Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Myanmar’s woes

Myanmar’s woes

Silencing Ms. Suu Kyi will not help the junta tighten its control over a rebellious country

The conviction (दोषसिद्धि, वाक्य, निर्णय) of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s deposed (overthrow, overturn, topple, bring down, remove from office, remove, unseat, dethrone) State Counsellor and pro-democracy leader, in a corruption case, shows nothing but the desperation (निराशा, साहसिकता, हताशा) of the junta to silence (शांत करना, चुप करना) her. For the military, which seems determined (निर्धारित) to destroy the Southeast Asian nation’s popular democracy, Ms. Suu Kyi, under house arrest ever since the February 2021 coup (तख्तापलट, आघात), remains the enemy number one. The conviction, in a kangaroo court (a self-appointed & unofficial court by a group of people which conducts pseudo (false) judicial proceedings that are not legal), was based on the testimony (गवाही, सबूत, अनुप्रमाणन) of the former Chief Minister of Yangon who claimed that he had handed over to her $6,00,000 and gold in return for favours (एहसान, सहारा). The prosecution (अभियोग, अनुसरण) has presented no evidence. She was convicted (punish, sentence; impose a sentence on, pronounce sentence on) earlier on five other charges (आरोप, अभियोग) and sentenced (punish, convict; impose a sentence on, pronounce sentence on) to six years in jail. In the corruption case, the court jailed her for five years. The junta (a military group that takes over the government by force) has slapped more cases on her, with the clear objective (उद्देश्य, इरादा) of keeping the 76-year-old leader in prison. Since the coup, it has arrested 10,300 political prisoners (राजनीतिक कैदी), including most of the elected lawmakers of Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. The forces have also killed at least 1,798 civilians (असैनिक, सामान्य नागरिक) and threatened to “annihilate” all opponents.

Myanmar’s military is one of the most stubborn (adamant, dogged, persistent, inflexible, uncompromising, uncooperative, unaccommodating, unyielding) enemies of democracy and basic human freedoms, having ruled for nearly 50 years using brute (crude, violent) force. But even in the darkest moments of Myanmar’s past, there was popular resistance (प्रतिरोध, विरोध, अवज्ञा). And over the past three decades (दशक, दस वर्ष की अवधि), Ms. Kyi has been the embodiment (example, representation, symbol) of that resistance. Between 1989 and 2010, she spent 15 years under house arrest. The military, faced with international isolation and growing domestic anger, agreed to release her and share power with civilians through a quasi-democratic arrangement. They barred her from becoming President and reserved (retain, keep, hold) key portfolios (the area of responsibility (department) assigned to a Minister), including the Defence Ministry, for the Generals. Still, the 2015 and 2020 elections saw overwhelming (very strong, forceful, profound) public support for her party, and the country witnessed (show, indicate, reveal; notice), barring (except, except for, apart from, other than, besides, excluding) the military crackdown (clampdown, getting tough/severe measures, suppression) on Rohingya (an ethnic Muslim minority group, in western Myanmar (Burma)) Muslims, relative (reasonable, a fair degree of, considerable) stability (firmness, solidity, steadiness, secureness, strength) and growing economic opportunities. But the military was worried whether an increasingly popular and powerful Ms. Suu Kyi, after her second consecutive (successive) election, would clip (remove, cut, detach) its privileges (pleasure, source of pleasure, source of pride, source of satisfaction). It was this fear that prompted (give rise to, bring about, cause, produce, result in, lead to) the Generals to stage (cause to happen) another coup. They may have succeeded in reversing Myanmar’s limited experiment with democracy, but the coup has also wreaked (cause, inflict, bring about (disaster/danger)) havoc (destruction, damage, disaster) on the country. The Opposition has taken up arms, pushing the country to the brink (edge/verge/end (of something)) of civil war. A nationwide strike has crippled (ruin, destroy, spoil; weaken, paralyse, disable) the country’s economy. The political opponents of the coup have also formed an alternative unity government. So far (until now, up to the present, up to this point), the military has managed to cling on (hold on to, hang on to, hold tightly grip, grasp, attach oneself to) to power through sheer (complete, absolute, total, thorough, consummate) repression. But it is not a sustainable (acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable) model. Even silencing Ms. Suu Kyi would not help the junta tighten its control over a divided, impoverished (weakened, exhausted, drained, diminished, depleted), and rebellious country.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.woes (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संकट, परेशानी, कठिनाई
English Meaning - trouble, difficulty, problem.

2.silence (verb)

Hindi Meaning - शांत करना, चुप करना
English Meaning - muffle, suppress, stop.

3.conviction (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दोषसिद्धि, वाक्य, निर्णय
English Meaning - sentence, judgement, verdict.

4.desperation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निराशा, साहसिकता, हताशा
English Meaning - recklessness, rashness, foolhardiness.

