Myanmar constitutional democracy workshop report
In May 2013, Dean Jeremy Webber was a speaker in a workshop on constitutional reform to support the transition to democracy in Myanmar (Burma). The project was led by the University of Sydney in Australia, with participation by several other universities including UVic (through the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives). The workshop was remarkably successful, with significant participation from government, opposition, ethnic minorities, and pro-democracy NGOs. The report of that project can be found here. It has led to many other invitations to the group. Follow-up meetings are planned for government and military representatives in Nay Pyi Daw (the new capital) and to policy-makers and NGOs generally in Yangon and Mandalay.
There has also been significant UVic student engagement in the transition in Myanmar. Two of our JD students, Laura Faryna and Mike Tallim, have worked in Myanmar as part of a UVic Law Co-op placement. We have a longstanding partnership with the Bangkok firm of Chandler & Thong-ek, which hires several Co-op students each year. The firm is involved in laying the foundations of the legal sector in Myanmar. Our students were part of that effort.