Burma: Background information when reading Burmese Lessons

Burma

This article relates to Burmese Lessons

During the time covered in Burmese Lessons, the military government in Burma was known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). This name has since been changed to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), but the behavior of the government  has not changed. Since 1962, the ruling military regime has severely restricted the freedom of its citizens. Freedom of speech, the guarantee of a fair trial, and the protection of children from hard labor are just a few of the rights absent in Burma. Media is restricted to only state-approved outlets, such as this English language newspaper.

Burman opposition groups have grown more organized over the years since the student protests in 1988 and the arrest and denied election of National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Ong San Soo Chee) in 1990, despite her party winning almost 90% of the vote.

As Connelly explains in her book, there are and have been many separate opposition groups, creating a confusing jumble of names and acronyms to remember. Even the ABSDF, the organization most often mentioned by Connelly, was actually two distinct groups which used the same name. Many of these revolutionaries operate in the border areas between Burma and Thailand. Some dissidents find a way to leave permanently, finding refuge and help for their cause in countries such as Norway. The Democratic Voice of Burma, for example, is produced in Norway. The DVB news can be read online, but it is also broadcast via short wave radio in an attempt to bring objective information to the citizens of Burma.

Interesting Links:

• An essay by Karen Connelly about Karen refugees resettling in Canada, in the Canadian magazine Walrus (June 2010).
• An interview with The Globe & Mail about Burmese Lessons - October 2009.

Hear Karen Connelly talk about the major themes of the book in her own words (October 2009):

Filed under Places, Cultures & Identities

This article relates to Burmese Lessons. It first ran in the June 9, 2010 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.