BOOK REVIEW ESSAY:

Christina Fink, Living Silence: Burma under Military Rule. London and New York:
Zed Books, !!"#
She$%& '()ker, Burma: The Curse of Independence. London: *$(to *ress, !!"#
Re+iewed %& ,anie$ A# -etra(.
Two recent books by scholars of Burmese history and culture provide a
penetrating analysis of the nations modern tragedy. Both historian Shelby Tucker and
anthropologist Christina Fink detail a process of foreign intervention and domestic
suppression since the mid-nineteenth century that has brought wave after wave of death
deprivation and social dislocation to a once peaceful and prosperous land.
Tragically while at least some countries in Southeast !sia are e"periencing rapid
economic growth and some degree of democrati#ation Burma is moving rapidly in a
diametrically opposite direction. $nce a wealthy nation with impressive rice e"ports and
ample natural resources including petroleum Burma today has become one of the
worlds poorest and most repressed societies. The situation is so desperate that even the
sudden end of military rule would bring little if any immediate relief to the people. The
ruling military %unta has so badly crippled the nations school system that several
generations of young Burmese have been denied any meaningful education or
professional training. ! nation with so few educated people will be effectively curtailed
for generations to come.
Shelby Tuckers Burma: The Curse of Independence provides an in depth study of
Burmas struggle for independence from British and &apanese domination and the highly
complicated rivalry between rival military and political factions and minority peoples for
control of the country since the departure of foreign rulers. 'e describes a bitter civil war
that began only weeks after the departure of the British in ()*+ and which has continued
ever since. 'e demonstrates how unresolved ethnic divisions continued political rivalry
a disturbing drug trade and personal greed by Burmas military rulers have brought the
country to ruin.
Fink/s Living Silence
Christina Finks recent book Living Silence: Burma Under Military Rule is a
fascinating study of the depressing psychological effects that over four decades of
repressive military rule has had on the people of Burma. Fink not only gives an
introduction to the history and politics of Burma but also talks about the difficulties
people have living in Burma and the dilemmas they face as they reconcile their principles
with what they must do to survive.
Christina Fink ma%ored in international relations at Stanford spent a year studying
in &apan and fell in love with Thailand during a visit. ,!t that time Thailand was a very
simple place and everything was so natural. -eoples houses were still made out of
bamboo and wood. she says. ,/f you went into the store there was %ust one kind of Coke
0no 1iet Coke Cherry Coke caffeine-free Coke %ust Coke..
!fter graduation Fink moved to the mountains of northern Thailand ran a guest
house with friends and began researching the tribal people of that area. Believing she
,couldnt do %ustice to the sub%ect without knowing anthropology. she put her research
on hold and went to the 2niversity of California at Berkeley to study anthropology. /t
was while researching her dissertation on the tribal e"periences in northern Thailand that
she began to feel a responsibility to intervene to ameliorate the situation in Burma.
!fter receiving a -h.1. degree in ())* Fink worked in Thailand for the Soros
Foundations $pen Society /nstitute and ran an online newspaper Burma3et 3ews. /n
())4 she met !ung San Suu 5yi founder of Burmas 3ational 6eague for 1emocracy
and winner of the ())( 3obel -eace -ri#e who had %ust been released from si" years of
house arrest by the military regime.
(

1r. Fink comments that while Burmese are by nature an e"uberant creative
people the military %unta has created a climate of fear that has paraly#ed and silenced the
whole nation. The economy has collapsed the environment is under steady attack and
e"ploitation and the country has become the second largest producer of heroin in the
world. The military has destroyed the nations educational system so effectively that the
whole generation that has come of age since the ()+7s is grossly undereducated.
1r. Fink introduces her study by noting that there are two critical political issues
in Burma today8 ,the restoration of democracy and the resolution of the political rights
of ethnic minorities.. 9p. (:; These twin problems have plagued Burma throughout its
modern history. Burma will never achieve any degree of political stability until its
leaders can devise a system of government that permits the people some degree of
freedom while at the same time permitting not only Burmans but other peoples like the
Shans and 5arennis to have some degree of autonomy and genuine self-determination.
