Myanmar Has Had Anti-Junta Uprisings Before. The Spring Revolution Is Different, by Rajeev Bhattacharyya – 27 October 2023

From The Diplomat

Myanmar has been ruled by a military junta for most of the years since it emerged independent from British colonial rule in 1948. The country’s journey as a parliamentary democracy ended in 1962 when General Ne Win toppled the government and held power for the next 26 years. He stepped down after the protests in 1988 but the situation hardly changed in the country. Myanmar remained under military rule and suffered misgovernance and widespread poverty.

A process of democratization was initiated in 2011. President U Thein Sein put in place a civilian-military administration model that was followed by the release of political prisoners, Aung San Suu Kyi’s return to politics after the by-election in 2012, and finally, the multi-party general elections three years later. The economy was opened, freedom of the press promoted, access to the internet allowed, and ceasefire agreements firmed up with ethnic insurgent outfits.

Then on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military staged a coup and ousted the elected government. Hopes generated by a few years of quasi-democratic rule were dashed. Anti-coup protests erupted demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters and the restoration of parliament. The trajectory of the movement was soon transformed, with the protesters demanding the abolition of the 2008 constitution, the establishment of a federal democratic polity, and a new military under civilian control.

Functionaries of resistance groups and the civil disobedience movement (CDM) whom I spoke to during my travels in Chin State and Sagaing Region between January and March this year said that the current Spring Revolution in Myanmar is quite different from the anti-junta uprisings of 1988 and 2007, which were led largely by students and monks, respectively.

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Rajeev Bhattacharya is a senior journalist in Assam in India’s northeast. He has worked with The Telegraph, The Indian Express, The Times of India and Times Now, and was the managing editor of Seven Sisters Post. He is a Chevening Fellow and author of ‘ULFA: The Mirage of Dawn‘ (2023), ‘Rendezvous With Rebels: Journey to Meet India’s Most Wanted Men‘ (2014 ), ‘Lens & The Guerrilla: Insurgency in India’s Northeast‘ (2012),  and ‘Paresh Baruahr Sandhanot‘ (2013 and in Assamese). He reports on India’s Northeast and its border regions with Myanmar, Bhutan, China and Bangladesh.

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