The Republic of the Union of Myanmar

The Republic of the Union of MyanmarPhyu Han and Mu HanNorth Quincy High SchoolMarch 24, 2014The Republic of the Union of Myanmar was sourcely known as Burma until 1989 when its military government changed its name to Myanmar (East southeastward Asia Burma, 2013). However, the united States government has not yet adopted the name (East southeastern United States Asia Burma, 2013). The hoidenish of Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia bordering china to the north and northeast, Laos and Thailand to the east and southeast, Bangladesh and India to the west, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to the south (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Myanmar covers an area of around 421,600 square miles which is slightly smaller than the United States state of Texas (Myanmar., 2014). The macrocosm of the country consists of over 47.37 million people made up of about 135 ethnic groups (Myanmar., 2014). The official language of the Union of Myanmar is Burmese (Myanmar., 2014). Still, the divers(a) another(prenominal) minority ethnic groups speaks their own languages (Myanmar., 2014). Since 1989, the capital of Myanmar was Yangon but was recently changed to Naypyidaw in 2005 (Myanmar., 2014).Throughout the 19th century, many Burmese minority ethnic city-states and kingdoms inhabited the countrys present borders (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). In 1824, Great Britain conquered Myanmar into its Indian Empire (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Myanmar was considered and managed as a province of India until it became a self-governing colony in 1937 (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). The country of Myanmar gained independence from the commonwealth of Great Britain in January 4 1948 (Myanmar., 2014). Myanmars independence was gained by normal Aung San who is now known as the baffle of Burma (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013).In 1962, General Ne Win took over the Burmese government as the first military ruler and self-appointed president graduation exercise t he countrys ruling by a military junta (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Until 2011, the military junta held absolute power in the country and began the policies of internationalist isolation (Myanmar Profile., 2013). For over 49 years, Myanmar was a military dominated country full of human rights abuses (Myanmar., 2014). In the multiparty legislative elections of 1990, the National League for Democracy (NLD) ran as the main opposing party to the military junta (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). NLD won a landslide victory and the junta push throughd Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD leader and the daughter of General Aung San, under house arrest for over 15 years (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). In 2007, the ruling junta brutally killing at least 13 people arrested thousands in response to protests over increased fuel prices led by Buddhist monks, (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Throughout the year of 2008, a series of bombings took place in the country. Many minority rebels and t errorists were blamed for the fonts (Myanmar Profile., 2013). In November 2010, Myanmar held its first general election in 20 years (Myanmar Profile., 2013). Yet, Constitutional votes and Parliamentary elections held under the junta rule were considered manipulated and flawed by many in the international community (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). After the election, Burmese Parliament met in January 2011 and elected a former prime minister of the previous military government, Thein Sein, as president (Myanmar Profile., 2013). Presently, the president of Myanmar is Thein Sein along with Vice President Nyan Tun (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Since the election, Thein Sein leading the Burmese government has initiated various political and economic reforms directed to the opening of the long-isolated country (Myanmar Profile., 2013). Thein Seins reforms consisted of permitting Aung San Suu Kyi to resume her political activities by allowing her to run in the parliamentary electi on in April 2012 (Myanmar Profile., 2013). As a result, she now currently serves as an elected Member of Parliament and chair of the Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). For 2014, Myanmar is the chair of the linkup of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013).Myanmars Armed Forces consists of Army, Navy, and Air Force (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). In February 2013, the military formed a new task push to deal with forced child recruitment, which reportedly continues (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013).In Addition, President Thein Sein has released the hundreds of political pris integrityrs, passed laws protecting basic human rights, and gradually reduced restrictions on license of the press and expression (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Along with the restrictions on freedom of expression, Myanmars domestic media has been strictly controlled since 1962 (Myanmar Profile., 2013). The whole of the media has be en censored, ranging from government dissent to most bad password such as reports of natural disasters (Myanmar