A panel of scholars, policymakers and students gathered last night for "Myanmar: Saffron Revolution versus Authoritarian Consolidation," a discussion organized by the Watson Institute for International Studies and moderated by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar and a visiting professor of Latin American studies.
The Southeast Asian military dictatorship has been rocked by protests since mid-August as thousands of citizens, including monks, have taken to the streets advocating for democratic change in leadership. Myanmar's military junta responded by firing into crowds of protesters, prompting an outpouring of international support that peaked Sept. 28, when the junta cut off all communication from within the country.
Yesterday, Myanmar's government agreed to allow Pinheiro to visit the country as a United Nations representative in November. He will be the first human rights official to enter the country since 2003. Though Pinheiro's visit is weeks away, last night's panel event drew a diverse but small audience, which filled about half of the seats in MacMillan Hall's Starr Auditorium.
Each panelist, after a short introduction by Pinheiro, was given seven minutes to present his or her view on the ongoing conflict between the military junta and civilians in Myanmar.
Josef Silverstein, a retired Rutgers University professor, spoke first, presenting the recent violence against Burmese monks as part of a long historical tradition. "The issue is not a brand new one," he said. Myanmar's present condition may be understood through three historical themes: the absence of national unity, the relationship between the government and the monasteries and the problem of a tradition of revolt, he said.
By contrast, Zaw Oo, political economist and PhD candidate at American University, emphasized the issue's underlying economic factors. The protests, which began Aug. 15, were sparked by the Myanmar government's removal of fuel subsidies. "The economy of the regime is falling apart," he said. "I think the way the economy has shifted in the last five years is more and more dependent on the narrow base of gas revenue." As a result, the population is impoverished while the regime gets richer and richer. The monks have become involved by trying to provide the Burmese people with education and health care where the government has failed to do so, he said.
Khin Zaw Win, a fellow at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation who spent 11 years in Myanmar jails as a political prisoner, spoke of his first-hand view of the monks' situation.
"When this thing happened, the monks were not cheering or shouting political slogans," he said. "I saw it with my own eyes." The monks' actions were not political at first, but became politicized as more and more people joined in and the media became involved, he said.
Khin's statements also drew parallels between the recent events in Myanmar and the outbreak of violence there in 1988, which occurred under similar conditions. He said there will be no simple solution for Myanmar, and that a variety of means of addressing the issue need to be employed. "It takes a lot to establish and build a democracy," he said.
According to Pinheiro's introduction, Khin was arrested by the Myanmar government in 1994 for trying to disseminate democratic documents. He was a prisoner there until 2005.
Another panelist with strong personal connections to the subject matter was Andrew Lim '08, co-founder of the Brown chapter of the U.S. Campaign for Myanmar. Lim's family immigrated from Myanmar 25 years ago, and his father participated in the first wave of political demonstrations against the military government in 1974. Following in his father's footsteps, Lim helped organize the "Red Day" that saw 300 students rally and march silently on the Main Green in support of the protesters on Sept. 28. A brief video clip of the rally - for which students and faculty wore red t-shirts - was shown at the beginning of the panel discussion.
"We often have a lot more political power than we think we do," Lim said, urging students to be active in human rights issues.
The panelists generally seemed to be in agreement with one another, but dissension arose when the floor was opened up to questions from the audience.
One member of the audience expressed his extreme skepticism at the hopeful attitudes of the panelists. "If past is indeed prologue, I do not hold out any hope for Myanmar," he said. "All this is a big farce, gentlemen ... I'm sorry to say it, but money talks."
Ingrid Jordt, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, offered a rebuttal to this comment. The military is not a huge monolith, she said. "I think that there are people in the military who are horrified at the actions of the hard-line generals."
Other questions touched on the relationship between Myanmar, India and China. "I think we're facing a reality here that we have to come to grips with. Nations are self-interested," Silverstein said. "For the moment, India and China are competitors for what Myanmar has." He also pointed out China's delicate position as the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics. China's interest in avoiding boycotts puts them in a somewhat vulnerable political position, he said.
Of Myanmar's future and how those on College Hill can help, Silverstein advised the audience to "write letters, do anything peaceful, and it just might have an effect."
