BURMA (MYANMAR)

BAMBOO PEOPLE BY MITALI PERKINS

Slightly smaller than Texas in size, the country of Burma shares borders with India, Laos, China,

Bangladesh, Thailand and the Bay of Bengal.

The country was once described as the “rice bowl of Asia” and enjoyed one of the highest

literacy rates. in Southeast Asia.

Sadly that didn’t last….

MODERN BURMA

Today about 90% of Burma’s people live at or below the poverty line.

The country’s health system is ranked 2nd worst in the world.

About 10% of children die before the age of 5.

The literacy rate has been plummeting each year.

So how did the region’s “rice bowl” become a place of suffering, disease and hunger? It’s a story of

injustice and corruption…

Burma in the 1950s and 1960s Once ruled by Britain, Burma became an

independent democracy in 1948 Ethnic groups (like the Karen and the

Shan) wanted to keep their independence and avoid being controlled by the Burmese majority.

In 1962, military leaders staged a coup and took over the country (coup = a sudden attempt to seize power)

Things went from bad to worse….

From “bad” to “worse”…

The army shut down free elections, took over newspapers and businesses

The army prevented people from communicating freely and coming together to peacefully protest

People tried to resist but the military brutally crushed student and worker protests in the 1960s and 70s

The government tortured anyone brave enough to speak out

Ethnic groups in trouble The army tortures and kills members

of minority ethnic groups, uses them for hard labor, and burns their villages

Thousands of people hide in the jungle and others flee to the border of Thailand to seek shelter in refugee camps

About 140,000 refugees live in 9 camps along the Thai-Burma border

Since 2004, over 50,000 refugees from Burma have resettled in the US, Canada and Australia

POPULATION & GOVERNMENT  United States Myanmar (Burma)Population 309, 674, 000 53, 414, 374

Continent Asia North America 

Primary Language

English Burmese

Chief Executive

PresidentBarack Obama

Senior General Than Shwe

Government Constitutional RepublicPresidential

AuthoritarianDictatorship

http://country-facts.findthebest.com/compare/1-125/United-States-vs-Myanmar

WHY DID MITALI PERKINS WRITE BAMBOO PEOPLE?

Bamboo People is set along the Thai-Burma border and features two one male protagonists.

For three years Ms. Perkins, her husband and her children lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While they

were there they visited the Karenni refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border.

She began to understand how tough life is for Burmese teenagers.

• Only about 1/3 of teenagers are enrolled in school

• Most teenagers can’t find jobs

• Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world, and that number is growing

• These young soldiers are taught that the Karenni and other ethnic groups are the cause of the problems in their country and are rewarded with money and food if they burn, destroy, torture, and kill ethnic minorities

TEENAGE LIFE IN BURMA

What would you do if your mother was hungry and your only option to feed

her was to fight in the army?

What about if you saw soldiers burning your home and farm while

you ran for your life? Wouldn’t you be terrified, like Chiko? Wouldn’t you be

angry, like Tu Reh?