Finks earlier chapters chart both the gradual rise of military rule under 3e <in
since ()=> and the gradual but steady increase in protests by monks students and urban
workers demanding better pay and more subsidi#ed rice. /n addition numerous ethnic
armies seeking greater autonomy also heightened their struggle against the regime.
-rotests increased as the economy under the military continued a decline so rapid that by
()+? the 2nited 3ations had designated Burma as a ,6east 1eveloped Country..
Fink moves the reader through a detailed e"amination of the ()++ demonstrations
which initially caught the military regime off guard. @overnment forces survived the
onslaught however and during the ())7s consolidated their rule by more than doubling
the si#e of the military and by arresting pro-democracy leaders and keeping their
opponents badly divided.
>
But there were other reasons for the failure of the
demonstrations to bring meaningful change8
(
http8AAwww.andover.eduApublicationsAalumniBprofilesAfinkBcBfalB7(.htm
The demonstrations had broken out spontaneously and while there was a fair amount of
Cuick coordinating at the local level there was no national leadership which could unite
the strike committees. !s the strikes continued food shortages worsened public services
stopped and people grew tired giving the military an opportunity to retake control. 9p.
=>;
The ())7s was a disheartening time for opponents of the regime. Their attempts
to organi#e were effectively thwarted by the regime and several ethnic minority groups
reached ceasefire agreements with the regime in e"change for minimal governmental
interference in their internal affairs.
The greatest deterrent to the opposition however seemed to be the increased
reali#ation by the public of the futility of opposing the dominant power of the military
regime8
DFEamilies communities and professional groups are torn between protecting themselves
and standing up for what they believe. 2nder military rule in Burma it seems that doing
what is right is often directly opposed to doing what is necessary to survive. !s the
militarys influence has seeped into virtually every aspect of peoples lives resistance
becomes difficult to imagineF.1espite their own dislike for the military regime most
parents are raising their children to conform with military domination and even to
become part of the systemF./n order to protect their children many parents discourage
them from critically e"amining military rule. 9pp. (77-(7(;
-arents eager to advance their childrens careers push them towards the 1efence
Services !cademy or for prestigious professions in medicine law or the civil service
where education and further training is fully controlled by the regime. Students caught
participating in demonstrations or other forms of protest even if they are not %ailed are
branded for life. ,Thus in order to ensure their childrens well-being most parents
encourage them to go along with the regime or at the very least to keep any negative
thoughts to themselves.. 9p. (7>; There is thus an all-pervasive climate of trepidation
throughout the country a sense of fear enhanced by the e"istence of government
informers seemingly everywhere. ,DGEany people in Burma talk of living in silence and
talking in whispersF.-eople who dare to rock the boat even if they are admired are seen
as possible threats to the rest of the community..
The lives of those who have remained active are not at all easy. Fink describes
the harried life of Gin Hin 9an author featured in this anthology; who was in hiding in
Burma from ()+)-)? working to keep the anti-regime struggle alive8
>
,/n the years following the ())7 election Burmas generals focused on four ob%ectives. First they sought
to e"pand greatly the si#e of the armed forces in order to be in a stronger position against their armed and
unarmed opponents. !s a result the number of soldiers was increased from (+7777 to over *77777 by
())) and new bases were constructed throughout the country. Second the ruling generals worked to break
up the organi#ational structure and particularly the 361. Third they attempted to neutrali#e the ethnic
minorities by making ceasefire agreements with almost all of the armed groups. !nd fourth they tried to
improve the economy by opening up the country to trade and foreign investment. 9p. ??;
DGin HinsE father was a ()=>-generation activist and private tuition teacher and his
whole family had been involved in the ()++ demonstrations. !t the age of si"teen Gin
Hin became the leader of a nationwide high school student union which worked closely
with the university student unions and greatly e"panded its membership during the
election campaign. /n early ()+) he gave speeches with 1aw !ung San Suu 5yi in the
Iangoon area. Soon he too was wanted for arrest. 3ot wanting to flee to the border he
decided to try to stay inside the country so that he could secretly continue his political
activities. For the ne"t eight years he doggedly refused to give in. 'e moved from house
to house and monastery to monastery evading arrest all the while continuing to write
political pamphlets and articles for underground student maga#ines. 'e also helped
lesser-known activists plan how to rebuild their networks and continue underground
political work. 9pp. +(-+>;
Fink includes detailed chapters on life in the military and in prison which read in
tandem seem like Cuite different but eCually awful forms of imprisonment. 3either
soldiers nor prisoners have any degree of freedom but at least the prisoners who often
have to endure harsh torture and many years in prison for the most minor of ,offenses.
have opportunities to meet together behind bars to discuss politics. Both are also in for
life sentences because soldiers find it hard to leave military service once in and political
prisoners once released from prison find that they and their families are always followed
and harassed.
