Military Power in Myanmar
By Maggie Belcher
Burmese historian Thant Mynit-U noted in his recent book that “the modern state of Burma was born as a military occupation.”[1] Myanmar, previously known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia.[2] On November 8th, 2020 the National League for Democracy in Myanmar was the leading party in the national election. [3] Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi was the head of the National League of Democracy and had been the country’s civilian leader since her election in 2015.[4] However, this year, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, refused to accept the election results.[5] First, the Tatmadaw detained leaders of the National League for Democracy and other civilian officials, including Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint.[6] Second, the Tatmadaw declared a national state of emergency.[7] The Tatmadaw made its announcement on the military owned Myawaddy TV station and cited the 2008 Constitution, which it stated allowed the military to declare a national state of emergency.[8] The state of emergency will remain in place for one year as the Military commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing, has taken over the country.[9]
The Tatmadaw is a powerful military group in Myanmar. Its creation stems from the colonial era and its expansion stems from years of ethnic conflict within the country.[10] The military in Myanmar is powerful for several reasons, but the biggest contributing factor was the colonization of Myanmar by Britain. British rule contributed to the fractionalization of the country among ethnic, political, religious, and economic lines. This disruption led to years of conflict even after Burma’s independence.
The military that exists in Myanmar today was founded in the 1940’s during Myanmar’s battle for independence from Britain.[11] From 1824-1885, Myanmar and Britain engaged in six decades of conflict until the entirety Burman Empire became part of the British colony in 1886.[12] The introduction of colonial rule disrupted the political, social, and economic structures already established in Burma. Myanmar, a country that functioned on traditional kinships, was transformed into a nation state with a centralized government.[13] The British eliminated the monarchy and secularized the government and education system.[14] Britain also shifted the economy and forced Burma to become export-oriented enterprise at the benefit of the British.[15] Certain ethnic groups were favored by Britain over others purposely creating fractionalization within the country.[16]
Many groups refused to accept British control of Myanmar and resorted to guerrilla warfare.[17] In response, the British carried out mass executions and adopted a “strategic hamlet” strategy.[18] This strategy is comparable to that used by the Tatmadaw today[19] and consisted of burning villages, killing civilians, and uprooting people from their homes.[20] The guerrilla movements were extinguished by the 1890’s, however, in 1920 there was a renewed resistance against British rule in the form of strikes and anti-tax protests.[21] A young law student, Aung San, father of Aung San Suu Kyi, was a prominent advocate for national autonomy.[22] He partnered with Japan who promised military training and support in their pursuits to end colonial rule.[23] This was the creation of Myanmar’s first national army.[24] However, in 1942 Japan invaded and never left.[25] Aung San quickly sided with the British to drive out the Japanese in 1945, and though it was successful, the country was ruined from the warfare.[26]
In 1947, Aung San negotiated with Britain for Myanmar’s independence.[27] He devised an agreement with the country’s ethnic nationalities to create a unified Burma, but some ethnic groups, such as the Karen, were opposed to the agreement and assassinated Aung San.[28] He was replaced by his colleague, U Nu, who wanted to create a Buddhist nation and a civil war ensured.[29] The democratic government did not last because in 1962, military leader, General Ne Win, staged a coup and began the era of military dictatorship.[30]
There were nationwide protests as the military banned all opposition parties and nationalized the country’s major industries and businesses.[31] In 1988, student activists led nationwide protests against the military and demanded democratic reforms.[32] The military responded with violence and roughly 5,000 people were killed.[33] The military faced international pressure for its humanitarian issues and in 2008 it drafted a new constitution.[34] However, the constitution was not transformative as the Tatmadaw drafted the document so it could maintain power. The constitution stated that 25 percent of all seats in national and local parliaments would be reserved for serving military officials.[35] This ultimately gave the Tatmadaw de facto power to veto any constitutional reforms.[36] The Tatmadaw also have had complete financial independence and maintain control over the country’s mining, oil, and gas industries.[37] While there was a return to Democratic rule in 2011, February 1st was the beginning of the return to military dictatorship.[38]
The military dictatorship in Myanmar is problematic because lives are at risk. Thousands of protestors have been killed, the Rohingya people have been massacred, and every aspect of people’s lives are controlled by the military regime.[39] Though the story of the military’s command cannot be explained in one simple essay, there is no doubt that Britain’s colonial rule served as an impetus for a military dictatorship. The colonization of Myanmar fractionalized the country along ethnic lines, disrupted political and economic progress, and encouraged the creation of the Tatmadaw. There have been democratic reforms in the past and with the help of international pressure, there is hope for democratic reforms in the future.
[1] Thant Myint-U, The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century (Nov. 12, 2019).
[2] David Steinberg, Myanmar, Britannica (Aug. 6, 2021), https://www.britannica.com/place/Myanmar.
[3] Russell Goldman, Myanmar’s Coup and Violence, Explained, N.Y. Times, May 29, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/article/myanmar-news-protests-coup.html?.?mc=aud_dev&ad-keywords=auddevgate&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjwssyJBhDXARIsAK98ITTfmC6Tx0owTHnfsZ-0t-sYxUCYLDB5oKA5m3qGMiBMJtv9NZTeHBAaAk0KEALw_wcB.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.; see also Alice Cuddy, Myanmar Coup: What is Happening and Why?, BBC News (Apr. 1, 2021), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070.
[6] Goldman, supra note 2.
[7] Cuddy, Myanmar Coup: What is Happening and Why? (Apr. 1, 2021), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Lindsay Maizland, Myanmar’s Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict, Council on Foreign Relations (Feb. 10, 2021), https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya
[11] Tharapi Than, Myanmar’s Brutal Military was Once a Force for Freedom -but it’s Been Waging Civil War for Decades, The Conversation (April 5, 2021), https://theconversation.com/myanmars-brutal-military-was-once-a-force-for-freedom-but-its-been-waging-civil-war-for-decades-158270.
[12] History Since Colonisation, Burma Link, https://www.burmalink.org/background/burma/history-since-colonisation/ (last visited Sep. 3rd, 2021).
[13] Oliver Hensengerth, Violence Research in Northeast and Southeast Asia: Main Themes and Directions, International Journal of Conflict and Violence Vol. 5 (1) pp. 55-86, (2011).
[14] Id.
[15] The Initial Impact of Colonialism, Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Myanmar/The-initial-impact-of-colonialism (last visited Sep. 5, 2021).
[16] Dinyar Godrej, A Short History of Burma, New Internationalist (April 18, 2008), https://newint.org/features/2008/04/18/history; see also Lindsey Maizland, supra note 10.
[17] Supra note 13.
[18] Id.
[19] Dinyar Godrej, supra note 14.
[20] Supra note 13.
[21] Dinyar Godrej, supra note 14.
[22] Id.
[23] Id.
[24] Tharapi Than, supra note 9.
[25] Dinyar Godrej, supra note 14.
[26] Id.
[27] Id.
[28] Id.
[29] Id.
[30] Lindsay Maizland, Myanmar’s Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict, Council on Foreign Relations (Feb. 10, 2021), https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya.
[31] Id.
[32] Id.
[33] Id.
[34] Hunter Marston, Why is Myanmar’s Military so Powerful?, Al Jazeera (Feb. 2, 2021), https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/2/analysis-why-is-myanmar-military-so-powerful.
[35] Id.
[36] Id.
[37] Id.
[38] Lindsey Maizland, supra note 10.
[39] Id.