Zarni
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Dr. Zarni is a prominent figure in activism for Burmese democracy. He lived in the United States where he founded the Free Burma Coalition, which, at the time, was the largest Burmese democracy group in the USA. The Free Burma Coalition picked up and led the Pepsi Boycott, from 1995 to 1997, one of the most successful boycotts in the history of Burmese democracy activism and comparable only to the campaigns against the oil companies, such as Unocal and Total.
In 2003, Zarni returned to Burma for a brief time. After his return to the United States, he announced that the policy of the Free Burma Coalition would change dramatically, from one of confronting the military junta, to one of encouraging engagement with the regime. As a result of Zarni's change in policy, almost all members the Free Burma Coalition and both staff members left to found the US Campaign for Burma, which maintains the original policies of the Free Burma Coalition of supporting the Burmese democracy movement and putting political and economic pressure on the ruling military junta.
Many have questioned Zarni's motives. In 2006, Zarni, members of the military junta, and junta supporters were listed in a publication circulated within Burma as "enemies of the democracy movement." Zarni continues to espouse his views within academic and political analyst circles.
