Q&A | Myanmar demonstrations have roots that run deep

Questions and answers about the protests in Myanmar, also known as Burma:

Q: What touched off the current demonstrations?

A: The trigger was the military regime's huge increase in fuel prices, which caused the cost of public transport — used by most people in Myanmar — to also rise. But the protests also reflect long-standing discontent with the repressive military regime and were initiated by veteran pro-democracy activists.

Q: What do the demonstrators want?

A: The original demands were for the fuel price to be dropped again and other measures to ease people's economic burdens in one of Asia's poorest nations. But they also include apologies for mistreating monks during a demonstration. More importantly, they have broadened to include the release of all political prisoners including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. There is no official leadership of the protest movement, however, so the demands are not universally recognized.

Q: Why are monks involved and what role do they play in society?

A: Buddhist monks have traditionally spearheaded movements for social and political change, against British colonialism as well as postindependence military dictatorships. They were very active in a failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising, as well as 1990 protests that were put down over several months with raids on hundreds of pagodas and the arrests of hundreds of monks. Monks are revered by most of the nation's predominantly Buddhist population as the conscience of society.

Q: Will the military government heed international pressure? Who has leverage on the junta and why?

A: Myanmar's government so far has been able to shrug off harsh criticism and economic and political sanctions applied by the U.S. and other Western nations. It has survived by cultivating investment in its potentially vast oil and gas reserves. Neighboring China and India curry favor with the junta because of Myanmar's strategic location and resources. China is the regime's main ally, supplying the most aid and diplomatic muscle at international forums.

Q: What is the history of the U.S. in Myanmar?

A: To Americans, the country is best know for its role as a World War II theater that was a back road into China, with troops fighting in the jungle and pilots flying supply missions over the nearby Himalayas.

Q: What does Myanmar have that the world wants?

A: Myanmar's location on the Indian Ocean makes it a desirable outlet to the sea for its northern neighbor China. That fact makes it important for China's regional rival, India. The country is rich in natural resources, with offshore natural gas topping the list. But it also has valuable mineral deposits and is one of the world's biggest suppliers of gem stones. It is also a source of illicit drugs — second only to Afghanistan in the production of opium and its derivative, heroin, as well as a major exporter of methamphetamine.