Living Silence in Burma: Surviving under Military Rule

by Christina Fink

Second edition

Eight years after the publication of the first edition of this insightful and highly regarded book, Burma remains one of the most troubled nations in Southeast Asia, governed by a repressive military dictatorship. In this exceptionally readable yet scholarly account, Christina Fink gives a moving and insightful picture of what life under military rule is like. Through the extensive interviews conducted inside and outside the country, we begin to understand why the regime has remained in power for so long.

This significantly revised new edition brings the reader up to the present day, including an examination of the impact of the dramatic 2007 monks’ demonstrations. The book explores how the democratic movement and the ethnic nationalist organizations have sought to achieve their goals, in part by working more closely together, as the regime has continued to try to weaken and divide them.

Praise for the first edition

“Living Silence is particularly valuable for its study of the psychological effects of military rule on the people of Burma. Christina Fink makes an important contribution towards an understanding of the root causes of the problems and choices that the people of Burma are facing today”.—Aung San Suu Kyi

“A meticulous study of the surreal horror imposed upon the people of Burma by its illegitimate rulers. Read this book and never forget them.”—John Pilger

“The Burmese students have found their Boswell. Christina Fink has carefully recorded their statements and thoughts. Now, no one can dismiss the tragedy of Burma as the fiction of outsiders. These are the people who have and continue to live with it.”—Professor Josef Silverstein, Rutgers University.

About the Author

Christina Fink is a program associate and lecturer at the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute and program coordinator and lecturer in the Foreign Affairs Training Program, Chiang Mai, Thailand.