FACTBOX: Why Myanmar's generals stand firm

Sat May 17, 2008 10:35pm EDT
 
Email | Print | | Reprints | Single Page
[-] Text [+]

(Reuters) - After 46 years of unbroken military rule, many people both inside and outside Myanmar think it will take an act of God to get rid of the junta.

Here are some reasons why analysts say the generals are resisting pressure to open up to foreign aid and workers after this month's cyclone, and are unlikely to face serious unrest despite criticism over the handling of the disaster.

SURVIVAL COMES FIRST

Those living in the heavily populated Irrawaddy delta, where millions had homes or crops destroyed, are far too busy rebuilding their lives and homes to worry about rising up.

"People are absolutely preoccupied with survival -- food, water, health, their relatives, getting their jobs back, rebuilding their houses," former Australian ambassador to Yangon Trevor Wilson said.

HEADS UP HAMMERED DOWN

People remember what happened when serious demonstrations erupted before, such as the bloody suppression of monk-led protests last September.

A Yangon taxi driver put it succinctly. "There won't be demonstrations ... People don't want to be shot."

LUCKY MOVE FOR GENERALS  Continued...

 

Featured Broker sponsored link

Most Popular on Reuters

Photo
Bearing Witness
Reuters award-winning multimedia piece, reflecting five years of reporting the war in Iraq.