1824: British make their first incursions into the country. Two years later the Treaty of Yandabo cedes the Arakan coast to Britain. By 1886, Britain has completely annexed the country, making it part of British India. In the 1920s, protests began against British rule.
1937: In response to the protests, led by students, intellectuals and Buddhist monks, Britain declares Burma a crown colony separate from India. However, in 1942 the country is occupied by Japan, with assistance from the Japanese-trained Burma Independence Army, later known as the Anti Fascist People’s Freedom League (AFPFL), led by Aung Sun, father of Aung San Suu Kyi.
1945: Britain regains control of the country from Japan, also with assistance from the AFPFL, which by now has changed sides after it became clear that Japan had no intention of honoring its promise of granting independence. Two years later, Aung Sun negotiates an agreement for independence, but is then assassinated by political opponents, along with six members of the interim government.
1948: Burma achieves full independence under then-prime minister U Nu, but a decade later he is ousted by the military under General Ne Win. In 1960, U Nu wins a general election but riles the military again by promoting Buddhism as the state religion and tolerating separatism.
1962: A coup led by General Ne Win overthrows the government. The Social Programme Party becomes the only political party. Twelve years later, a new constitution transfers power to a People’s Assembly under Ne Win and other officers.
1987: Demonstrations begin against the government, provoking a violent response from the military. Thousands die in anti-government riots. Two years later, the State Law and Order Restoration Council declares martial law and Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under the first of a series of house arrests. The country is renamed Myanmar.
1990: The National League for Democracy (NLD) wins a general election but the military ignores the result.
2003: Khin Nyunt becomes prime minister, promising a new constitution, but is placed under house arrest in 2004. Three years later, anti-government protests by monks end in thousands of arrests, but in 2008 the military offers a new constitution. It does, however, award 25 percemt of seats in parliament to the military and bans Aung San Suu Kyi from office
2009: Aung San Suu Kyi is jailed for breaching house arrest for three years, later commuted to 18 months’ further house arrest. Her party, the NLD, boycotts the following year’s election, which is won by the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.
2011: Thein Sein becomes president. The following year, the NLD makes big gains in byelections, winning 43 out of 45 seats it contested and Aung San Suu Kyi is elected to parliament, becoming leader of the opposition.
2015: A draft ceasefire is signed with 16 rebel militias. The NLD sweeps to victory in the general election, winning an overall majority. Four months later Htin Kyaw is installed as president.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under