Burma

Pyi-daung-zu Myan-ma Naing-ngan-daw
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Capital:	Pyinmana
Official Language:	Burmese
Population:	48,798,000 (2007)
Land area:	261,227 sq. mi.
Government:	Military dictatorship
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council:	Than Shwe
Prime Minister:	Soe Win
Acting Prime Minister:	Thein Sein

Burma (or Myanmar) is a country in southeast Asia run by a pro-China military Junta widely condemned for human rights abuses.

The new regime renamed the country Myanmar and moved the capital from Rangoon to Pyinmana in remote mountain region. The United States and Great Britain have never recognized the Junta's renaming of the country on the grounds it is not the legally constituted government.

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.

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 and Amnesty International for its human rights abuses, ranging from forced labour, to a campaign of oppression and what some claim amounts to genocide.

The country contains most of the Karen people, an ethnic group which has been fighting for independence since 1949.

Economy

Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Lacking monetary or fiscal stability, the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including rising inflation, fiscal deficits, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, a distorted interest rate regime, unreliable statistics, and an inability to reconcile national accounts to determine a realistic GDP figure. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions in August 2003 against Burma - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. Further, a poor investment climate hampers attracting outside investment slowing the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber with the latter especially causing environmental degradation. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of 2006, the largest private banks operate under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment, exports, and tourism.

Human trafficking

Burma is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for sexual exploitation, domestic service, and forced commercial labor; a significant number of victims are economic migrants who wind up in forced or bonded labor and forced prostitution; to a lesser extent, Burma is a country of transit and destination for women trafficked from China for sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of persons occurs primarily for labor in industrial zones and agricultural estates; internal trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation occurs from villages to urban centers and other areas; the military junta's economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and policy of using forced labor are driving factors behind Burma(Myanmar)'s large trafficking problem. Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.

Illicit drugs

Burma remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2005 of 380 metric tons, up 13% from 2004 and cultivation in 2005 was 40,000 hectares, a 10% increase from 2004; the decline in opium production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control was more than offset by increases in south and east Shan state; lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall anti drug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption; currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2005).

Political Unrest/Democracy Movement

Ongoing pro-Democracy riots continue to grip Burma, with widespread involvement of the Buddhist Clergy. President George W. Bush Thursday condemned the Myanmar government's crackdown on protesters and urged China to use its influence in the region to find a peaceful end to the standoff.

"The world is watching the people of Burma take to the streets to demand their freedom, and the American people stand in solidarity with these brave individuals. We feel admiration and compassion for the Monks and peaceful protesters calling for democracy," President Bush said. The Bush Administration has reacted swiftly to support the growing demands for Democracy by passing tough trade sanctions and credit restrictions against the Burmese regime. President Bush called for all supporters of Democracy to offer prayers for the Burmese people.

Security forces swept through Myanmar's main city Thursday, killing nine people including a Japanese journalist, and arresting hundreds more in a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.

News & World Report) [1] (Breitbart.com) Street Journal)

Relations with China

China has provided Burma with substantial military, economic, and infrastructure development assistance. According to a reported internal Department of Defense (DOD) document, China is building naval bases in Burma that will give China its only access to the Indian Ocean. These close relations are one explanation the Peoples Republic of China on January 12, 2007, vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution criticizing Burma’s human rights record. The veto was only the fifth that China has ever exercised in the U.N. Security Council.