Myanmar: Shaky democracy

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Abstract:

A mixed peace for the Karen people of Myanmar.

My view of Myanmar is from the periphery – I was born into a Karen family and grew up in eastern Burma and in refugee camps on the Thai border. The norm for me and many Karen people in the borderlands is of limited sovereignty. The Burmese state has always been something to evade. We’re taught that they’re an enemy who we shouldn’t trust. I’ve hardly spent any time in the centre of the country, where democracy is now most felt. From the periphery, views of Myanmar’s new democracy are kept cool by the continuing discourses of ethnic suffering and experiences of human rights abuses.

Details / PDF:

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