A Commentated and Documented Chronology of the Monks' Demonstrations in Myanmar in 2007 and their Background...The account published here does hot and cannot claim to present the "true story" of what happened in August and September 2007 in Myanmar. The time span between the events and the writing about them is too short for an account putting the events into a proper historical perspective. Moreover, the emotional reactions to the events which are a little bit elaborated at the beginning of chapter 8 are on the one hand very appropriate given the dramatic nature of what happened. At the same time, they point to the limits an unbiased evaluation of the episode under review here. The main aim of this account, therefore, is to present some material which allows the reader with some interest in Myanmar to make up his own mind and to preserve some information, impressions and assessments which otherwise might get lost. Hopefully, the reader will share the opinion that the meaning of the monks' demonstrations can only be understood if one considers them as part of a global and extremely complex net of interdependences which defies simple judgements and that the people of Myanmar need not just sympathy but a thorough investigation into the causes of their problems as well which may be related to some of our own troubles....1 INTRODUCTION... 2 GLIMPSES INTO HISTORY: ECONOMICS, PROTESTS AND STUDENTS 2.0 From 1824 to 1988 - In Fast Motion 2.1 From 1988 to 2007... 3 FROM AUGUST 15 TO SEPTEMBER 5 3.0 Narration of Events 3.1 The Media 3.2 Summary and Open Questions... 4 PAKOKKU 4.0 Preliminary Remarks 4.1 Undisputed facts 4.2 On the Coverage of the Events - Media Reports 4.3 Summary and Disputed News 4.4 Interpretations, contexts and analogies 4.5 Open Questions 4.6 Conclusions... 5 THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA 5.1 Reflections on the Sources Taken from the Media 5.2 The Media 5.3 Conclusions... 6 THE MONKS' DEMONSTRATIONS - SEPTEMBER 18 TO SEPTEMBER 25 6.0 Preliminary Remarks 6.1 Undisputed Information 6.2 On the Coverage of the Events - Media Reports 6.3 Summary and Disputed Information 6.4 Interpretations, contexts and analogies 6.5 Open Questions 6.6 Conclusions... 7 MONKS, SOCIETY AND THE TURNOVER OF THE ALMS BOWL 7.1 The two Sides of the Alms Bowl 7.2 From Early Times to the End of the Burmese Kingdom 1885 7.3 The Colonial Period 7.4 After Independence 7.5 Conclusion... 8 CRACKDOWN AND SUPPRESSION 8.0 Preliminary Remarks 8.1 Undisputed Information 8.2 On the Coverage of the Events - Media Reports 8.3 Summary and Disputed Information 8.4 Interpretations, contexts and analogies 8.5 Open Questions 8.6 Conclusion: Two Pyrrhic Victories... 9 EPILOGUE 9.1 The Aftermath 9.2 Instead of a Conclusion... BIBLIOGRAPHY