Burmese Resistance

and the Starling Theory

By Goldie Shwe and Terry Evans

Following is excerpt of the Original Article,

In Burma, where the gun-toting junta is the only authority, it is hardly surprising that most people just keep their heads down and get on with the daily struggle of putting enough food on the table. Making yourself conspicuous in the eyes of the military or their plain-clothes thugs could result in imprisonment on the slightest pretext.

So how on earth have the people of Taunggok, located about 50 miles north of Thandwe, a major seaport in Southern Burma, managed to taunt the all-powerful junta in a defiant display of resistance?

These days most Burmese civilians are too frightened even to look a son or daughter of a military officer straight in the eye when they are out shopping in a big super store. However, in Taunggok, people openly express their displeasure at the corrupt officials who are ruining their country. While the majority of Burmese in towns and cities were still nursing the wounds inflicted by the generals during last September’s protests, the people of Taunggok regrouped and planned a fresh round of demonstrations. When forced to abandon this idea by an increased military presence in the town, they started a poster war against the junta instead.

Where do they get their courage? How do they manage to display these never-say-die attitudes? The answer is quite simple: they just stick to basics, and use their animal instincts to take on the predatory military. The repressed residents of Taunggok have worked out that, when you are so far from the top of the food chain, you must be united to survive against the increasingly violent junta.

Recently, researchers have discovered how vast flocks of starlings manage to stay together when under attack by predators, never leaving any of their number isolated and vulnerable. Each starling constantly tracks seven others as they fly, in order to respond instantly to changes of direction. Cohesion may be threatened under attack, but the flock can regroup very quickly, ready to deal with the next threat.

The courageous citizens of Taunggok have proved that strength flows from unity. They have also shown the importance of responding to a threat without delay. These crucial yet simple lessons learnt from the starlings appear to be gaining traction for the people of Taunggok; the rest of Burma may soon follow their courageous example.

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