South East Asia series; An untold proxy war in Myanmar; Military Government versus “exile Government” in Washington.

"The ideas of the ruling class are, in every age, the ruling ideas:  i.e., the class which is the dominant material force in society is at the same time its dominant intellectual force.  The class which has the means of production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production". Karl Marx

Introduction

Since the dominant class has control over material and mental production, the function of the means of communication is to serve the interests of the ruling class and their narrative reflects these interests. From the previous wars and world events to the latest in Ukraine and Gaza, we have witnessed the fallacies of the Western Narratives. Henry Luce, the founder of TIME magazine, once said; "From the first page to the last...whatever comes out has to reflect my view, and that is the way it is " (Halberstam D, pp 91)

Owning the Mass Media outlets world wide, it is inevitable that they have control over the narratives on any given issue. They influence the minds in a way that remains within the narratives they dish out. It is not only the ignorant or average people who are influenced by these narratives but also those who call themselves Marxists. Influenced by the dominant narratives, they make evaluations and determine a stance on a given issue not too different in essence but in nuances prettified with learned by rote slogans. That’s why, influenced by Western Narrative, and proceeding from such wrong premises will inevitably end up in wrong conclusions. Shaping the public perception on the Myanmar issue  is another example like for all the others. Like most countries in South East Asia, the opposition media in Myanmar is  totally funded by US, British, French and Australia in addition to the Mainstream media and antiquated ones that starts with catchy words like “Free…”, “Democracy..” etc.. For their sensational, one sided “news” on Myanmar in particular and South East Asia in general, they do not offer any evidence but fallacies. News and articles are full of conspiracy theory speculations. In World events, local proxy media are tailing the mainstream media, not only on the news but on the commentaries too. Western Media is forming the narratives and setting the “agenda” and local media is grabbing the same and disseminating on all the social media; Facebook and TikTok seem to be the most used ones in South East Asia.

For an average person biting on the Western narrative and echoing that is understandable and expectable. However, it is not forgivable for the ones from the (socialist) left. The reason for this naiveness and becoming a singer in the chorus of the ex-colonizers is the consequence of  “either black or white” approach which carries within the laziness for any study and research on any given subject and ends up labeling as such with abstract general slogans that does not tell anything about that given situation and condition.

One has to know and understand the history of a country, its culture, its economy, politics , internal and external forces involved in order to analyse, evaluate and determine a stand. Except Thailand all the countries in South East Asia (for that matter, Asia) were colonies of Japan, British, France and US for centuries. Like in Africa, centuries old western colonialism hindered the economic development of the region while protecting  and reinforcing the feudal structure, dividing, and using the ethnic, religious diversity to create constant  instability. Again, like in Africa, colonizers never built the infrastructure in these colonies. Infrastructure is the foundation for the development of a country. Some of these countries developed due to the law of unequal economic development, others, regardless of their political dependence on the US-West, could not  ignore neighboring China's fast development economically. Unlike the Western Colonizers, building infrastructure, transportation and reviving trade in these countries, China is playing an important role in capitalist development of these heavily feudal ex-colonial countries.

I do not think there is any need to explain the importance of gradual or abrupt transformation from feudal structure  to development of capitalism. Since Marxism Leninism without the application of dialectics of Marxism would be a soulless theory, anyone can and should make the required deductions from the concept of socialism, acquiring political power and building socialism and comprehend the interlinkage between capitalism and socialism.

I can easily speculate from my “social interactions and conversations” with Myanmar people from different age groups and background that most of them are as pro-American as one can get. I can argue that the ratio is much higher than that of the  proxy Philippines.  Reading the last half a dozen articles published by the “Communist Party of Myanmar” translated by my tour guides made me feel like I was reading bourgeois liberal articles. It was only when I met two old-timer communists who lived through the historical events of Myanmar starting from the invasion of northern Myanmar by Chinese Nationalist Party, I was able to grasp the background of the developments. This article could not have been this long yet informative without their contribution.

Myanmar

Golden Triangle- Myanmar, Laos, Thailand

Myanmar (Cambodia and to a lesser degree Laos) is tailing the rest of the SEAC (South East  Asian Countries) economically. There was and (for the most part  is) no significant infrastructure, transportation web for the speedy economic development.

To get a better idea of Myanmar we have to first look at its history.

