thai boundary provinces of Chiang Mai
and Ratchaburi
. The refugee camps lie mostly directly at the border with Burma. Of the refugees, about 62% are Karen. Thailand has formed humanitarian organizations to help the refugees.
In recent reports, the Burmese government has accused the governments of the United Kingdom, France and Singapore for giving incentives to rebels against Burma. France had also planned for talks with Thailand
to join the incentives. On the other hand, Singapore have also been criticized for its investment in Burma, as a substantial sum of the investment is said to be used to fund the junta's activity and oppression of ethnic minority.
On 7 January 2011, Burma's army bombed a National Democracy Alliance Army base at Loi Parng Nao. The Burmese army fired 15 rounds of 155mm artillery.
-January 26-
It was reported that locally owned land was being taken by the Burmese military for new bases to be built.
-February 24-
The Burmese military shut down all roads to Shan State Army rebel areas.
-March 14-
Shan State Army (North) and the Burmese military exchanged gunfire. The Northern army was among the groups agreeing to a cease-fire with the Burmese military.
-March 16-
After a day long battle the Burmese army captured the Shan State Army North's base of Namlao.
-March 17-
The Burmese military gave the Shan State Army North an ultimatum to surrender with demands to withdraw from all bases except the headquarters at Wanhai. The Burmese military is estimated to have 2,000 troops involved in the ongoing conflict against Shan State Army North. Four Shan State Army North bases have been captured.
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
in Burma that has existed since approximately April 1948 between the Burmese government and the various ethnic groups in the country. More recently, the conflict has been against the military regime
State Peace and Development Council
The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
that has ruled the country from 1962 to 2011. The conflict is the oldest ongoing war in the world, and has received international attention as a result of the 8888 Uprising
8888 Uprising
The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests was a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma...
in 1988, the work of activist Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
, the anti-government protests
2007 Burmese anti-government protests
The 2007 Burmese anti-government protests were a series of anti-government protests that started in Burma on 15 August 2007...
in late 2007, and the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis , was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma. The cyclone made landfall in Burma on Friday, May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,000 fatalities...
, which left over 80,000 dead and 50,000 missing in mid-2008.
Background
Burma gained independence from the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1948. Immediately afterwards, communist rebels began an uprising against the new government. Uprisings and ethnic conflicts began breaking out in various provinces of Burma continuing into 1949. The Karen, led predominantly by the Christian Karen National Union (KNU) began fighting for an autonomous Karen state, Kawthoolei, in the eastern part of the country. The situation worsened when Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
was made the official religion, and questions regarding the rights of the Muslim Rohingya, Christian Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
, Chin, Kachin
Kachin State
Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
and other peoples under federalism were never really addressed; this was exacerbated by clauses in the constitution that granted nominal rights to secession to some groups. Due to the split of the party in power, the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League , or hpa hsa pa la by its Burmese acronym, was the main political party in Burma from 1945 until 1962...
(AFPFL) became used as a transitional military government from 1958 to 1960.
The 1962 Burmese coup d'état
1962 Burmese coup d'état
The 1962 Burmese coup d'état on 2 March 1962 marked the beginnings of socialist rule and the political dominance of the army in Burma which spanned the course of 26 years...
brought Ne Win
Ne Win
Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...
to power, and widespread human rights violations in frontier areas followed, intensifying the insurgency. Today organizations out of the ethnic groups of the Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
and Shan (Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army
Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army , formally the Kokang Democracy Party, is a rebel army of Kokang people in northeastern Burma and has existed since 1989. The army, also known as the Eastern Shan State Army, has had a ceasefire with the Burmese government for two decades...
) in the east of the country fight against the government. The increasing persecution of the Rohingya people in the western part of the country and racialization
Racialization
Racialization refers to processes of the discursive production of racial identities. It signifies the extension of dehumanizing and racial meanings to a previously racially unclassified relationship, social practice, or group...
of Islam has led to the formation of small but active armed groups in the region, using refugee camps in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
as bases. Also in other regions, there are sporadic battles. Due to the conflicts, around 160,000 Burmese refugees live in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and many more live in other countries in the region.
Currently, around 25 different ethnic groups had agreed ceasefires with the military government.
1988 Uprising
On August 8, 1988, student protests spread throughout the country. Hundreds of thousands of ochre-robed monks, young children, university students, housewives, and doctors demonstrated against the regime. The uprising ended on September 18, after a bloody military coupCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
by the State Law and Order Restoration Council
State Peace and Development Council
The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
(SLORC). Thousands of deaths have been attributed to the military during this uprising. But authorities in Myanmar put the figure at around 350 people killed.
During the crisis, Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
emerged as a national icon. When the military junta
Military junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
arranged an election in 1990
Burmese general election, 1990
General elections were held in Burma on 27 May 1990, the first multi-party elections since 1960, after which the country had been ruled by a military dictatorship...
