Living Silence: Burma Under Military RuleThrough this wide-ranging survey of Burmese society, we begin to understand what it means to be governed by a repressive military dictatorship. We also learn about the innovative forms of resistance of some courageous Burmese. The author explores the remarkable range of strategies and techniques which the military regime has used to maintain itself in power in defiance of the popular will. She resents the political history of the country since independence in 1948, including the 1988 nation-wide pro-democracy demonstrations, the 1990 elections and more recent political developments. She takes in a wide diversity of people and communities, including, students who have played such a prominent part in the opposition, ordinary soldiers unhappy with what the armed forces are doing to their country, religious figures, the artistic community, and political prisoners. She concludes by examining the internationalisation of Burma's politics by both the regime and the opposition. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Ne Win Years 196288 | 31 |
Outside the legal fold | 46 |
Military Rule Continues | 77 |
Fostering Conformity | 100 |
values112 Split families114 Ethnic minority families 117 | 117 |
A Life Sentence | 143 |
Life University | 159 |
Floating Books and Bathroom Tracts | 174 |
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Common terms and phrases
anti-government areas arrested Aung San Suu authorities Awng Bangkok British BSPP Buddhist Burmese Chin civil servants civilian continued country's Daw Aung San democratic economic election ethnic minority ethnic nationalist ethnic nationalities forced labour foreign friends groups high school Human Rights Indian intelligence agents joined Kachin Karen Karenni Khin Nyunt Kyaw Kyi Kyi Kyi's leaders Lin Htet living Lt General Khin Mandalay Maung Maung military intelligence military regime military rule Min Zin Moe Aye Moe Thee Zun Mon State Party monasteries monks Muslims Myanmar Ne Win NLD members organizations pagodas parents participate people's policies political prisoners pro-democracy movement protests Rakhine Rangoon University refused regime's resistance Rohingya Sagaing Division San Suu Kyi Shan SLORC soldiers student activists talked Tatmadaw teachers Thai Thailand Thirty Comrades Tin Oo told town tried troops university students villagers wanted