Myanmar  is a country with a history of invasions resembles to that of middle ages. During the 19^th century it was invaded by the British Empire  multiple times. Britain administered the region as a province of British India. Japan invaded Myanmar  1941. It was invaded by the Allied forces in 1945. Myanmar gained its "independence" from the United Kingdom  in January 1948.  Two years later it was invaded by military remnants of the defeated Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT). It was during this period  that the involvement of the US initiated. CIA   was in charge of the covert program called "Operation Paper" that transported weapons and supplies to the KMT from Taiwan.  CIA also accompanied the KMT army in the China Yunnan invasion in May 1951 and August 1952 which ended disastrously. After this defeat KMT spread out across the Shan states as well as parts of the Kachin State. KMT’s Anticommunist National Salvation Army declared its dissolution, however, its troops remained and  continued fighting  till 1961 when the Myanmar army defeated them. The majority of them were sent to Taiwan. The region that is called Golden Triangle since then and currently have been one of the major drug trafficking, illegal activities, and the theater of “intelligence” agents of major countries.

Having over 70 plus ethnic diversity spread over eight different autonomous regions was topped with the problem of the ideological difference, did not help the stability of the country.  The underground Communist Party of Burma (CPB) founded in 1939, initially fought against British colonial forces, gained organizational strength and popularity due to its anti-Japanese  independence fight. During this fight , the CPB organized a leftist political and military coalition called the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL). With  their reformist views, AFPFL became the dominant political force in Myanmar's government following the country's independence in 1948. The CPB was expelled from the AFPFL and the government started cracking down on the party members. It was banned in 1953. The CPB then began insurgency in the countryside  that lasted decades.

Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) split in two following internal disputes in 1958.

Clean AFPFL led by Prime Minister U Nu, a Buddhist Nationalist, whose CIA connections have never been denied, later formed the Parliamentary Democracy Party (PDP) and led an armed resistance group.

Stable AFPFL was led by Kyaw Nyein and Ba Swe an anti-colonial revolutionary for independence. He held multiple minister positions in the government of Prime Minister U Nu, served as General Secretary Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL), and was joint General Secretary of the Burma Socialist Party (BSP). He was an architect of Burma's non-alignment policy. Later in 1962 he spent five years in jail.

The AFPFL Clean faction, renamed as the Union Party won a landslide majority over the Stable AFPFL election in February 1960. “Parliamentary democracy” lasted only two years till Ne Win; military commander and the founder of Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP) staged a coup d'état on 2 March 1962. Ne Win declared a general amnesty and peace on 1 April 1963. Most communist party leaders  and large ethnic army groups accepted the peace talk and welcomed the amnesty. However, the peace talks fell apart when the ethnonationalists and “western” reformists staged a peace march to the capital. All the peace efforts with ethnonationalists reformists failed. Due to economic crise and internal disagreements, external provocations protests and marches against the government began on 12 March 1988 and turned into a nationwide uprising on 8 August 1988. The protesters succeeded in pressuring Ne Win and most BSPP officials to resign from their offices, but the Myanmar Military, led by Saw Maung seized power in a coup d'état on 18 September 1988 which lasted till 1992. Same year  National League of Democracy (NLD) party was founded by the Liberals supported by the West. Provocations, pressures, and heavy media manipulations accelerated. Aung San Suu Kyi, the former State Counsellor of Myanmar, well connected with the NED (National Endowment for Democracy) served as the leader of National League of Democracy (NLD). The party won a substantial parliamentary majority in the 1990 Myanmar general election. However, the ruling military junta refused to recognize the result. On 6 May 2010, the party was declared illegal and ordered to be disbanded by the junta.

On 16 April 1989, leftist headquarters were attacked, portraits of communist leaders and copies of communist literature destroyed. Fears of an invasion and/or the US and some other states intention to replace the government became dominant feeling. Attempts in the UN Security Council to declare Burma a threat to regional security, open support for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and aid to dissident groups reinforced this fear. The fear was that If not by direct military invasion the US and its allies was to cause the regime’s collapse by fomenting internal unrest.

History has proven that they were right about their fears.

In order to understand the current situation, we have to look at the economic history of the Myanmar in particular and South East Asia in general.