5.determined (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निर्धारित
English Meaning - single-minded about, obsessive about, fixated on; adamant, stubborn, relentless.

6.coup (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तख्तापलट, आघात
English Meaning - a sudden and violent regime change, seizure of power, (illegal) takeover of power.

7.testimony (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गवाही, सबूत, अनुप्रमाणन
English Meaning - evidence, proof, attestation/witness.

8.favour (noun)

Hindi Meaning - एहसान, सहारा
English Meaning - good turn, kind act; favouritism, partiality, unfair preference; backing, support, assistance.

9.prosecution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियोग, अनुसरण
English Meaning - legal action, legal proceeding, legal case.

10.charge (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप, अभियोग
English Meaning - accusation, allegation, indictment.

11.objective (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उद्देश्य, इरादा
English Meaning - aim, intention, purpose, target.

12.political prisoner (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राजनीतिक कैदी
English Meaning - a person who is imprisoned/confined because they have opposed or criticized the government.

13.civilian (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असैनिक, सामान्य नागरिक
English Meaning - non-military person, ordinary citizen.

14.resistance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिरोध, विरोध, अवज्ञा
English Meaning - opposition, defiance; refusal to accept, unwillingness to accept.

15.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस वर्ष की अवधि
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

16.junta (noun)

English Meaning - a military group that takes over the government by force.

17.tighten (verb)

English Meaning - increase, make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen.

18.rebellious (adjective)

English Meaning - rebel, insurgent, mutinous, disorderly, lawless, out of control, mutinying, rioting.

19.depose (verb)

English Meaning - overthrow, overturn, topple, bring down, remove from office, remove, unseat, dethrone.

20.State Counsellor of Myanmar (noun)

English Meaning - The state counsellor of Myanmar was the title of the de facto (effective/actual) head of government of Myanmar, equivalent to a prime minister. The office is currently vacant following the arrest of the first and only state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état.

21.kangaroo court (noun)

English Meaning - a self-appointed & unofficial court by a group of people which conducts pseudo (false) judicial proceedings that are not legal.

22.convict (verb)

English Meaning - punish, sentence; impose a sentence on, pronounce sentence on.

23.sentence (verb)

English Meaning - punish, convict; impose a sentence on, pronounce sentence on.

24.slap (verb)

English Meaning - impose, put on, add.

25.stubborn (adjective)

English Meaning - adamant, dogged, persistent, inflexible, uncompromising, uncooperative, unaccommodating, unyielding.

26.brute (adjective)

English Meaning - crude, violent.

27.embodiment (noun)

English Meaning - example, representation, symbol.

28.quasi- (combining form)

English Meaning - supposed, seeming, alleged, ostensible, purported, nominal, so-called.

29.bar (verb)

English Meaning - ban, stop, prohibit.

30.reserve (verb)

English Meaning - retain, keep, hold.

31.portfolio (noun)

English Meaning - the area of responsibility (department) assigned to a Minister.

32.overwhelming (adjective)

English Meaning - very strong, forceful, profound.

33.witness (verb)

English Meaning - show, indicate, reveal; notice.

34.barring (preposition)

English Meaning - except, except for, apart from, other than, besides, excluding.

35.crackdown (noun)

English Meaning - clampdown, getting tough/severe measures, suppression.

36.Rohingya (noun)

English Meaning - an ethnic Muslim minority group, in western Myanmar (Burma).

37.relative (adjective)

English Meaning - reasonable, a fair degree of, considerable.

38.stability (noun)

English Meaning - firmness, solidity, steadiness, secureness, strength.

39.consecutive (adjective)

English Meaning - successive.

40.clip (verb)

English Meaning - remove, cut, detach.

41.privilege (noun)

English Meaning - pleasure, source of pleasure, source of pride, source of satisfaction.

42.prompt (verb)

English Meaning - give rise to, bring about, cause, produce, result in, lead to.

43.stage (verb)

English Meaning - cause to happen.

44.wreak (verb)

English Meaning - cause, inflict, bring about (disaster/danger).

45.havoc (noun)

English Meaning - destruction, damage, disaster.

46.take up arms (phrase)

English Meaning - fight, clash; engage in a fight/conflict/war.

47.brink (noun)

English Meaning - edge/verge/end (of something).

48.civil war (noun)

English Meaning - a war between organized groups within the same state or country.

49.cripple (verb)

English Meaning - ruin, destroy, spoil; weaken, paralyse, disable.

50.so far (phrase)

English Meaning - until now, up to the present, up to this point.

51.cling on (to) (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - hold on to, hang on to, hold tightly grip, grasp, attach oneself to.

52.sheer (adjective)

English Meaning - complete, absolute, total, thorough, consummate.

53.repression (noun)

English Meaning - suppression, oppression, quelling, restraining/stifling.

54.sustainable (adjective)

English Meaning - acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable.

55.impoverished (adjective)

English Meaning - weakened, exhausted, drained, diminished, depleted.