The last time that Buddhist monks in Myanmar staged street protests calling for democracy was in 1988 when the noble uprising was severely crushed by the dictatorial military regime. But this time, it’s hugely different. The monks have been staging peaceful demonstrations since the middle of August in spite of the escalation of government clampdown and there has been an upsurge in optimism for the pro-democracy protestors recently.
Wednesday’s street marches by Buddhist monks came just a month after the military junta violently crumbled the uprising. The defiant act has once more kindled international peace efforts to gain control of the situation in Myanmar. For that matter, the United Nations has decided to send its special envoy, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, back to Myanmar in the first week of November. The UN sent Mr. Gambari to the nation in October to try and assess the human rights situation in the South Asian nation but his visit was largely a failure.
This time, there’s a distinct possibility that things could be different. The protests in the central town of Pakokku could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The increasing international pressures and calls for the sanction on the military junta in Myanmar could bear fruit. The monks’ continual of protests for lower fuel prices, national reconciliation, democracy and freedom of all political prisoners haven’t been subdued at all; instead, the voices of dissidence are swelling with the passage of time.
With the United Nations making renewed efforts to force the military junta in Myanmar into conceding to international pressure, the pro-democracy movement in the nation does have a considerable chunk of hope left still.
Image Source: Forbes
Source: Reuters