Capitalist Development in Myanmar

We cannot assess a situation in a developed country in the same way as in a feudal or semi-feudal country. Same way, we cannot put a country in which the comprador bourgeoisie makes up the ruling class with a country where there is none but a  national bourgeoisie.  What about a country where there is not even a ruling bourgeoisie class exists?  In these type of countries the military, administrative bureaucracy and religious institutions made up of the Ruling Elite. Being a colony with no infrastructure and significant capitalist development, accumulation of wealth was concentrated in the hands of these elite groups- none of which transforms into a dominant bourgeois class without the development of capitalism.

Being a colony for centuries, there was no capitalist development in Myanmar other than spontaneous one, and due to interactions with the neighboring countries. The fast phased capitalist development in China, especially during the last 15 years, has become a driving force for  the development of capitalism in most of the South East Asian countries. Affordable Chinese products not only opened the door for small investors to start small businesses, but created purchasing power for the poor. This in return created (creating would be more correct) competitive condition against the unaffordable imports from thousands of miles away. The building of infrastructure, highways and especially railways gave a chance to the local producers to transport and sell their produce. Cities and towns are filling with street vendors traveling from rural areas to urban areas. As an indication of lesser development or may be cultural, while in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos it is common to see most of the entrance section of the residences are converted in to “stores” of any kind selling something,  in Myanmar  side walks are turned in to open markets for produce and goods. 

Last 3 years, Myanmar’s largest trade “partners” shifted from US-British and Germany to  neighboring countries; China, Thailand, Japan, and India. A shift from “guns”  to products . 

The oil and gas pipeline project from China to  Rohingya, Bay of Bengal  saved China substantially yet revived the Myanmar’s economy. Natural gas shipped by the pipeline supplies power stations and emerging industrial companies in Myanmar, boosts its economic development, created long lasting laboring opportunities, and helps improving the living standards. That’s why it is no coincidence that this project has been sabotaged so many times by the “civilian government” and that is one of the main  reasons behind the Rohingya genocide and forced migration of the population by the same “Democratic Government”.  Same way the so called “democratic forces” are sabotaging the pipeline at every chance they get. 

Similarly, China’s railway projects in South East Asia included Myanmar all the way to the Indian Sea have been hindered so many times by the Western Block including Japan and India due to the “sphere of influence’ conflict. All through its colonial history the West colonizers (like in Africa) were not interested in the infrastructure investment and capitalist developments. They were more interested in selling arms, corruptions through their puppet bureaucrats (both civilian and military), keeping the country as a proxy under  their hegemony.  It has always been one sided without any benefit to the colonies and neo-colonies. It is true that the infrastructure investments will benefit China. However, it will also benefit the region as a whole and Myanmar in particular case by creating hundreds of thousands of job -both temporary and permanent- , create the opportunity to access for the producers to the domestic and neighboring markets. That will improve and strengthen the regions economy and facilitate the transition from feudalism to capitalism in the countries of the region where feudalism heavily reins with no existing industry and transportation infrastructure to speak of.

This reality of infrastructure and capitalist development, and China’s short-cut route to Indian Sea   makes the West (and to some degree India  as an economic and political sphere of influence over Myanmar) worry. The completion of such an endeavor will make the port in Rohingya one of the busiest port of the region. That again by itself will bring about a decisive impact on the economy of Myanmar and its transformation from feudalism. That means the emergence of working class and subsequently the emergence of labor unions ; both of which are the deadly enemies and nightmare of the western monopolist-capitalists.

Although they live in a fantasy land, the neo-con adviser states in Diplomat that;

“Myanmar presents the U.S. with a unique opportunity. After the junta falls, Myanmar’s new government will not only be democratic, but also less willing to grant China what it most desires: unrestricted access to the Indian Ocean as a way around the Straits of Malacca….the U.S. would be foolish not to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the impending victory of Myanmar’s brave revolutionaries…. The more assistance and sanctions the U.S. can muster in cooperation with its partners, the faster the junta will collapse… As an added bonus, after years of declining influence in a region increasingly dominated by China, the U.S. would finally reestablish its influence in Southeast Asia – a fast-growing and strategically-located region that U.S. policymakers cannot afford to ignore.

Such statements clarifies who is behind the so called “democratic forces” fighting against the military government and for what end.

