Understanding Burma's SPDC Generals

“Bo Kyaw Nyein is widely respected among Burmese pro-democracy activists as a talented political writer, political analyst and an activist. His father U Kyaw Nyein was a leading figure in pre and post Independence era Burma. His sister Daw Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein is also a well-known leader inside Burma, leading a group which opposes military rule and calls for democracy and human-rights in Burma.” (source)

In this lengthy backgrounder, written for the benefit of Westerners who seek to understand Burmese politics, he goes psycho on the junta. Parts read like a dizzying list of Machiavellian intrigues, but most of it reads like a bad action novel.

We learn that the capital was moved inland out of fear of American seaborn attack. The top commanders are really into astrological numerology or something and schedule events accordingly. They feel they can exploit Aung San Suu Kyi’s weaknesses of “Oxford Idealism” and a Jesus-like reluctance to sacrifice her followers. There are also some important details about the once powerful, General Hla Htay Win, who recently defected and reportedly claimed monks were massacred by the thousands.

Most of the first half of this article is a tedious history of SLORC/SPDC politics. The good stuff starts at the heading: Why is Rangoon command so important? Keep in mind, the article was written in January, 2006.

Many Burmese political operatives like to make fun of Burmese generals as uneducated idiots and some intellectuals take pleasure in characterizing them as unsophisticated rednecks of Burma. Older generations of Burmese who took the brunt of oppression in the early days of Ne Win’s rule loved to claim that adding 3 Burmese military officials did not add up to 4th grade education and find consolation on all the failures of Ne Win experimentation with Burmese way to Socialism by blaming their lack of education. Ne Win himself was a dropout from the University and was working as a postal clerk before he joined the 30 comrades, the first batch of Burmese trained by Imperial Japanese army with Maj Gen Aung San as its leader during WWII from which the Burma army was formed.

While the Opposition loves to make fun of these generals, many of them do not make any attempts to understand the thinking behind these generals or to study the structure and culture within the armed forces and what changes had been taking place inside Burmese military, and what influences their collective thinking, dynamics and culture.

Posted by Beagle17
"RSS here": http://feeds.feedburner.com/GnnBeagle17 Grew up in Nova Scotia. Hold BSc. in Biology and Grad. Diploma Journalism. Moved to Korea in 1997, and Taiwan in 1999. Currently teaching, writing, and doing Web design. Concerned about depleted...

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