Page 87 - Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

It wasn’t until 1993 that the Constitutional Assembly was allowed to meet, and in the end they
could not overcome the restrictions set by the military; the assembly was dissolved in 1996
without having created a constitution. It was not reconvened until 2005, but major pro-
democratic groups like the NLD were barred from participating, and once again the assembly
failed to produce a constitution.

Recent History
On May 10, 2008 the government held a referendum on the constitution, which many
international observers questioned, especially since it was held in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.
The cyclone had hit the Irrawaddy and Rangoon areas on May 2 and May 3, causing extensive
damage and loss of life. It is considered the worst natural disaster in Burma’s history. Burma’s
government was widely criticized by the international community for holding the referendum
only one week later. In addition, the government created many delays and complications in
delivering humanitarian aid, actions that were also strongly criticized.

Although the 2010 election results were largely pro-government, the release of Aung San Suu
Kyi in 2010, and her open participation in the 2012 elections (she won a seat in Parliament)
signaled a major change in Burmese politics. President Barack Obama visited with Aung San
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Burma in 2014.

Malaysia

Facts & Figures
• Area: 126,895 square miles

• Capital: Kuala Lumpur

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Tamil are also spoken.

• Ethnicities: Malay 50.1%, Chinese 22.6%, indigenous 11.8%, Indian 6.7%, other 0.7%,
non-citizens 8.2%

• Location: In Southeastern Asia, bordering Thailand, Vietnam, and the South China Sea;
shares the island of Borneo with Brunei and Indonesia.

• Geography: Mainland Malaysia is on a peninsula that juts out from Thailand towards the
Indonesian islands; it also includes part of the island of Borneo. The country is roughly
the same size as New Mexico. The terrain is mostly coastal plains, rising into hills and
tropical rain forests, with some mountains. The highest peaks are in the Crocker Range
on Borneo Island.

• Population: 30,949,962

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