Myanmar dispatches: updates and analysis from JURIST correspondents in Myanmar Dispatches
Myanmar dispatches: updates and analysis from JURIST correspondents in Myanmar

JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Our Myanmar law students are answering JURIST reader questions about the on-the-ground situation and their own concerns amidst the chaos and carnage of the Myanmar military coup. Contact them by DM or reply on Twitter @bernardhibbitts

Today’s question is: “What gives you hope and courage to keep going during this very uncertain time?”

One of our Myanmar law students responds:

This is a very uncertain time, not knowing where the future of the country or ourselves would lead to. We have same vision; Federal Democracy! If we win this, there will no limit of success for our country. But if we lose this, we will have to live in the darkness for another 20 to 50 years. In that Dark Age, they will oppress anyone that will question their illegitimate actions. We’ll only be trained to be cowards and obey. There’s no turning back for us. We’re responsible to give a better future to our younger generations.

This is our chance to correct all wrongs. Within the previous 10 years, there were many good changes because of the civil government but no one can deny that there will never be a true democracy as long as we all are trapped under 2008 constitution [very organized plan to turn the military against its own country they’re supposed to serve]. Everything seemed fine to people in big cities but there were not much changes and development in states and no division of power with the states and region government. This revolution makes us realize that Half Democracy is never Democracy. To head for Federal Democracy, we have to cut off all the roots of Fascist Military.

No one can ever rule a country, a civilized society, solely with guns and weapons. There should be no legality for all coups in this modern age. We have a firm belief that Justice must always prevail. People might wonder why we’re not even afraid of guns when we’re totally unarmed. We’re scared that we might get shot, get arrested and tortured but we’re more scared of losing a future that we have the right to create.

This problem is not solutionless. We’re protesting every day, doing CDM and promoting the role of CRPH. Great success takes time and effort. We understand this. And every support we get from international community is a great help to us. That would be great if serious actions are taken because no one knows how long all of these lawless killing and abducting will continue till we effectively stop this.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Bank of England granted political independence

On May 6, 1997, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced that the Bank of England would be granted political independence for the first time in the three-hundred year history of the Bank. This policy was statutized in the subsequent Bank of England Act of 1998 gave the Bank independent control of British monetary policy effective June 1, 1998. Read the Bank of England Act of 1998.

Chinese Exclusion Act barred Chinese laborers from US

On May 6, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, barring Chinese laborers from entering the United States and prohibiting courts from bestowing US citizenship on Chinese. Connecticut Senator Joseph Hawley spoke out against the Act in these words: Let the proposed statue be read 100 years hence, dug out of the dust of ages and forgotten as it will be except for a line of sneer by some historian, and ask the young man not well read in the history of this country what was the reason for excluding these men and he would not be able to find it in the law. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and its successors were abolished in 1943 at the insistence of President Franklin Roosevelt.