Introduction

Myanmar, formally known as Burma, is a country about the size of Texas located between Bangladesh and Thailand. It is governed by a military junta, the State Law and Order Council, who changed their name to the State Peace and Development Council in 1997. They have been in place since the military coup in 1988. Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the victory of the opposition part, the National League for Democracy, the military junta refused to hand over the power to key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi. She was placed under house arrest, and under house detention in 2000. On May 27, 2008, the military junta extended her detention for another six months to a year. Her supporters are often harassed or imprisoned. NOTE: This information was obtained from the World Fact Book of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

So, where am I going with this? In August of 2007, there were a series of anti-government protest led by students and government opposition activists. It was sparked by the unannounced decision to remove fuel subsidies, causing the price of fuel to raise exponentially. The junta responded harshly, arresting and detaining hundreds of protesters. A peaceful movement, also known as the "Saffron Revolution", was then led by Buddhist monks where thousands joined marches, particularly in the capital, Yangon. The government allowed the proceedings until Sept. 26, when the junta violently cracked-down on any opposition. Rumors are that monks were detained and their bodies would show up weeks later, some never seen again. Video clips of the violent response by the military are documented all over the Internet.

According to an article in Asia-Pacific News, Ibrahim Gambari, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and special envoy to Myanmar, attempted to meet with Suu Kyi this August at her compound, but failed when she did not come out. Supporters speculated that Suu Kyi is frustrated over the U.N.'s inability to bring about democratic reform in the country. Gambari has been mandated by the U.N. to deal with Myanmar's military regime in addressing international concerns about human rights violation, slow-paced political reforms and ongoing political prisoners. However, the junta shows little willingness to work with the overall mission.

This is an issue that one would think should consistently be on the world stage, however, it seems that it has faded, particularly in U.S. media, after the initial protests of 2007. Why do you think this is?