The opinions expressed in DemocracyNews discussions are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NED, the International Forum for Democratic Studies, or members of their board or staff. DemocracyNews is an electronic mailing list moderated by the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies. Dr. Christina Fink, an expert on the ethnic minorities of Burma, and Naw May Oo, women s representative of the Burma United Nations Office of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma and president of the Karen National League, provided insight on the current status of Burma s ethnic minorities. The meeting came on the heels of the October 1999 takeover of the Burmese embassy in Thailand by Burmese student activists and the January 2000 takeover of a Thai hospital by an armed ethnic group. Democracy will not be enough, said Fink, who received her doctorate in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Federalism is the only way to properly address Burma s ethnic states.
Before 1988, the struggle for autonomy by ethnic minorities in Burma was misunderstood by Burmans Burma s largest ethnic group, said Fink, and ethnic groups were considered terrorists due to reports by the state-controlled media. Many Burmans believed that if ethnic groups were able to achieve autonomy, the entire state of Burma would collapse. Fink said that Burma s ethnic groups worked to gain representation in a number of ways other than joining the well-known armed rebel groups. Others sought parliament seats through ethnic political parties, and some even joined the military-controlled National Unity Party. A Russian museum is working to bridge the gap between the country s fading memory and current awareness of its history of political repression and totalitarianism.