, her party, the National League for Democracy
National League for Democracy
The National League for Democracy is a Burmese political party founded on 27 September 1988. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi serves as its General Secretary. The party won a substantial parliamentary majority in the 1990 Burmese general election. However, the ruling military junta...
, won. However, the military junta refused to recognize the results and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. The State Law and Order Restoration Council would be a cosmetic change from the Burma Socialist Programme Party.
As a result of these uprisings the new government agreed to sign separate peace treaties with some insurgent groups.
Recent events
In November 2005, the military juntaMilitary junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
started moving the government away from Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
to a location near Kyatpyay just outside Pyinmana
Pyinmana
Pyinmana ) is a logging town and sugarcane refinery center in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. The administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a militarized greenfield site two miles west of Pyinmana on November 6, 2005. Pyinmana is approximately north of Yangon...
, to a newly designated capital city. This public action follows a long term unofficial policy of moving critical military and government infrastructure away from Yangon to avoid a repetition of the events of 1988. On Armed Forces Day (March 27, 2006), the capital was officially named Naypyidaw Myodaw (Royal City of the Seat of Kings), but is commonly called Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...
. Over 7,000 people, almost all participating in anti-government uprisings have been killed in the conflict.
Since 2006, an offensive of the Burmese army against the Karen National Union
Karen National Union
The Karen National Union is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army that represents the Karen people of Burma. It operates in Eastern Burma, and has underground networks in other areas of Burma where Karen people live. In Karen, this Karen area is called...
has been going on in Karen State, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands. An estimated half a million people have been displaced within eastern Burma due to armed conflict and the forcible relocation of villages.
There is an informal yet relatively widespread controversy about what would be the most accurate term to describe Burma's internal conflict. A common argument would be that a civil war would have started in 1948 as the result of the social, economic and political background of the country and thus current violence could not be considered an isolated phenomenon. This application of the term civil war to the ensuing conflict that began in Burma has been considered debatable by some, as another position held by several analysts would point out that the conflict's characteristics, scale and intensity have not reached those of a full blown civil war.
In August 2007, about 160,000 Burma refugees fled to the Thai boundary provinces of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
and Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi ) is a town in western Thailand, capital of the Ratchaburi Province. It covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang of Mueang Ratchaburi district. As of 2006 it has a population of 38,208.-External links:*...
. The refugee camps lie mostly directly at the border with Burma. Of the refugees, about 62% are Karen. Thailand has formed humanitarian organizations to help the refugees.
In recent reports, the Burmese government has accused the governments of the United Kingdom, France and Singapore for giving incentives to rebels against Burma. France had also planned for talks with Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
to join the incentives. On the other hand, Singapore have also been criticized for its investment in Burma, as a substantial sum of the investment is said to be used to fund the junta's activity and oppression of ethnic minority.
2011 Zwe Man Hein Campaign
In 2011, the Burmese army undertook an offensive against rebel groups in Shan State, in a military operation called "Zwe Man Hein" . Territory of the National Democratic Alliance Army and Shan State Army (North) were captured with most violent conflict taking place against the Shan State Army. The offensive was in response to a refusal of rebel groups to accept Burma's 'One Nation One Army' policy and integration to the border guards.On 7 January 2011, Burma's army bombed a National Democracy Alliance Army base at Loi Parng Nao. The Burmese army fired 15 rounds of 155mm artillery.
-January 26-
It was reported that locally owned land was being taken by the Burmese military for new bases to be built.
-February 24-
The Burmese military shut down all roads to Shan State Army rebel areas.
-March 14-
Shan State Army (North) and the Burmese military exchanged gunfire. The Northern army was among the groups agreeing to a cease-fire with the Burmese military.
-March 16-
After a day long battle the Burmese army captured the Shan State Army North's base of Namlao.
-March 17-
The Burmese military gave the Shan State Army North an ultimatum to surrender with demands to withdraw from all bases except the headquarters at Wanhai. The Burmese military is estimated to have 2,000 troops involved in the ongoing conflict against Shan State Army North. Four Shan State Army North bases have been captured.
See also
- Ongoing conflicts
- History of Burma
- Kokang incidentKokang incidentThe Kokang incident was a violent conflict or series of skirmishes that broke out in August 2009 in the Kokang Special Region in Burma's northern Shan State...
- 2010 Burma border clashes
External links
- Mizzima News Award-winning India-based news group run by exiled dissidents. See also: Mizzima NewsMizzima NewsMizzima News is a Burmese multimedia news organization. It was established in August 1998 by a group of Burmese journalists in exile. The International Press Institute awarded Mizzima News its Free Media Pioneer award in 2007.-Organization:...
- Democratic Voice of Burma Norwegian-based radio station committed to providing accurate and unbiased news to the people of Burma
- BBC News: The fighting spirit of Burma's Karen (2007)
- Help without frontiers - German relief organisation working for Shan and Karen refugees living in Camps on the border line to Thailand and inside of Burma
- MyanmaThadin Myanmar (Burma) News & Community Hub