Myanmar, a country whose troubles has been have been exacerbated by its ruling junta and their reluctance to allow the rest of the world to assist its citizens after Cyclone Nargis slammed it shores the first week of May, leaving more than 60,000 dead or missing.

It is not difficult to determine which tragedy suffers greater from. The cyclone’s waters will fade, the dead eventually buried and natures wrath will be forgiven, however the brutality of Myanmar’s ruling junta will continue.

Even though much has been reported by the world’s mainstream media (MSM), the country and what actually goes on within its borders still remains vague and secretive.

For that and other reasons, The Lang Report has chosen to elaborate on its troubled history which has been amplified by both natural and man-made disasters.

Burma, officially the Union of , is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Its ethnic origins are a mixture of Indo-Aryans, who began pushing into the area around 700 B.C., and the Mongolian invaders under Kublai Khan who penetrated the region in the 13th century. Anawrahta (1044–1077) was the first great unifier of Myanmar.

In 1612, the British East India Company sent agents to Burma, but the Burmese doggedly resisted efforts of British, Dutch, and Portuguese traders to establish posts along the Bay of Bengal. Through the Anglo-Burmese War in 1824–1826 and two subsequent wars, the British East India Company expanded to the whole of Burma. By 1886, Burma was annexed to India, and then became a separate colony in 1937.

A Synopsis of its Colonization to the Present

1824 – United Kingdom begins conquest of Burma

1886 – British annex Burma as province of British India

1937 – Burma becomes self-governing colony

1939 – Burma becomes world’s leading exporter of rice

1940s – Burmese nationalists led by Gen. Aung San and 29 others join the Japanese in driving out the British at the outbreak of World War II

1945 – Burmese army switches sides and aids U.S. and British forces in their drive to Rangoon. After the war, Gen. Aung San demands indeppendence from Britain

1947 – A constitution is completed, and independence is granted in January 1948. Gen. Aung San and most of his cabinet are assassinated before it goes into effect.

Jan. 4, 1948 – Union of Burma formed its independent republic. Sao Shwe Thaike is president; U Nu is prime minister

1958 – Constitutional disputes weaken democratic government. Prime Minister U Nu invited the military to rule temporarily to restore political power

1962 –  General Ne Win leads a military coup, appoints himself president and then establishes a military government with socialists policies

March 1988 – Student-led disturbances break out in Rangoon in response to a worsening economic situation

Aug. 8, 1988 – Military forces kill more than 1,000 during a mass demonstration, known as the “8888 Uprising”

Sept. 1988 – Gen. Saw Maung establish mew ruling junta called State Law and Order Restoration (SLORC). Army suppresses demonstrations killing 3000

July 1989 – Aung Sun Suu Kyi first put under house arrest

1989 –  SLORC change country’s name to Union of Myanmar

May 1990 – National parliamentary elections result in victory for Aung San Suu Kyi, who represents the National League for Democracy (NLD) while under house arrest. SLORC refuses to honor results

1991 – Aung San Suu Kyi receives Nobel Peace Prize

April 23, 1992 – Than Shwe is appointed chairman of SLORC, head of military junta

1997 – SLORC changes name to Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Myanmar is admitted into Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

May 3, 2008 – Cyclone Nargis hits Irrawaddy River delta killing more than 43,000 people and leaving more than 27,000 people missing

May 14 – The military junta takes control of aid and distribution and prohibits U.N. workers from leaving Yangon

INCOMING AID: The Unite Nations reported donations to the Myanmar relief effort reached an estimated $43.7 million, with an additional $71.8 million in pledges

• Myanmar: Tropical Cyclone Nargis (as of 17 May 2008) - Situation Map
• Cyclone Nargis lashes Myanmar
• Myanmar: Citizen videos in Cyclone Nargis’ aftermath
• Myanmar: Survivors of Cyclone Nargis