Word: junta
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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...
...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...
...despite the condemnation from world leaders, no concrete action has so far been taken against the regime by the international community. When members of the Security Council tried to censure the junta in January, their effort was vetoed by Russia and China. And even though the U.S. maintains sanctions against the regime, China's economic patronage renders them largely toothless...
...discipline-flourishing democracy." On Sept. 3, the regime announced it had finally agreed to basic guidelines for a new constitution. But no timetable for elections has been set, and the draft charter seems specifically designed to keep out Suu Kyi, long seen as the only leadership alternative to the junta. "It's a sham process that only legalizes the military's grip on power," says exiled dissident Khin Omar...
...millions, and introduced new bank notes that were divisible by the number 9 simply because he considered the digit auspicious. Things haven't gotten much better since then--even though Burma is blessed with lucrative natural resources like natural gas and timber. Obsessed with its own survival, the junta spends 40% of the nation's annual budget on the 450,000-strong army while 90% of the population lives near or below the poverty line. Inflation is more than 30%. A fuel hike last month led to a tripling of bus fares on some routes, leaving many commuters unable...