The history has confirmed so many times that, dividing and creating conflicts and partitioning the countries in small pieces whose entire GDP is less than a days’ gross income of multi national financial corporations has been the foregoing practice of neo-colonialism. Converting the administrative bureaucrats to the members of multinational corporations turned out to be much easier, safer, and less costly to the neo-colonialist during the mono-polar phase. NGOs played (and are still playing) a major role in manipulating the masses and having the masses act against their own interests.

 Theoretical background of exporting democracy- briefly

Towards the end of the Cold War, the imperialists  policy shifted to a mixture of the American Neo-Con policy of the 1970s, the policy of militarism in accordance with the 68 National Security Council Report prepared under the chairmanship of Paul Nitze, his National Security Council Report -68 and the policy of global revolution inspired by Bernstein and Trotskyism. Trotskyism became one of the most important movements inspired by the neo-con policies. Many of the founders of the Neocons were Trotskyists and those close to Trotsky in the 1930s and 1940s, such as Irving Kristol, Nathan Glazer, Sidney Hook, and Albert Wohlstetter, Penn Kemble, Joshua Muravchik, Carl Gershman, and the former Trotskyist Max Schacmant,.

The approach of the American Trotskyists, who form the neo-cons, to US foreign policy is "Democratic Capitalism" as a combination of Bernstein's theory of the spread of imperialism and the development of capitalism in underdeveloped countries. As Lenin stated in Imperialism and the Split in Socialism; “there is the tendency of the bourgeoisie and the opportunists to convert a handful of very rich and privileged nations into “eternal” parasites on the body of the rest of mankind” and the history has proven that monopoly capitalism does not develop ex-colonial countries but hinders their development.

The policy and practice of “exporting democracy” required “localized assets”, “foot soldiers” and “local media” outlets for manipulation and fabrication of consent. Here the NGOs  gained a decisive importance in carrying out the neo-con policy of “exporting democracy” , “color revolutions”.

South East Asia and NGOs

The history of South East Asia in reference to the NGOs is not too much different than the NGOs worldwide. They serve the interests of the hegemonic countries of the Mono-Polar world. Considering the fact that, except Thailand, all the countries were the colonies for centuries, their actual infrastructure and economic development has been hindered by the colonizers, where it (was) is developing, they had the NGOs function as hindrance  to any development attempts with demagogies and hypocrisies prettified with the catch terms like  “democracy”, “freedom”, human rights” etc.  

 U.S Department State states;

In Southeast Asia, the NED will continue to maintain a large Burma program but will also increase support for democracy in Thailand where democratic institutions have been severely weakened.

The issue is not the weakening of democratic institutions but weakening of the direct influence of NED and NGOs as the world transforms from uni-polar world to multi polar world and economic developments due to the law of unequal economic development forces these countries to have a neutral approach for the further development of their country’s economy.  Ten Countries of this region -Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam- are the members of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which is a fast‑expanding trade bloc. As a single entity, ASEAN is the third largest economy in Asia, and the fifth largest in the world after the US, China, Japan, and Russia.  This economic fact, the economic alliance and social stability without any serious conflict bothers especially the US neo-cons. That is another reason why the activities of NED and its subsidiaries, NGOs  increased in this region with increase in the financing of all the proxies; both for media outlets and for “foot soldiers”.

It is not shocking to see the arrogance and ignorance of these NGO and/or NED associated leaders with an immense confidence that makes them believe they are untouchable.  I have seen USAID trucks at the remote sections of Cambodia where the “opposition” leader Kem Sokha was confidently published a video of himself proudly confessing  his link to the foreign government and his plans through his election campaigning and civil society work were designed to encourage a “color revolution”.  Kem Sokha, the 69-year-old co-founder of the country’s  opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was found guilty of hatching a secret plan in collusion with foreign entities to topple the country’s Prime Minister. It was expected that all the Western Media, US State Department, NED and NGOs, Asian Western proxy-extension Media would condemn his arrests and Cambodia, and so did it happen.  There are still “Exiled Cambodian opposition” groups ready to be formed as “exiled government of Cambodia” . One of the  leaders in “exile”, you can read it as NED member, is the former deputy opposition leader Mu Sochua who occasionally meets with officials in Washington to discuss democracy for Cambodia and that becomes a wide spread news in South East Asia.

