Ethnic rebels fight government in Burma
KLERDEY, Burma - For a repressive police state, Burma has borders that are curiously porous.
more stories like thisAlong the eastern border with Thailand, legions of displaced farmers, smugglers, and army deserters slip back and forth with little trouble and no paperwork.
Quite unlike the dictatorship in North Korea, the zippered-up and ethnically homogeneous police state far to the northeast, Burma’s is a dog’s breakfast of ethnic insurrection, cross-border criminality, and massive refugee flight.
To halt peaceful prodemocracy demonstrations in Burmese cities in September, the generals who run the country had only to order soldiers to club, shoot, and detain Buddhist monks. Taming the mountainous eastern frontier has not been so brutally simple.
The army periodically launches scorched-earth offensives, razing villages, enslaving farmers, and raping women, according to human rights groups. Alternatively, it cuts lucrative deals with ethnic leaders, encouraging them to grow opium, manufacture methamphetamine, and clear-cut teak forests.
Complete text linked below:
Source:
Ethnic rebels fight government in Burma
Boston.com
