Jacob PeddicordBrayden PintNoah Beinhorn

Burma: Genocide in Myanmar

After liberation from the

Japanese during World War II,

Burma held an election to

determine breed of government.

Despite democracy’s landslide

victory, the military grasped

Burma with an iron fist. Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize for

her protest (Infoplease,2-3).

The Junta took control of the country, and its most vital resource quickly became the heroin trade. Rebel groups that had started in 1988 leapt into action, dealing inconsequential blows to the military.

The state fell into a dangerous state of disrepair. Crippled by AIDS, the country had no universities open and the government did nothing to assist those dying on the streets (Infoplease,2).

Pro-Democratic protests erupted. Led by Buddhist monks, these protests had little effect on the government. Nine hundred political prisoners were released by the raging Junta. The Junta quickly took 30 new prisoners, many of whom were involved in the monk-led protests. Ethnic tensions between Buddhists and others rose significantly (Infoplease, 6).

(Blogspot/1)

The rape and murder of a Buddhist woman raised tension even more. A sudden spout of revenge attacks took place, plunging Myanmar into a new war--one of the ethnic variety (Infoplease,9). The rest of Myanmar is now attempting to cleanse the country of Buddhists, with much success…

Violence continues to this day, but the Burmese government

and NATO are instituting reforms that will hopefully begin to reduce the violence. However, there is still anti-Buddhist

violence in the nation. (endgenocide.org/burma/)

(Thesentinalproject

/1)

If not stopped, the small bouts of violence may turn into an all-out

ethnic war. Hundreds, if not thousands more could die. Many families are already homeless,

actively hunted in the streets. How many more will it take to institute serious action?  (endgenicide/burma)

(tundratabloids/1)

You can help by getting involved in events near you or donating to the

cause. Find more ways at

endgenocide.org/take-action/

 (endgenocide,1).

Works CitedBlack Dawn. My Silent Cry. Sounds of an Angel, 2/14/14, MP3

Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/country/myanmar.html?pageno=2>.

Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/country/myanmar.html?pageno=3>.

Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/country/myanmar.html?pageno=6>.

Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/country/myanmar.html?pageno=9>.

"Raja News." Blogspot. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--oRb6Xnlv0s/UBcM5sbS5wI/AAAAAAAAAC0/3a2JpxEFhUo/s1600/63807.jpg>.

"The Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention." The Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://thesentinelproject.org/>.

Tundra Tabliods. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://tundratabloids.com/2011/11/turkish-goon-pm-erdogan-apologizes-for-14-000-

turkish-government-inflicted-murders.html>."United to End Genocide." United to End Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

<http://endgenocide.org/>.Wikimedia.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Flag_of_Myanmar-new.jpg>.  (for Pictures only)