Vietnam is not an exception for the activities of NGOs. There are numerous NGOs in Vietnam some with religious affiliations others with “catchy” names. However, unlike the “foreign “ Government Organizations, there are numerous civil society organizations who work and play an important role in addressing the issues of reducing poverty, inequality, providing humanitarian assistance, advocacy, education, health care, and community development. Again, it is not surprising that there is an anti-communist Vietnamese “exile organization” in Washington that is called The People's Action Party of Vietnam.

There is a tightening grip over the NGOs for their financing through the application of “transparency law”.  It is interesting to mention that the fiercest opposer of this law and practice, is another NGO called “Transparency Organization”. They state on their page;

WE HAVE ONE VISION, A WORLD FREE OF CORRUPTION

Our global movement works in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption by promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity. https://www.transparency.org

However, when the governments ask for, and take action for the transparency, accountability, and integrity of the NGOs, Transparency Organization is the first one who goes against it for it is not a non-government organization but  a Foreign Government Organization itself receiving funds from.

Laos is not immune to NGOs, but most NGOs specify the name of the country or countries they are funded by and they are heavily extension of “foundations”.

Thailand, as expected , has the largest number of NGOs, some are very active in politics. They played an important role against the Chinese built high-speed train project and the delays. They play a crucial role in the opposition echoing the same narratives of the US and West in all the issues.

What is an NGO?

Contrary to misconception most “leftist”  have, NGO has nothing to do with the concept of “Civil Society”  theory of Gramsci.

It is defined as a Non-Government Organization, but in reality it is not a Non (local-internal) Government Organization but an external (Foreign) -Government Organization. Fighting for democracy and human rights everywhere are just catchy words to create and fund oppositions to the governments who are not following the US-West political-economic-Strategic lines. Excluding the professional organizations, if not all, most NGOs are the organizations funded by the US -West governments either directly or indirectly. NGOs are organized, funded, and supported by the US-West governments through USAID and  NED (national Endowment for Democracy) and numerous foundations. An “NGO” which receives funds from a foreign government cannot be an NGO but only a Foreign- Government- Organization.

The NED has been colluding with local political groups to meddle in other countries' internal affairs. Its efforts include infiltrating target countries, cultivating local anti-government forces, stoking social tensions, and creating instability within the country, in most cases, an internal civil war.

So What is NDE

NED, created in 1983 itself is supposedly an NGO that provides support for “democracy” abroad. However, documented, and proven  fact is that it receives continuous financial support from the U.S. Government and its institutions, thus works for the U.S. government. NED core groups and financers are heavily involved in shaping the political, social, and economic destinies of targeted countries. The slogan of democracy has been used as a tool and a weapon to undermine democracy in the name of democracy, to destabilise unfriendly governments by funding the opposition.

The National Endowment for Democracy manipulates NGOs through funding to conduct subversion, infiltration, and sabotage to serve U.S. strategic interests. Thus, it is actually the "second CIA" of the United States. In 1991, the founder of NED Alan Weinstein put it bluntly in an interview with the Washington Post that "a lot of what they were doing was what the CIA had done 25 years ago. NED was therefore known globally as the "second CIA."

NED, as one of the US government’s main “foot soldiers”, and “democracy crusaders”, has subverted lawful governments and cultivated pro-US puppet forces around the world under the pretext of promoting democracy.

NED has a long history of instigating color revolutions against "hostile" countries. Early NED documents revealed activities by NED mainly in Eastern Europe to subvert state power as early as the late 1980s. It is documented and verified that NED provided financial support for the Polish Solidarity to help them overthrow the then Polish government.   It was also behind the Arab Spring. In Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Libya, and other countries. NED provided financial support to pro-America individuals and groups by supporting professed feminism, freedom of the press, and human rights activities.

Most NED funds are distributed through Free Trade Union Institute (FTUI) established in 1977 by the AFL-CIO's Department of International Affairs as a continuation of the CIA-connected Free Trade Union Committee founded in 1944 against leftwing trade unionism in Europe. It is recorded that most of their board directors and members were ex-CIA officers.

It is well known that the most effective tool of imperialism, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has so many sub-divisions in Europe and almost in all continents spend millions of dollars to shape the minds, to organize opposition (to those who oppose to West), set the agenda, and feed them with their own narrative. That is why it is no coincidence that we can see the same western narratives echoed in the so called “left” media.

Through the grants and other means of supporting so called “independent media” not only did they manage the reflection and domination of US narrative, but also were able to keep all the wars and crimes of US away from the eyes of readers and audiences.

