Word: burma
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...over in a matter of minutes, but the significance of the occasion vastly exceeded its brevity. On Aug. 28, 20 protesters gathered at a market in Burma's commercial capital, Rangoon, to demonstrate against the ruling junta's decision to raise prices of essential goods--in some cases 500%. Led by labor activist Su Su Nway, the group had just begun to chant slogans when thugs employed by the military regime swooped in and started dragging the demonstrators into waiting vehicles. The frail Su Su Nway, who emerged from prison only last year, after serving seven months for reporting cases...
Thousands of Burmese are doing just that. The short-lived rally in Rangoon was one of 20 or so demonstrations that have erupted across Burma (also known as Myanmar) in recent weeks--a rare display of civil disobedience by a people who have been ruled for 45 years by one of the world's most reclusive military regimes. The last time there were mass countrywide demonstrations, in 1988, the military cracked down hard, killing thousands of protesters and dashing hopes of democratic reform. Now daily life in this nation of 53 million has become so desperate that an impoverished populace...
...unlike in '88, when Burma's version of the Tiananmen massacre got little international attention, this time the world is taking notice. On Aug. 30, President George W. Bush condemned the junta's actions against demonstrators, and White House aides have promised that Burma will be a "major topic of discussion" at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation annual summit in Sydney. First Lady Laura Bush, who has personally followed the situation in Burma for years and has met with many Burmese activists, phoned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to press for more action from the international body. "One thing...
...What can we really do, what can we do for national reconciliation? Certainly, one thing we can do to work toward national reconciliation in Burma is for the Security Council to speak out formally. Will that work? I don't know. But it's the least we can do. That's what Aung San Suu Kyi wants, she wants a diplomatic reconciliation. Those are the first things we can do and then move from there...
...think many Americans know about Burma. Darfur they know, because the press has covered it. But most Americans don't know about Aung San Suu Kyi. But that's the point of talking about it, to let people talk about it. The Burmese I've met, they want our affection. They want to know that we know what's happening there. Anytime an American speaks out, they hear about it. It's important for other countries to join in on that. That's why I'm so happy about Gordon Brown...