Profile., 2013). In 2012, Thein Sein lifted pre-publication censorship for the press (Myanmar Profile., 2013).In June 2012, Myanmar declared a state of emergency in Rakhine State where at least 17 people were killed in religious violence between Buddhists and Muslims (Mullany, 2014). This incident began a series of attacks on Rohingya Muslims across the country to the present (Mullany, 2014). The United Nations reported in January 2014 that rampaging mobs in Rakhine had killed at least four dozen people, mostly Muslims (Mullany, 2014). In March 2014, Myanmar government was reported to have denied the Rohingya Muslims citizenship as easy as persecuted them (Mullany, 2014). Following the governments ban of Doctors without Borders (MSF), approximately 750,000 Rohingya Muslims have died in Myanmar as a result of being deprived of medical function (Myanmar., 2014). The Burmes e government ordered halt to MSFs work after some officials accused the group of favoring Rohingya Muslims over Rakhine Buddhists (Myanmar., 2014).Many now hope that along with these new reforms, the decades of international isolation could be coming to an end (Myanmar Profile., 2013). In December 2011, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Burma to meet both President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar Profile., 2013). This event was seen as a milestone in the countrys history and the countrys return to the world stage (Myanmar Profile., 2013). In 2013, President Obama met President Thein Sein in cap D.C. offering development aid (Myanmar Profile., 2013). President Obama praised the political and economic progress, but criticized the violence against Rohingya Muslims (Myanmar Profile., 2013).Since the transition to a parliamentary government in 2011, Myanmar has begun an economic relieve aimed at attracting foreign investment and reestablishing into the g lobal economy (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). In April 2012, The European Union followed the United States lead and lifted all non-military sanctions as fountainhead as offered Myanmar more than $100 million in development aid (Myanmar Profile., 2013). With governments commitment to reform and the following lifting of most Western sanctions, the Burmese economy accelerated in 2012 and 2013 (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). The European Union, United States and Canada passed economic sanctions on Myanmar, and China (Myanmar Profile., 2013). The countrys abundant natural resources and young promote force have attracted foreign investment such as India and South Korea in many industries (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Myanmar is currently moving past its isolationist policies with China as its main ally (Myanmar Profile., 2013).The currency of Myanmar is known as Kyat (Myanmar Profile., 2013). 965.728 Kyat is equal to 1.00 USD (Myanmar Profile., 2013). Due to its under-devel oped economy and government corruptions, Myanmar is considered one of the poorest countries in Asia (Myanmar Profile., 2013). However, the country of Myanmar is full of worth(predicate) natural resources (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). The natural resources are petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, and hydropower (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Myanmar is an agriculture based country with highly fertile soil growing rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, and sugarcane (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). This rural country is also known to be the worlds largest tradeer of teak, jade, pearls, rubies and sapphires (Myanmar Profile., 2013). Myanmars other exports consist of oil, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice, and clothing (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). The countrys export partners are Thailand 40.7%, India 14.8%, China 14.3%, and Japan 7.4% (2012) (East Southeast Asia Burma , 2013). Myanmar also import fabric, petroleum, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, cement, construction materials, and crude oil from China 36.9%, Thailand 20.2%, Singapore 8.7%, South Korea 8.7%, Japan 8.2%, Malaysia 4.6% (2012) (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). However, flyspeck of this wealth reaches the actual population (Myanmar Profile., 2013).Despite these improvements, living standards have not yet advanced for the majority of the people inhabiting the rural areas (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). Myanmar remains one of the poorest countries in Asia with more than one-fourth of the countrys 47.37 million people living in poverty (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013). The previous governments isolationist policies and economic mismanagement have left Burma with poor economy and government corruption, which will take great efforts to mend (East Southeast Asia Burma, 2013).Works CitedEast Southeast Asia Burma. Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 20June 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.Mullany, Gerry. Report on Unrest Is at Odds With Account of Myanmar. The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.Myanmar. News. The New York Times Company, 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.Myanmar Profile. BBC News. BBC News, 16 July 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.