The Coup in 2014 and years later the war in Ukraine in 2022 is a product of NED which no one with an objective mind and capable of researching can deny. They identify the NED’s Victoria Nuland as the architect and constructor of it.

This is the case of Myanmar too.

Myanmar -What really is going on

With over 70 diverse ethnic groups and ethnic administrative structure, Myanmar is another case of “exile Government” in the US ready to implant. The financial support of NED to Myanmar NGOs and pawns are immense. Some has been removed but this is still online to see the extent of support (under the table to the leaders must be 10 fold). https://www.ned.org/region/asia/burma-2021/  

It is not coincidence that the exile government in Washington DC is made up of the NED or one of its subsidiaries’ members of the previous “civil” government. 

Defending Genocide in Rohingya

The so called “civil elected government” of  Aung San Suu Kyi-(Un Sun Suchi) and her support base  always been racist, bigoted, and violent movement to create a constant instability not only in Myanmar but  in the entire region. They use the religious institutions and fanatics to flame Rohingya crisis and deny the right to the Muslim people lived there for centuries. Un Sun Suchi and its group worked in blocking the infrastructure developments in Myanmar  with the support of NED.

I believe it would be helpful to get an idea who this “leader of Democratic Fight” is;

She is the daughter of Aung San.  With the revision of Myanmar history and manipulations,  Aung San is considered the founder of modern-day Myanmar and the country's armed forces, and is commonly referred to by the titles "Father of the Nation", "Father of Independence", and "Father of the Military".

In May 1940 Japanese intelligence officers posing as journalists in order to gather information and to seek the cooperation of locals for the intended Japanese invasion of Burma, they made close connections with the Thakins, of which Aung San was a leading member. Aung San went to Tokyo. While in Japan he adopted a Japanese name, "Omoda Monji". During this time the Blue Print for a “Free Burma” was drafted. This “Japanese origin draft” document has been attributed to Aung San.

In February 1941 Aung San, working with Japanese intelligence, secretly re-entered Burma, and recruited additional Burmese agents to work with the Japanese. He had recruited thirty of his old revolutionary colleagues and smuggled them out of the country via Japanese intelligence networks. This historically known as "Thirty Comrades" were taken to the Japanese-occupied island of Hainan for further training. The “Thirty Comrades” trained for six months on Hainan with other Japanese officers. By the end of  1941 Aung San were successful in recruiting approximately 3,500 pro-Japanese Burmese volunteers from the Siam-Burma border to serve in their proxy army. On 28 December 1941, Aung San and the rest of the Thirty Comrades formally inaugurated the pro-Japanese Burma Independence Army in Bangkok. The capital of Burma, Rangoon, fell to the Japanese as part of the Burma Campaign in March 1942. The Japanese, however, made Dr. Ba Maw  rather than  Aung San the leader of the country giving him virtually dictatorial control under their direction. Aung San was made the second  person in the government.  As a disappointed opportunist, when the tide of war turned against Japan, Aung San made plans to organize an anti-Japanese uprising in Burma, secretly participated in forming the "Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League" in August 1944. He participated in a secret meeting  between the Burma National Army, the Communist Party of Burma, and the People's Revolutionary Party (which later reformed into the Burma Socialist Party). After the Burmese army began the attack on the Japanese, it was renamed  as the "Patriotic Burmese Forces".

The leaders of the Patriotic Burmese Forces, while disbanded, were offered positions in the Burma Army under British command. On September 1946, Aung San was appointed to even higher position of deputy chairman, making him effectively the 5th Prime Minister of the British-Burma Crown Colony. Aung San banned all communists from Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League on  November 1946.

Following the 1947 election Aung San began to form his own cabinet. In addition to ethnic Burmese statesmen like himself he persuaded the other ethnic leaders like Karen, the Shan chief, and the Bamar leader  to join his cabinet. No Communists were invited to participate.

On 19 July 1947, Aung San was having a meeting with his new cabinet, assassins burst into the council chamber, In addition to Aung San, his elder brother and seven other people were killed, seven of whom were also politicians. So far no one knows who the assailants were. The speculations vary; 1) the communists who punished him for being an agent of  Japanese first and British later, 2) The Muslim ethnic group whose leader was publicly executed by his order , to 3)  Japanese for his betrayal.

