Burma, now called Myanmar by the military regime that rules it, borders on China, India, Laos and Thailand. Burma has been under the control of the military since 1962. However, in 1990, the regime’s political supporters were defeated by democracy advocates in a national election.
As part of the “victory” Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi was elected prime minister, but the regime clung to power, and Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest or imprisoned for more than a total of 13 years since 1989. However, in 1991, she won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Five Burmese male refugees, including Maung Maung Tate and Min Shw Oo, began a more than 900 mile march on May 27, 2009, from Fort Wayne Indiana to New York City, calling attention to human rights in Burma wherever they could along the journey.
When asked if he thought the military dictatorship in Burma could survive without CCP support, Oo said, “No way!”
According to the Web site of the Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international nonprofit agency that monitors human rights abuses worldwide, the regime is holding more than 2,100 political prisoners.
“For political prisoners, ill-treatment and torture are commonplace. Punishments include being forced into stress positions, beatings, and isolation in cramped and dark cells, otherwise known as ‘dog cells’” states the HRW Web site.
According to the protesters, Aung San Suu Kyi is now on trial on trumped-up charges in “the notorious Insein Prison, ” near Rangoon.
