The military completely ruined Burma: they wrecked the economy, they jailed thousands of dissidents, they imposed severe censorship, and the cut Burma off from the outside world. ibid.
Hundreds of thousands of youngsters work in fields, factories and trains. ibid.
A country of more than 50 million people. ibid.
The generals haven’t been prosecuted. ibid.
There are said to be around half a million Buddhist monks, novices and nuns in Burma. ibid.
This is now the biggest refugee camp in the world. ibid.
Military dictatorship lasted for nearly fifty years. Then in 2011 the military said they’d step aside to let civilians rule. Life has improved for some people since then. This World s2e2: Burma with Simon Reeve, BBC 2018
Much of the money and the power here is still in their [military] hands. ibid.
The jade industry in Myanmar is enormous. ibid.
Ethnic minority groups have been fighting the Burmese state. ibid.
December 2019: International Court of Justice, The Hague: A Nobel Peace Prize winner defended the country against accusations of the worst possible crimes. The story of Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the most mystifying of our time. Once admired as a human rights icon, now she faces accusations of complicity in brutal atrocities. Did the world misunderstand who the real Aung San Suu Kyi really was? Or expectations of what she could achieve unrealistic from the start? Aung San Suu Kyi: The Fall of an Icon, BBC 2020
‘She maybe underestimated their genuineness to make a change.’ ibid. Dr Ma Thida, former aide
Aung San Suu Kyi’s father led Myanmar to independence from English colonial rule after World War II. He planned to bring democracy to the country but when she was just two years old he was assassinated by political rivals. ibid.
She pinned her hopes on democratic change. For that she knew her party needed a majority at the general election. But in the run up to the poll there were a widespread surge of Buddhist nationalist sentiment hostile to Muslim minorities. It tested how far Aung San Suu Kyi would go to achieve her goals. ibid.
‘I will not speak up because I don’t think it will help the situation.’ ibid. Suu Kyi
But Aung San Suu Kyi was not able to become president. Despite having a majority in parliament, the military still retained a grip over her. The constitution had been written with a clause that barred her from office. ibid.
Myanmar is in the grips of an uprising triggered by a military coup. Protesters are demanding a return to democracy. They are met with brutal force. Borders are closed, the internet is blocked. The military doesn’t want the world to see this. Our World: Myanmar: The Spring Revolution, BBC 2021
For 50 years Myanmar has been run by its army. After a brief experiment with democracy, they have again seized power. Dispatches: Myanmar: The Forgotten Revolution, Channel 4 2022
Since the coup, almost 20,000 people have reportedly been killed as the military cracks down on dissent. ibid.
It’s one of the biggest pro-democracy movements seen anywhere in the world. ibid.
The strength of anti-army resistance here has shocked the military, and for that the military has paid a terrible price. ibid.
Myanmar is a country of many ethnic groups. The majority are Buddhists. In Rakhine State there lives a Muslim minority known as the Rohingya. In 2016, the Myanmar military began a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Muslims. Tens of thousands of Rohingya were killed. Close to one million fled the country. Those who remain in Myanmar are one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, according to the UN. Storyville: Midwives, BBC 2022
‘Traditional Lethwei is different from other martial arts like Muay Thai. We can use head butt. Traditional Lethwei is a combination of all our martial arts.’ Fightworld s1e3: Myanmar: Crossroads, fighter, Netflix 2018
If you’re going to be old school, you’ve got to train old school. ibid.
A country and a sport standing at the crossroads. ibid.