In many respects, Aung Sun Suchi is not so much different than her father. She was born in Rangoon, British Burma in 1945. Her mother was appointed as Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960, and Aung San Suu Kyi, leaving Burma at early age, followed her there. She studied in New Delhi, India. After graduating from the University of Delhi in 1964 and St Hugh's College, Oxford, England in 1968,she moved to New York City , worked at the United Nations for three years. She married Michael Aris, the son of British Council, in 1972. In other words, she grew up and educated in British India, Britain, and the US.  Looking at her intimate relations through out with NED, one can easily deduce that she was recruited by NED which was the force behind her winning the Nobel Price in 1991.

In a typical development, Aung San Suu Kyi was implanted as the leader of the newly formed NLD same year with the  “uprising”  of 8 August 1988 .

In the 1990 elections, NLD won 81% of the seats in Parliament, but the results were nullified, as the military government  SPDC  (the State Peace and Development Council) refused to hand over power. She had been detained before the elections and remained under house arrest through 1989 to 2010.

Her party boycotted the 2010 elections, resulting in a decisive victory for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

In the 2015 elections, with the pouring of millions of dollars to a country where the average monthly salary is $60 a month,  her party won a landslide victory, taking 86% of the seats in the Assembly of the Union. Although she was prohibited from becoming the president due to a clause in the constitution—her husband and children are foreign citizens—she assumed the newly created role of State Counsellor of Myanmar, a role akin to a prime minister or a head of government. In addition , she served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2021. During her and her party’s leadership not only the prosecution of Journalists skyrocketed, but the genocide of the Rohingya people in Rakhine State was carried out.

It is ironic and insidious that the Western Media blaming now the military government  for the genocides and forced migration of the people of Rohingya carried out under her leadership. In fact, the genocide in  Rohingya carried out during the “civil government”  by Un Sun Suchi and the entire network financially supported by NED. She defended the genocide, and the same Media was reporting as such then.

"Ms Suu Kyi spoke to the BBC's Mishal Husain about the crisis in October of that year. She blamed the continued violence on a "climate of fear", and denied that Muslims had been subjected to ethnic cleansing.

"Muslims have been targeted but Buddhists have also been subjected to violence," she said. "This fear is what is leading to all this trouble". https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42824778

Could Aung San Suu Kyi face Rohingya genocide charges?

It could go right to the top - he doesn't rule out the possibility that civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the head of the armed forces Gen Aung Min Hlaing, could find themselves in the dock on genocide charges some time in the future. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42335018

Aung San Suu Kyi has launched Myanmar's defense at the International Court of Justice, where the country has been accused of committing genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority. Ms. Suu Kyi told the court that the army may have used "disproportionate force"  as it responded to an attack by Rohingya militants in 2017. However, she argued there is no proof the army was trying to wipe out the community. UN investigators had previously concluded that Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya amounted to genocide.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqC1OxN6kM0

Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has claimed that the crisis in Rakhine state is being distorted by a "huge iceberg of misinformation".

Rohingya crisis: Suu Kyi says 'fake news helping terrorists'

In her first comments on the latest Rohingya crisis, she said tensions were being fanned by fake news promoting the interests of terrorists."

These news were published then despite the fact that Un Sun Suchi is the favorite daughter of NED. Interestingly, she called the minorities as “terrorists” yet now calls the NED financed minority militias as “democracy fighters” against Junta.

Despite her  proxy policy and practice of oppression and genocide, Aung San Suu Kyi won the November 2020 Myanmar general election. She was arrested on  February 2021 following a military coup d'état that returned the Myanmar Armed Forces to power.

Since then, millions of dollars are pouring to Myanmar NGOs from US-West and so called “democratic forces” are being armed and trained in India and in the border regions of some neighbor countries. India, who follows the China-phobia section of Neo-Cons, has over 1,600 km border with Myanmar, China has over 2,000 km, Thailand who has its own serious problems with NGOs and NED aligned opposition, has the longest border with over 2,400 km.

Is the Myanmar issue an isolated one from the ongoing strategic, economic, and military war between the US-West and China-Russia? No. It is a part of the ongoing proxy war waged by the militarily aggressive declining imperialist block whose industry mostly rely on the military industries. One, whose interests are aligned with an unstable world where the conflicts and wars are dominant versus those the interests of whom (at least currently) are aligned with a stable world where the trade of goods can be achieved for their economy which are heavily based on the production of goods.

