lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

Council (Slorc). Slorc’s leader, General Saw Maung, commander in chief ofthe military, promised to hold a multiparty election within three months.Although 235 parties contested the election (which was delayed untilMay 1990), the clear front runner from the start was the National Leaguefor Democracy (NLD). The NLD was led by several former generals, alongwith Aung San Suu Kyi (daughter of hero, Aung San), who had made sucha public impression at rallies during the 1988 protests. For more aboutAung San Suu Kyi’s role in the democracy movement, see p 352 .In the run up to the election, Slorc tried to appease the masses withconstruction programmes, adding a coat of paint to many buildings in Yangonand abandoning socialism in favour of a capitalist economy. In 1989, itchanged the name of the country to Myanmar, then placed Aung San SuuKyi under house arrest and detained many other prodemocracy leaders.Convinced it had effectively dealt with the opposition, the governmentwent ahead with the country’s first election in 30 years. The voter turnout– 72.59% – was the highest in Myanmar’s history. The result was aresounding victory for the NLD, which took 392 of the 485 contestedseats (or about 60% of the vote), with the military-backed National UnityParty gaining just 10 seats with just over 25% of the vote.Post-1990 MyanmarNLD Under AttackSlorc barred the elected members of parliament from assuming power,decreeing that a state-approved constitution had to be passed by nationalreferendum first. In October 1990 the military raided NLD offices and arrestedkey leaders. A handful of elected members managed to escape thecountry – and set up the National Coalition Government of the Union ofBurma (www.ncgub.net) with Sein Win, nephew of Aung San, as its leader.Some commentators wondered if the election was a ruse to get membersof the opposition out in the open, where they could be more easilycrushed. Either way, in 1995 Slorc deemed it safe enough to release AungSan Suu Kyi; at the same time many other high-level dissidents, includingthe NLD’s Tin U and Kyi Maung, were also released from prison.For several months Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed to address crowds ofsupporters from her residence. In May and September 1996, a congress ofNLD members was held in a bold political gambit to show that the partywas still an active force. The military junta responded by detaining hundredswho attended the congress; the street leading to Suu Kyi’s residencewas also blockaded, prohibiting her from making speeches at her residence.In 1998 Suu Kyi attempted to leave Yangon to meet with supporters,but was blocked by the military and forcibly returned to the city. A secondattempt to drive to Mandalay in September 2000 again saw the Lady (asThe 1988demonstrationswere sparked bya students’ fightat the RangoonInstitute of Technology(that’sright, RIOT) thatended with policeintervening andsome studentsbeing killed.RIOT303HISTORY POST-1990 MYANMAR1962Following the coupby Ne Win, a peacefulstudent protest atRangoon Universityis suppressed by themilitary, with over 100students killed and theStudent Union buildingdynamited.1964All oppositionpolitical parties arebanned, commerceand industry arenationalised andNe Win begins theprocess of isolatingMyanmar from therest of the world.1978General San Yusucceeds New Win asBurma’s president butNe Win remains theultimate ruler, evenafter his resignationfrom the BurmeseSocialist ProgrammeParty in 1988.1988Civilian unrest growsas living standardscontinue to fall.On 8 August, hugenonviolent marchesend with the militarykilling over 3000protestors; the militarypromise to holddemocratic elections.