An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | by PAUL O'BRIEN 20 | B ordered by bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand, burma, officially known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (commonly shortened to Myanmar), was for- merly a british colony in Southeast Asia. Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948 and, despite the devastation of World War II, the fledgling democracy was rich with natural resources. However, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with over 30 major ethnic groups that include, the Burman, the Mon, the Shan, Karen, Chin and the Kachin, and the new government was faced with numer- ous rebellions and insurgencies from ethnic minorities seeking autonomy and other freedoms. In 1962, fearing disintegration of the country, a military coup under General Ne Win ousted the elected government and a military dictatorship was established that is still in power today. Military action escalated against the minorities, which they be- lieved were inferior, resulting in a brutal and bloody civil war that was to last over 60 years. On gaining power, General Ne Win was intent on isolating and unifying Burma by force. All foreign nationals were expelled and industry was nationalised as he pursued a socialist vision that soon left the country in ruins. Today, in spite of the pretence of 'democracy', Burma is still ruled by one of the most brutal and secretive dictatorships in the world, which routinely terrorises its own people and crushes all dissent. Government control is maintained through the use of weapons, money and religion. The Myanmar army, the second largest active force in Southeast Asia after Vietnam's People's Army, has an estimated 350,000 troops and, according to UN sources, has the highest number of child soldiers in the world, with an estimated 25% of serving soldiers under the age of 16, some as young as 11. Many of these soldiers are forcibly recruited, taken from their families at gunpoint. Over the years, the military has made significant investments in equipment with almost one quarter of the country's national budget being allocated to defence. Because most of their cam- paigns are in dense jungle, the military relies heavily on infantry and infantry support weapons. Armoured vehicles consist of MBT- 2000 and T72S tanks as well as Panhard, Humber EE-9 Cascavel ar- moured cars. Artillery pieces range from Soviet D-30M howitzers to American M101 howitzers. Anti-aircraft missile systems consist of the Bae Dynamics Bloodhound MkII, the SA-2, and the Russian Pechora-2M surface-to-air missile system. Small arms consist of a variety of weapons, including Heckler & Koch G3 and HK33, type 81 assault rifles, Barret M82 sniper rifles and M249 machine guns. The Burmese army is reported to systematically use sexual violence against women to demoralise and destroy ethnic minority communi- ties in order to gain control over resource-rich areas they inhabit. Army units often live in isolation as the frontline in the civil war constantly moves due to military commanders concentrating their forces on a particular ethnic group. Counter-insurgency tac- tics are brutal, with the destruction of villages and their inhabit- ants. Those that are not killed are press ganged into being porters, carrying munitions and equipment for the Burmese army through

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