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Present Situation of Burma



Dear KA,

Thank you for responding to my request. I really appreciate your useful
comments and views. But I would like to add to your argument about Ne Win's
mentality.

>Before you can discuss mediation and negotiatin between the "two camps" 
>you need to understand what the mentality of these people , especially , 
>the JUNTA are.This is something not possible just by literature reviews 
>but is something that one learns after more than 30 years of suffering 
>at their hands.
>To understand the junta's mentality you need to go back all the way and 
>understand Ne Win's mentality. The present day army was born out of Ne 
>Win's "vision , ideology and designs" and their primary objectives are 
>to rule as they see fit and protect their ill-gotten gains and make sure 
>they are untouchable. 

Perhaps, we need to go even farther back to the Japanese Imperial Army(JIA)
(which was Ne Win's mentor) and its mentality. So called "Japan Spirit"
effectively destroyed the last trace of humanity within a trainee soldier,
turning him into a killer machine for a fascist regime. There are so many
parallels between what the JIA (particularly, its Kenpei-tai division) did
and what SLORC/SPDC are doing now. A total lack of respect for life,
unfathomable cruelty, forced labour, recruiting local "comfort women",
soldiers' fury and violent reaction at the slightest provocation, etc.,
etc.. I am sure that Ne Win (and perhaps, Indonesia's Suharto as well) has
inherited and spread among his subordinates these most sinister aspects of
the JIA. (As a Japanese, I am deeply ashamed of the fact. At the same time,
as a Japanese, I feel I can understand Ne Win's mentality-- perhaps, such
mentality is imprinted somewhere in my genes.)

Anyway, one of the objectives of the pro-democracy movement could be to
make further efforts to expose the morbid mentality of the generals under
the sun. Then, the international community and eventually, even the
generals can see it as it really is-- this is, perhaps, a final aspect of
the moral "disarmament" of the junta.  

Best wishes,

Mikio in Kuching, Malaysia