International Leaders: Myanmar

The following is a review of the military dictatorship of Burma/ Myanmar’s (herein referred to as Myanmar) Than Shwe since 1992. After his 33-year (1953 – 1986) rise to major-general in the military, Than was appointed (in 1988) as a member of the newly-created State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and became the second in command of the previous ruler, General Saw Maung, who resigned in 1992. Than replaced him as Chairman of the Council, head of state, Secretary of Defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Than also took command of the military junta, which has been in place since 1989.

Than was, at first, thought to be more liberal than Saw Maung. He released political prisoners, ended the house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (see below), ordered the writing of a Constitution, opened up somewhat to foreign private trade, supported Myanmar’s membership in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), moved toward ending political corruption, and allowed visits of the Red Cross and Amnesty International.

But Than has actually been consolidating power. He is known to be ruthless in dealing with potential opposition from within the government and army. Anyone believed to be defiant or a potential adversary is swiftly removed. Since Than has taken control and, recently, removed PM chief Gen Khin Nyunt from power, there has been increased uncertainty in the top ranks of the army, such as a strange story of a gun battle between the regime’s top three generals. “There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Even high ranking officers are not sure where they stand at the moment— if they are found to be linked to Khin Nyunt, they will be fired and face trial.” Also, when Than reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty, he extended it, implying that he may retain his position for the remainder of his life.

Another example of Than’s consolidation of power and intolerance of opposition is his dealing with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) (formed in 1988) and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. In 1989, the new military regime placed her under house arrest, where she has been (periodically) ever since. In 1990, the NLD won a landslide victory, but the military junta denied the election results.

Under Than, there has also been continued persecution of ethnic minorities, such as the Shan and Muslims. The Shan are spread throughout southern Asia and are considered rebels; they have been engaged in civil warfare with Myanmar for years. The Shan’s two main military forces are the Shan State Army North (SSA-N) and Shan State Army South (SSA-S). Myanmar forces have been known to burn down villages and force Shan to flee into neighboring Thailand. Than has also forced about 250,000 Muslims in the north to flee into Bangladesh.

Than is not considered knowledgeable in foreign affairs, thus, he has kept a neutral foreign policy. He has also kept himself and his people relatively isolated from world affairs (for example, by restricting free press). Still, many consider Myanmar as China’s stooge; China supplies the junta with arms and aid. Than has also secured financial aid from India, as a child does from two conflicted parents.

Interestingly, Than believes heavily in soothsaying. On October 25, 2005 Than made an unannounced visit to India. Note that That is distrustful of foreigners and that he had recently ousted Myanmar’s PM, making international travel a risk. It is claimed that Than’s personal astrologer recommended visiting Buddhist holy places in India, in order to avoid the bad luck associated with the October lunar eclipse.

As mentioned, Myanmar is a member of ASEAN; this ensures its maintaining peaceful relations with neighboring ASEAN members, such as Thailand. There has been increased pressure on Than for political reform, especially since, In 2006, Myanmar was scheduled to take over the chairmanship of ASEAN. However, to the relief of ASEAN, Myanmar has skipped its turn to chair the organization, based on the US complaints about its lack of democratic reform.

Than seems to want to be thought of as the effective king of Myanmar and to rule until his death. He has wisely avoided any direct antagonism toward the US and has minimized its exposure to his many human rights violations (for example, by not conducting a census), though Myanmar is known to be the world’s second largest producer of opium. He has also benefited from poor Indian-Chinese relations, as both would like to influence Myanmar. In short, Than is a devout kleptocrat who, in my opinion, is the product of his environment.