The Saffron Revolution: A Perspective One Year Later from a Burmese Activist in the U.S.

By XuanThu Pham, Give2Asia

In September 2007, Burmese Buddhist monks led a peaceful demonstration attracting over 100,000 people to protest against sharp rises in the price of food and petroleum. Without notice, the government had removed fuel subsidies, which caused the price to rise as high as 100 percent.  Food prices surged dramatically worldwide, causing economic instability and social unrest in poor and developing nations. The resulting protests and crackdown are known in Burma as the Saffron Revolution. Days after the protest, the military junta began a crackdown that focused on thousands of Buddhist monks: the military and police disrobed, beat, tortured, and even killed many of these monks. Over 4,000 monks and protesters were arrested, and today there are more than 2,000 political prisoners in Burma's prison cells.

 

Generals of the military junta exert their power through brute force with little interest in dialogue or negotiation. Burmese dissidents are either imprisoned or exiled. And in the case of Aung San Suu Kyi, a proponent of democracy, she has been under house arrest since 2003.  

Nyunt Than is the President of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA), a nonprofit organization led by a group of activists from the San Francisco bay area working toward democracy and human rights in Burma.  Than laments over the tragic result of the Saffron Revolution. What started out to be a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration resulted in many instances of torture, death, and arrests. But his grief does not show through anger or tears. It is evident from the determination in his voice and calm demeanor.  

Than is the only one in his family to have left his country and does not plan to return. He lives with his wife and children in the Bay Area and juggles his high-tech career and full time struggle for Burma's democracy. "People are pushed to their limits and cannot bear their miserable existence anymore," Than said. "We can bring about change by exerting political pressure and cooperation with the United Nations." The demonstrations in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), indicated how frustrated and angry the people are and their desire for conditions in their country to improve, says Than. 

People are impoverished in a land rich with natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, precious stones, and tropical woods. The government claims that its economy is growing by more than 12 percent each year, faster than China according to The New York Times. It is difficult to believe this when the government cannot provide basics such as food for its people. The World Food Program estimates that over five million people lack sufficient food in Burma. Making the situation worse, Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma in May 2008 wiped out a majority of the country’s rice-growing districts.

Than does not believe that Burma's problems will be easy to solve, and believes the government’s ideologies will never change as long as the current military junta is in power. "The United Nations must engage in enacting binding resolutions to first release political prisoners, and the international community must impose financial sanctions. These are things that will help our country." 

The Saffron Revolution was a remarkable and peaceful demonstration; it showed solidarity between Burma's spiritual community and its laypeople. The demonstration let the people’s voice be heard even though they knew many lives would be at risk. But more must be done. Said Than in a low, but certain voice, "People in Burma live in two ways. One way, you live like a slave. The other way, you live like a prisoner."