30
May
20 Years After 1990 Elections
Human Rights Watch reported today that on the twentieth anniversary of Burma’s historic 1990 elections, the Burmese military government shows no signs of relaxing its stranglehold on power.
On May 27, 1990, elections in Burma resulted in a major win for the National League for Democracy party (NLD), lead by Aung San Suu Kyi. In this election, the NLD won 60 percent of the popular vote and 80 percent of the parliamentary seats (392 out of 485). After winning the election, the NLD was denied their place in the government and many NLD leaders became political prisoners.
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27
May
The Hard Way
Shaune Vincent writes of her experience working for Partners in both Thailand and Burma.
Nine Shan FBR medics wake early for morning exercises. They study all day, absorbing more information than their brains can handle. One day, FBR team-leader, Dave, tells them to run up and down a mountain. He then asks them, “Do you want the easy way or the hard way?” “EASY!!” they shout together. Fair enough. “Back up the mountain, rangers!” They did this several times before the medics answered Dave weakly with the right answer, “We want the hard way.” Exhausted, they were finally released.
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24
May
Premier Wen Jiabao of China will visit Burma this June
On Sunday, it was announced that China will be sending diplomat Wen Jiabao to visit Burma. China has a uniquely close relationship with Burma, being both a trading partner and political alley.
The Irrawaddy shares that China, which shares a 2,190-kilometer border with Burma, is the country’s third biggest foreign trade partner after Thailand and Singapore.
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Human Rights Watch reported today that on the twentieth anniversary of Burma’s historic 1990 elections, the Burmese military government shows no signs of relaxing its stranglehold on power.
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