Finks chapters on education the artistic community and religion and magic
9reproduced in this volume; depict many of the darker sides of military rule. <hat is
perhaps the most tragic aspect of military rule is the fact that the generals have destroyed
all facets of education and artistic creativity. There are very few younger people trained
to live in an increasingly technological world and even fewer people eCuipped to lead
Burma in the future0meaning of course that even under the best circumstances it will
take generations to create a new flourishing Burma.
Fink concludes her study speculating what would happen to Burma if the military
regime should collapse some time in the near future and a more democratic regime
should come to power8
<ere Burma to achieve a transitional government or full democracy what would the
country be likeJ /nitially there could well be political violence communal tensions and
continued corruption but at least people would be able to speak and write freely and
would no longer fear being conscripted as porters or forced laborers . /t would be a time
of e"uberant hopes and thoughtful reflection but if the e"periences of other newly
democrati#ing countries are of any relevance it is likely that the political culture would
change to slowly for some while the material culture would change too Cuickly for
others. /mproving the standard of living would be the key issue for most people and
preventing the emergence of wide gaps in income levels would be likely to prove
particularly challenging. /n many ways Burma would probably become less distinctively
Burmese as it integrated into the world economy but Burmese would also presumably
feel more confident about their status within the international community. There would
be an e"plosion of newspapers maga#ines art shows theatre and film making with
debates raging about how best to develop the country how to reassess social and cultural
practices and how to reconfigure political and economic relations. 2niversities markets
and tea shops would be teeming with people comparing e"periences and sharing ideas.
/n short Burma would no longer be a place of silence. 9p. >4=;
Finks Living Silence is by far the best of the many books / have read on Burma. Fink combines
a lucid survey of modern Burmese history with a comprehensive analysis of Burmese economic
political and social life today. The reader comes away with a sweeping view of life in Burma
with all of its trauma and depressing repression and poverty. Through her many interviews with
Burmese from all walks of life Fink provides a meticulous study of the horrors visited on the
Burmese people by an illegitimate group of thugs who have hi%acked a nation to reap their own
benefits. She is especially effective when she describes the harsh psychological effects of
military rule on the people of Burma.
'()ker/s Burma: The Curse of Independence
Shelby Tucker looks back at British intervention in Burma in the latter half of the
()
th
century as the start of the nations critical decline in the face of British imperialism.
'e provides a detailed analysis of the British takeover and its dehabilitating effects on the
native population but he reserves most of his attention from the early ()*7s to ()=7s
when Burma e"perienced a rapacious &apanese invasion followed by a comple" and
bloody struggle for power by greedy factions seeking to control the newly independent
Burma.
<e see a Burma as a nation with much economic and political potential but
which is destroyed by sharp ethnic divisions the &apanese conCuest and sharp political
rivalry between various nationalist factions that put their interests ahead of their country.
The current regime is united only in its greed and fear that any division will lead to their
collective downfall.
Tuckers most interesting point is his allegation that !ung Sans assassination
was the work of @eneral 3e <in and not the clumsy effort of a hapless military official
who though tried and e"ecuted for the crime always maintained his innocence. 'is
thesis is certainly worthy of further research.
!nother interesting facet of Tuckers work is his survey of various scholars
assessments of the prospects of the peaceful transition to democratic and civilian rule. /t
is refreshing to review the vastly different views on the problem by a cadre of e"perts on
Burma.
The reader of Burma: The Curse of Independence will come away with a fine
view of Burma during the critical years of war independence and build up to military
rule but little on the current crisis. / suggest that scholars who read both works in
tandem will come away with the best perspective on the origins and results of the Burma
crisis.