Changes

==History==

==History==

[[Britain]] conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its [[Indian Empire]]. Burma was administered as a province of [[India]] until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. General Ne Win dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and [[Nobel Peace Prize]] recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest, where she remains virtually incommunicado. In February 2006, the junta extended her detention for another year. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed.

[[Britain]] conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its [[Indian Empire]]. Burma was administered as a province of [[India]] until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. General Ne Win dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin.  

The current government lost the last election but refused to give up power. In September 2007, monks and other protesters paraded through the streets for over 9 days before the government ordered them to disperse.

Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and [[Nobel Peace Prize]] recipient [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest, where she remains virtually incommunicado. In February 2006, the junta extended her detention for another year. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed.

 

In September 2007, monks and other protesters paraded through the streets for over 9 days before the government ordered them to disperse.

It is severely censured by groups from [[ASEAN]] <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3085819.stm </ref> and [[Amnesty International]] <ref>http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/mmr-summary-eng</ref> for its [[human rights]] abuses, ranging from forced labour, to a campaign of oppression and what some claim amounts to [[genocide]]<ref>http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/Horton-2005.pdf</ref>.

It is severely censured by groups from [[ASEAN]] <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3085819.stm </ref> and [[Amnesty International]] <ref>http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/mmr-summary-eng</ref> for its [[human rights]] abuses, ranging from forced labour, to a campaign of oppression and what some claim amounts to [[genocide]]<ref>http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/Horton-2005.pdf</ref>.