Moderated by Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar and a visiting professor at the Watson Institute
Featuring:
Josef Silverstein, professor emeritus, Rutgers University
Harn Yawnghwe, director, Euro-Burma Office
Zaw Oo, PhD candidate, American University
Ingrid Jordt, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Khin Zaw Win, fellow, Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Andrew Lim '08, co-founder, Brown Chapter of the US Campaign for Burma
Amid ongoing confrontation between Myanmar/Burma’s military government and its civilians, Watson Visiting Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro has been deeply involved in multilateral negotiations to stem the violence, as UN special rapporteur on human rights in the country. Pinheiro is convening a panel of scholars, policymakers, and students to analyze this humanitarian crisis and possible ways forward.
Location: Starr Auditorium, MacMillan Hall 117, 167 Thayer Street.
Related Papers
-The report of October 24, 2007, to the UN General Assembly by Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar is available here.
-"Expediency and Interests in Contemporary China-Myanmar Relations," co-authored by Khin Zaw Win, is available here.
- "From a Frontline Trench," by Khin Zaw Win, is available here.
Event Summary
Pinheiro Travels to Myanmar after Brown Burma Event
Watson Institute Visiting Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro will arrive in Myanmar/Burma to meet with government officials and others as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the country. Forbidden entry to Myanmar since 2003, Pinheiro said he will seek to assess the situation following the military government’s violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in recent months. In a report last month to the UN General Assembly, he said there were already 1,200 political prisoners before the crackdown. And last month at Brown, Pinheiro gathered academics and activists to analyze the situation on a panel titled “Burma: Saffron Revolution versus Authoritarian Consolidation.”
Topics of discussion at the panel ranged from governmental legitimacy to economic issues to solutions to the conflict.
Joseph Silverstein, professor emeritus of Rutgers University, reviewed the history of revolt in Burma, including monks’ previous peaceful demonstrations against the regime in 1988 and 1990. “What is happening in Burma is not unique” he said, “… a tradition of revolt, rather than change, leads to the chaos that we see today.”
Ingrid Jordt, assistant professor at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, argued that by committing acts of violence against the monks, the Burmese military government’s risked its legitimacy to rule. According to Jordt, the military’s efforts to consolidate its power through measures such as purging opposition leaders and arresting supporters of the monks could lead to a second uprising.
Zaw Oo, Burmese activist and PhD candidate in the School of International Studies at American University, cited the rise in oil prices as the origin of the Saffron Revolution. Recently discovered gas reserves in the western Burma have widened the economic gap between the regime and the rest of the population. “The population has become so impoverished while the regime is getting richer and richer,” Oo said.
Khin Zaw Win, a fellow at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, also argued that the recent uprisings were not the result of nationalism but a dire economic situation. According to Win, the monks made no mention of democracy during their protests, but instead spoke on behalf of the people. He emphasized that no single solution exists to resolve the conflict between the regime and the people. “We need to have a repertoire of means and solutions to choose from,” he said.
Andrew Lim ’08, co-founder of the US Campaign for Burma’s Brown Chapter, thanked the local community for supporting Brown student’s efforts to raise awareness about Burma. He encouraged the audience to take action through measures such as writing letters to government officials. “It’s very easy to be pessimistic about Burma and the possibility for change,” Lim said. “…but this is not the time… we need to do more before protests are crushed and we wait another twenty years.”
Harn Yawnghwe, director of the Euro-Burma Office, offered possible solutions for dealing with the military regime. He said, “The Burmese army believes that it is the sole decider of Burma’s future [and the] protector of Burma’s unity.” Yawnghwe argued that the democracy movement should respond to the general’s offer to engage in a dialogue. This would allow the general to “save face” because “if he makes the conditions, it doesn’t look like he’s giving in [to the movement.]”
All six speakers emphasized the urgency of the situation and the need for immediate action. As Yawnghwe said, “We have a unique opportunity where the international community is united [for action]… this is an opportunity which we must not miss.”
By Watson Student Rapporteur Victoria Chao ‘08
Read the UN report and papers from the panelist Khin Zaw Win here.
Read a BBC article about Pinheiro’s mission to Burma here.
A report on a Burma student rally at Brown is available here.