New Mandala

Demands for an international blockade against weapons sales to Burma, in response to the military regime’s detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, will face difficult challenges from defiant Chinese, Russian, East European and North Korean arms dealers…Burma’s weapons purchases remain mostly shrouded, and many agreements are difficult to confirm.
- Extracted from Richard S. Ehrlich, “Foreign [...]

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In recent months the question of a nuclear program in Burma has risen to the top of many agendas.�
Most of the new public interest was generated by the report of Des Ball and Phil Thornton published in The Sydney Morning Herald at the start of the month.  Their report, based in part on defector testimony, concludes by noting that “Burma’s [...]

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New Mandala readers who have been following recent events in Burma will be intrigued to see that John Yettaw, the Inya Lake aquatic intruder, has been released.  Richard Lloyd Parry has a neat analysis over at The Times.
Previous coverage of this incident is available here, here, here and here.  By resolving this consular matter, the [...]

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Colourless, uncharismatic and relatively uneducated Than Shwe rose through the ranks by simply obeying orders and showing loyalty. Indeed, his apparent lack of flair, initiative and intellect were precisely the qualities the army rewarded. He was not perceived by his superiors as a threat – and was rewarded accordingly. Far from showing courage or prowess [...]

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Over at Inside Story I have a long analysis that discusses Burmese politics and, in particular, the question of how the generals have managed to stay in charge for so long.  It concludes:
We remain far from the day when Burma will be considered a “normal” country. But the elections of 2010 are supposed to bring [...]

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is arriving in Myanmar today. He will be here for 24 hours. He will land in Yangon with his entourage of about thirty people at around the same time that the court will reconvene for Aung San Suu Kyi and John Yettaw’s trials. Details of the UN Chief’s jam-packed schedule [...]

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Over at the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter, long-time Burma watcher Andrew Selth provides a fascinating reflection on Burmese nationalism and its relationship to the region’s longue durée.

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It cannot have pleased Myanmar’s ruling family — the collapse of a 2,300-year-old gold-domed pagoda into a pile of timbers just three weeks after the wife of the junta’s top general had helped reconsecrate it with a diamond orb and a sacred golden umbrella.
There is no country in Asia more superstitious than Myanmar, and the [...]

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Tragedies such as last year’s cyclone and this spring’s sham trial inevitably draw the world’s eyes to Burma. We should maintain our gaze. Given that the United Nations is aware of the scale and severity of rights abuses in Burma, it is incumbent on the Security Council to authorize a commission of inquiry into crimes [...]

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In Myanmar, a trait that tends to cut across both ethnic and religious lines is superstition. This weekend in Dalah (a fishing town a short river ferry ride away from downtown Yangon), the 2,300-year-old Danok Pagoda collapsed, killing at least 6 people, and injuring many more. Some are still missing, buried beneath the rubble.
State media did [...]

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