Page 379 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

History CONTEXTS 377
nothing themselves to assist the survivors of the tragedy. International aid supplies and
disaster experts were kept waiting in Yangon while the generals dithered in far-off
Naypyitaw, and European and US naval ships stood waiting off the coast of the Delta,
primed to provide relief but denied access. Hundreds of thousands of cyclone survivors
are thought to have perished due to starvation, dehydration and disease thanks to the
regime’s paranoia and incompetence – perhaps the most damning indictment of the
entire period of military rule, and certainly the most disastrous.

Towards democracy
The elections announced by the military in 2008 were held as promised in November
2010, although they were boycotted by the NLD since many of its most prominent
members were banned from running. These included Aung San Suu Kyi herself, whose
period under house arrest had been conveniently (from a military standpoint) extended
after she had reluctantly given shelter to US citizen John Yettaw, who had swum across
Inya Lake to her house in order to gain an audience. Given the non-participation of
the NLD, widespread allegations of electoral intimidation and other irregularities, and
the fact that a quarter of all seats were reserved for the military, the subsequent
landslide victory for the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party
(USDP) was therefore largely inevitable – though on a more positive note, a few days
after the election Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released from house arrest, apparently
this time for good.
The SPDC was officially dissolved on March 30, 2011 and replaced by the newly
elected (or, at least, “elected”) USDP government led by former general and junta
prime minister Thein Sein – 77-year-old Than Shwe having decided to stand down
from politics. The new leader was widely seen as a moderate and reformist – although
he was also known for his key role in blocking relief efforts following Cyclone Nargis,
as well as his anti-Rohingya policies (see box, p.121).
Despite its military background, the new government set about initiating a series of
landmark reforms. Anti-corruption legislation was passed, hundreds of political
prisoners released, strike laws eased and the formerly stifling press censorship
significantly reduced – with images of Aung San Suu Kyi, banned just a few years
previously, now seen everywhere from newspapers to T-shirts. Signs of economic
reform could also be seen – a normalization of government-fixed currency exchange
rates led to a virtual disappearance of the formerly ubiquitous black market, while
foreign companies were allowed to do business in Myanmar for the first time in half
a century, with Ford, Nissan, Suzuki and Coca-Cola among the first arrivals.
Political progress also followed, with the NLD participating in 2012 by-elections,
winning 43 out of the 44 seats they contested. Aung San Suu Kyi herself won the
seat of Kawhmu township in Yangon and was allowed to travel freely around the
country. Thein Sein, meanwhile, promised that free democratic elections would be
held in 2015, although it was made clear that Aung San Suu Kyi herself would be
unable to head any new government thanks to a clause inserted into a new
military-sponsored 2008 constitution, which bans those with foreign next of kin
(such as Aung San Suu Kyi, at whom the amendment was specifically targeted) from
serving as president.

1990 1991 1992
The National League for Democracy wins a Aung San Suu Kyi Hardline general Than Shwe
landslide victory in general elections; the is awarded the assumes leadership of the
military refuse to recognize the results and Nobel Peace Prize military government
confine Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest

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