Word: rangoon
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...venue, a heavily guarded army barracks about 50 kilometers north of Rangoon, seems grimly appropriate for this exercise in pseudo democracy. Residents of the capital jokingly refer to it as the "concentration camp," despite the government's assurance that attendees?who are not allowed to leave the barracks during the convention?have been furnished with "TV, karaoke, newspapers, movies, stage show, gymnasium and golf course." The 1,076 delegates, most of them handpicked by the regime, have been issued a list of stern guidelines. According to the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, "delegates are advised...
...followed by general elections. Among the delegates, there are ethnic leaders who are legitimately eager to discuss such lofty matters, but it's hard to be optimistic about the quality of the debate. Some of those present are members of insurgent groups that have reached cease-fire agreements with Rangoon and are primarily concerned with safeguarding their own interests, which include expanding their business empires and strengthening their militias. They have scant interest in challenging the status quo?and that suits the government, which has declared that one of the key objectives of the convention is to ensure "participation...
...returned to Rangoon, and the unrest seemed to follow. Muslim businesses in the capital were attacked by what observers claimed were soldiers disguised as monks; monasteries were under a heavily guarded curfew; bars and tea shops were closing early. Later, two bombs exploded, one on the outskirts of the city, which injured many people, the other outside an army museum. Then, last month, came reports of small demonstrations on campuses as far north as Myitkyina. Despite all this, none of my Rangoon friends were predicting an imminent 1988-style uprising. "People are just too scared," said one. DONATE BLOOD, urged...
...Walking through downtown Rangoon, I noticed with horror how acres of historic buildings have been demolished to make way for the modern towers the junta hopes will dominate the capital's skyline by 2006, when Burma is to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and host its the summit. Most of these projects, including the inauspiciously named Twin Towers, sit idle for lack of investment. Ordinary Burmese feel baffled and betrayed by the encouragement their oppressors get from Asia's leaders. Privately, Southeast Asian diplomats insist they are heaping more backroom pressure on Burma than their abysmal public...
...DIED. SEIN LWIN, 81, former Burmese President and army general known as the "Butcher of Rangoon"; in Rangoon. A member of the military junta that seized control of Burma in 1962, Sein Lwin was behind some of the army's bloodiest massacres of civilians. These included the killings of hundreds of students protesting the 1962 coup and of an estimated 3,000 people in street demonstrations in 1988, during which Sein Lwin replaced strongman Ne Win as President. But he was unable to quell the political agitation and stepped down after only 18 days in office...