ABSTRACT
The years 1988-90 were a turning-point in Burmese history. Following the 1988 democracy uprising and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's arrest the following year, key events 'inside' Burma in 1990 included the May election, the subsequent crackdown on the NLD and other opposition parties, and the SLORC's promulgation of new economic policies. On the international front, in February 1990 the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) appointed a Special Envoy for Burma; following the withdrawal of Western and Japanese aid, it seemed that sustained international pressure might be brought to bear upon the SLORC regime. Meanwhile in the liberated zones, although the fall of Three Pagodas Pass and other rebel bases had further weakened the insurgents, the formation of the Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB) had drawn large numbers of democracy activists from the towns and cities into the armed opposition camp.
