You won’t hear much about it from international media. But Myanmar, exalted by the West for veering toward democracy, is in the middle of its largest civilian uprising in nearly a decade.
Like practically all uprisings in Myanmar, where a domineering army still holds immense power, this revolt is turning bloody.
But similarities to past dissident movements end there. Because the protesters are Christian, there are no burgundy-robed Buddhist monks stoically facing down troops in the street.
Because it is controversial, the movement is not cheered on by Aung San Suu Kyi, the White House-backed heroine swept to power in a November election. And because it is playing out in hard-to-reach borderlands, it is shrugged off by much of the global press.
Its adherents are not crying out for democracy per se. But their goal is no less essential: Reining in Myanmar’s drug trade, a billion-dollar industry that mires the nation in warfare and chaos. Full story...
Related posts:
Like practically all uprisings in Myanmar, where a domineering army still holds immense power, this revolt is turning bloody.
But similarities to past dissident movements end there. Because the protesters are Christian, there are no burgundy-robed Buddhist monks stoically facing down troops in the street.
Because it is controversial, the movement is not cheered on by Aung San Suu Kyi, the White House-backed heroine swept to power in a November election. And because it is playing out in hard-to-reach borderlands, it is shrugged off by much of the global press.
Its adherents are not crying out for democracy per se. But their goal is no less essential: Reining in Myanmar’s drug trade, a billion-dollar industry that mires the nation in warfare and chaos. Full story...
Related posts:
- Report alleges 'systematic' torture of civilians in Kachin areas of Myanmar...
- Aung San Suu Kyi and the derogation of Human Rights in Myanmar...
- Myanmar’s new dictator: Aung San Suu Kyi...
- Buddhist nationalists stoke hatred in Myanmar...
- Aung San Suu Kyi: Where are you?
- Uncertainty looms for Myanmar's Muslims...
- Dalai Lama urges Suu Kyi to speak out on Burma's persecuted Rohingya...
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