Former Drug Kingpin Falls Off the Perch

One of the world’s most controversial and wanted men died this past week in the Burmese city of Rangoon. Khun Sa, an ethnic Shan warlord, controlled much of the world’s heroin supply until the mid nineties. He was thought to be suffering from diabetes and high-blood pressure recently, but th cause of death is unknown. The BBC reports:

He was once one of the world’s most wanted men, with a vast drug-trafficking operation in the so-called Golden Triangle region, spanning the border of Thailand, Laos and Burma.

To his people, however, Khun Sa was a freedom fighter, not a drug smuggler.

With a private army numbering in the hundreds, Khun Sa claimed to be fighting for independence for the Shan people – an ethnic minority group based mainly in Burma.

Despite being wanted by the US and other countries in conjunction with drug trafficking, his death will do little to slow the trade. Since the mid-nineties, Khun Sa has been out of the game, having made a deal with Myanmar’s government. He lived out the last 10 years of his life in Rangoon, enjoying at least a portion of his wealth with immunity from prosecution.

Author Christopher Cox, who trekked through the Golden Triangle to interview Khun Sa in the early nineties, captured one of the few snapshots of the warlord. The book which recounts the trip, Chasing the Dragon, shows Khun Sa’s many sides. He spoke of the plans for his people and seemed to be truly respected by local tribesmen. However, it was a falling out with the very same people that caused Khun Sa to retire. Ethnic minorities still control parts of Myanmar’s poppy production. Surely the military government received some of the action in Khun Sa’s immunity deal.

Forgot Myanmar Already, Huh?

A recent article in Irrawaddy claims that nothing is known about several Burmese comedians where were arrested during the recent protests. Popular comedian cum political performance artist, Zaganar, is the most high profile of these arrests. To this date, no one knows of his condition or whereabouts.

Irrawaddy also cites sources inside Myanmar who claim that several people arrested during the late September demonstrations have died while in police custody. If that is,in fact, the case, then the bloodiest part of the conflict between demonstrators and authorities is just getting started.

Unfortunately, Myanmar is no longer making front page news. The junta seems to have been successful in its tactics. They are now able to carry out their brutal reprisals away from the public eyes.

If You Can’t Beat Them, Laugh at Them

Sure, some people are cheering Myanmar’s recent demonstrations. What few people know is that there have been individuals who have been fighting the current regime for a long time. Their weapon: laughter.Perhaps that is a bit clique, but it is the truth. Government troops arrested a comedian known as Zargana (real name Maung Thura) two days ago. However, that was not his first run-in with The Man. He has spent several years behind bars, first for helping pro-democracy demonstrators during 1988, then for helping his mother campaign for public office in 1990. Still, his brand of humor and political performance art was not silenced. Here is an example:

(D)uring the government-sponsored “Visit Myanmar Year 1996”, he wore dirty clothes and stood holding traditional Burmese Hpa, or baskets in front of a propaganda billboard. Then he raised a banner which said “Burmese Hpa have to be made famous all over the world.” Hpa in Burmese means prostitute.

This mix of politics and humor is not unprecedented in Myanmar, despite the government’s violent responses to dissent. Most comedians have been banned from performing in public. The recent demonstrations will probably only prolong their absence from the limelight.In a 2006 article published in the Washington Post, Zargana spoke about comedy being something bigger than himself:

Even faced with a performance ban, Zargana seems resolute and brash. He speaks of a “whispering campaign” and insists under-the-table humor will persist in Myanmar’s taxicabs, teashops and dining rooms.”Burmese people love to laugh,” he said. “But if I can’t speak, jokes will still spread. The people will make them up themselves.”

Violence in Myanmar

The threat of violence has been looming over Myanmar for about a week now. Once it was clear that the protests against the current regime were more than a blip on the radar, the army moved into position to quell the violence. Reports coming out of the country indicate that the police and army are using force to stop the protests. It does not, however, appear that there is a large loss of life. Reports from the Bangkok Post, The BBC, and independant burmese news agency Irrawady state that, for the most part, police used tear gas and batons to disburse the crowds. Shots were fired, but few people have been reported killed.

From the Bangkok Post:

At least 30 monks and 50 civilians were beaten and then taken away in military vehicles to an unknown destination.

The BBC reported that the UN is set to meet on the situation:

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has called emergency talks for 1900GMT.

From Irrawady:

Rangoon, Downtown; Mid-afternoon—Two monks and one nun were reportedly shot by military forces near Sule Pagoda on Wednesday afternoon, according to a witness. Another source told The Irrawaddy earlier that one of the injured died, but the report can not be confirmed.

It appears that things will get worse before they get better. Nearly 3,000 people died in 1988 during a similar series of pro-democracy demonstrations.

The World Chimes in on Myanmar

The world has chimed in one the situation in Myanmar.  The military government, usually able to keep the country under their iron thumb, has been allowing protests from Buddhists monks, and now seems poised to squelch them violently.

Perhaps in an attempt at helpfulness, diplomats began stating the obvious.  These quotes are according to CNN:

“The continued clampdown on any dissent in Burma, the continued human-rights abuses, have seriously set this back,” said British ambassador John Sawers. “And it has set things back not only in Burma itself, but in the region as a whole.”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad said, “We are concerned about the situation, particularly now, because we see a worsening of the political situation, and that is affecting the well-being of the people of Burma.”

As the talk continues, the UN is set to send a special envoy to parlay with Myanmar’s government.  Will this accomplish anything?  If the current situation in Sudan and the past conflicts in Rwanda, Palestine, East Timor, etc offer any insight, it is that outside help will come late or, more likely, not at all.

Bad to Worse in Burma

Burma has long been the black sheep of Southeast Asia. A military government rules with an iron fist, suppressing dissent ruthlessly and earning the disdain of the international community. Beyond sanctions and rhetoric, little has been done to change the situation in Burma (sometimes known as Myanmar, sometimes not).

Things seem about to escalate to a new level. In a public relations nightmare, the government might well be about to violently quash a spate of demonstrations be the country’s Buddhist monks. Luckily, the government does not care about public relations, or even seem to know what it is.

Independent news source Irrawady reports:

Demonstrations by monks have spread through Rangoon and outlying cities, following a violent crackdown by authorities on monks who held a peaceful demonstration in Pakokku in Magwe Division on September 5.

Tension between monks and authorities have increased in recent days.
With no likelihood of outside intervention, it appears things in Burma will get much worse before they get better. Change in leadership will only occur with some sort of coup, which could very well lead to civil war.

With a violent crackdown on monks imminent, it seems like things are about to go from bad to worse in Burma.