The military junta in Myanmar garnered heaps of criticism and negative press this year.
In January, the US pushed a draft through to the UN Security Council that demanded Myanmar improve its treatment of human rights and begin a democratic transition after 40 years of military rule. Russia and China vetoed the measure, but the point had been made: the world was watching Myanmar.
In April, the country proved it warranted the attention. Activists from the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters were beaten up and a week later, eight people were arrested after protesting the rising price of consumer goods. The following day, the military regime released a statement in the country's official press, saying that there would be further crackdowns on activists and protestors.
Since August, anti-government protests have rippled across Myanmar. Thousands of Buddhist monks started leading protests on September 18, and the situation rapidly escalated in numbers and intensity.
On September 24, 20,000 monks and nuns led 30,000 people in a protest march in Yangon. The following day, 2,000 people defied threats from the government and marched to Shwedagon Pagoda. The next day, prominent protesters were arrested and troops attacked 700 people barricaded inside the pagoda.
Despite this, demonstrations continued in Yangon.
On September 27, security forces began raiding monasteries and arresting monks throughout the country. The security forces also fired on the nearly 50,000 people protesting in Yangon, killing an unspecified number of people (at least nine) including Japanese photographer Kenji Nagai, giving a face to the victims. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has demanded an explanation for the killing.
The junta's violent response to peaceful protests prompted international outcry. Despite this, it continued to attack monks and raid monasteries.
By October 2, thousands of monks were reported missing. In December, the junta claimed only 91 monks were still in detention, though there is no way to verify this number.
In September, a report released by Transparency International, an organisation that measures corruption, named Myanmar the most corrupt country in the world, tied with Somalia.
Image: (TOP) Myanmar soldiers patrol the streets to monitor protesters' movements in downtown Yangon, September 30, 2007. Myanmar's ruling junta, facing international condemnation over a violent crackdown on mass protests, allowed a UN envoy to meet with detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. (BOTTOM) A dissident holds up a placard condemning Myanmar's ruling military junta during a protest outside the Myanmar embassy in downtown Kuala Lumpur, October 4, 2007. More than 1,000 Myanmar protestors including women and children took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur's Ampang diplomatic district in October to call for democracy in their country.
Photographs: Tengku Bahar/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Myanmar's Songs of Sadness
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