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Myanmar

Rohingya, The

The Rohingya is a Sunni Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Roughly 800,000 to a million of the world’s 3.5 million Rohingya live in Myanmar, where they currently face severe institutionalized discrimination and violence in what is framed as a religious conflict between Buddhists and Muslims. Many have settled elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, North America, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,...

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Saffron Revolution

The military government’s decision to raise oil and gas prices in 2007 led to widespread discontent, ultimately culminating in the short-lived Saffron Revolution. Buddhist monks were centrally involved in these protests; the color saffron alludes to the traditional color of monks’ robes. Higher oil prices placed a greater burden on an already-impoverished Burmese populace. Such hardships would also be transferred to the Sangha, which...

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State Law and Order Restoration Council, The

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), and later, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is the military government that has ruled Myanmar since 1988. From 1988-1987, the government used the acronym SLORC; since then, their preferred term has been SPDC.

State Religion Act, The

The State Religion Act was passed in 1961 after Prime Minister U Nu resumed leadership of Burma following a brief period of military rule. Unlike the 1947 constitution, which did not establish a national religion, this act made Buddhism the official state religion of Burma and formalized the government’s role as a religious patron. Passage of this act led to unrest among non-Buddhist minorities, which was used by ...

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U Nu

U Nu (1907-1995) was a Burmese nationalist and the first Prime Minister of Burma, ruling from 1948 to 1962. He was a devout Buddhist who sought to make Buddhism the state religion. He was deposed by General Ne Win in a 1962 coup d’etat.

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U Ottama

U Ottama (1879-1939) was a Buddhist monk who was active in the Burmese independence movement. He traveled and taught throughout Asia, ultimately returning to colonial Burma to seek independence nonviolently. He wrote articles for The Suriya, a nationalist newspaper, including an open letter of protest to Reginald Craddock, the then-British governor, entitled, “Craddock, get out!” He was eventually imprisoned for his political activity and died in jail, becoming a martyr for the cause of...

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