The so called “civil war” for “democracy” is nothing but a proxy war waged by the West and their proxies aimed at encircling China and preventing any and all the infrastructure and economic development investments in Myanmar and install a Western Proxy government there.

Conclusion

Marxist analysis proceeds from the analysis of concrete economic and political situation in particular with direct connection to the same in world general. Marxist Evaluation has only one fundamental principle subordinated to none. That is all our evaluations and decisions derive from the interests and struggle of the working class. That is bound to the principle that the interests of particular (in a given country)  is subordinated to the interests of general (in world). We cannot proceed with subjective perspectives based on the learned by rote, memorized, and sloganized theories. We do not have one prescription that fits all the situations. The practical applicability of the fundamental theories and the way in which they are applied depend on the specific concrete conditions and situations. a Marxist says (Lenin in his Guerilla War), "demands a strictly historical examination of the problem...to treat the problem as separate from the concrete historical situation is an error of betrayal of the fundamental principles of dialectical materialism.’

That’s why we cannot approach and treat the conditions and situation of a  colonial or neo-colonial country, the same way as for a capitalist, neocolonialists country. We cannot treat a country that waged an anti-imperialist war with a country that was and is an imperialist. Similarly, we cannot use a subjective label that fits for all the military coups. No Marxist could have gone against the military coups of Egypt in 1952 or Libya in 1968, and can take a stand against the recent military coups in Níger ,Burkina Faso, Gambia, Sierra Lion.  The military coup in Myanmar is not different than these ones. Coup was forced upon a section of military against the NED pawn section and the civilian NED government they were backing. NED backed government and military section was not only hindering the economic development of the country, but also carrying out genocides, forced migrations – which they still continue as armed opposition led by the “exile government” in Washington. In this sense only, Myanmar Military Government has an anti-imperialist character.

Especially in underdeveloped, developing countries, every government, as the leading institution of a state, is backed by “military institution”. In some countries they bring  “civilians” to the administration-government (latest like in Moldova) or the high ranking military officials. The question is not the “dress” they put on -whether it be military or civilian, but it is especially the foreign policy they follow in conjunction with the domestic policy.

The military government in Myanmar should be supported as long as they fight against the foreign interferences and foreign agents- either in civilian clothes NED members or foreign financed, armed, and directed in military clothes.  As the conditions and situations change, the stance would change objectively not subjectively  with the interests of laboring masses and their struggles in mind. Contrary to learned by rote and generalized slogans disregarding the existing conditions and situations in particular and in general, Stalin in his discussion with the Representatives of the C.C. of the Communist Party of India Comrades responds;  "It is very simple; the united national front is against England, for the national independence from England, and not from America. This is your national specificity... the party must not load itself with all of the tasks, the tasks of the struggle with imperialism throughout the world. It is necessary to take up one task: to free itself from English imperialism. This is the national task of India... In order to isolate .. and bring down English imperialism, do not brush against the other imperialist powers for the time being. If you proceed on your way like this – it will ease matters. Now, if the Americans poke their noses in, it will then be necessary to carry out the struggle against them, but the people would know that not you but they had attacked."

It is not dialectical but mechanical to put all the imperialists in the same basket in every situation and every condition with slogans as prescriptions apply to all. Each individual case should be studied objectively and determine the chief enemy at that given case. It is the responsibility of MLs to determine the warmongering aggressor, the chief imperialist enemy at any given situation in any given country. Stating the fact of “aggressiveness” does not relieve the other of being imperialist, does not mean taking a side with the other “imperialism”. Repeating sloganized general theories for every particular case, is a betrayal to ML and to dialectics of Marxism. 

Stalin  in his Interview with Roy Howard (1936) stated; 

"History shows that when any state intends to make war against another state, even not adjacent, it begins to seek for frontiers across which it can reach the frontiers of the state it wants to attack, Usually, the aggressive state finds such frontiers."

The question of Myanmar is not an isolated one but a part of US-West aggressive, warmongering imperialist policy and plan to encircle China and Russia, to stage proxy wars along their borders. That is why, any attempt to prevent the proxy wars that may easily lead to world war have progressive character regardless of its form and class content. National wars against aggressors in any form are justified; because they promote the progressive development of society.

Erdogan A

2023-March 2024

Myanmar, Thailand, Laos