Social Sciences Seminar: Promoting Change in Myanmar
Abstract:
How do we understand the possibilities for promoting change in Myanmar today? Myanmar is ruled by a military junta that declined to recognize the landslide electoral victory of the National League for Democracy in 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi, who led Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement and received the Nobel Peace prize for her efforts, has been detained by the government for more than 14 of the past 20 years. Buddhist monks, who in August and September 2007 spearheaded large non-violent demonstrations popularly known as the Saffron Uprising, were brutally repressed. In these circumstances, what are key insiders trying to do to promote political reform and openness in Myanmar? What is the international community seeking to do to support human rights and political change? With fresh parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year, what steps are necessary to ensure that meaningful political change occurs in Myanmar?
Speaker:
Professor Ian Holliday is Dean of Social Sciences at The University of Hong Kong. His current research focuses on problems of political reform in Myanmar, and on human security challenges facing migrants from Myanmar in Northern Thailand.