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Background Information
Burma & Minority Group Chronology
- Jan 1947 - Britain agrees to grant independence in negotiations with
the nationalist leader, General Aung San.
- Feb 1947 - Ethnic groups sign the Panglong Agreement, which guarantees a level of autonomy, rights and the prospect of future independence to Kachin, Shan, and Chin ethnic areas.
- July 1947 - General Aung San assassinated
- Sept 1947 - New constitution is approved. Shan and Karenni groups are granted the right to secede from the Union of Burma after a ten-year period following the declaration of independence. Karen and other groups are given no right to secede.
- 1948 - Independence from Britain and government formed by Prime Minister U Nu. -Karen launch liberation struggle.
- 1958 - Shan liberation movement launches struggle.
- Mar 1962 - Military coup led by General Ne Win ushers in 40 years of oppressive isolationist rule.
- 1964 - One party socialist state created.
- 1974 - Government agrees to crack down on the illegal drug trade.
-Government declares martial law.
- 1976 - Ethnic liberation groups control over one third of the country.
- 1988 - Pro-democracy demonstrations crushed by the military.
-National League of Democracy (NLD) formed by General Aung San's daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, and others.
-Ethnic liberation movements come together to establish the Democratic Alliance of Burma.
-Martial law declared again.
-U.N. and Western countries halt bilateral aid.
- 1989 - Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders placed under house
arrest.
-Military increases pressure on ethnic rebel groups.
-Cease-fire concluded with United Wa State Army, a large ethnic military force and leading drug producers.
- 1990 - NLD wins a landslide victory in election. NLD leaders again arrested.
- 1991 - Aung San Suu Kyi is awarded Noble Peace Prize.
- 1995 - Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest.
- 1996 - Khun Sa, top druglord and leader of the large ethnic Mong Tai Army (MTA) surrenders to the Burmese military and is offered government protection.
- 1997 - Burma / Myanmar accepted into the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- U.S. tightens economic sanctions.
- 2000 - Cease-fire with United Wa State Army (UWSA) renewed.
-Aung San Suu Kyi placed under house arrest again.
- 2001 - Burma / Myanmar becomes world's top producer of opium.
- Negotiations begin between the Burma/Myanmar military regime and Aung San Suu Kyi
- May 6, 2002 - Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest.
- June 2002 - Upsurge in fighting and tension along the Burma/Thailand border involving the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Burma's military forces against ethnic Shan forces.
Information taken from "The Shore Beyond Good and Evil: A Report from Inside Burma's Opium Kingdom" by Hideyuki Takano, Kotan Publishing.
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