Politics

The current politics of Myanmar (Burma) takes place in a framework of an authoritarian dictatorial republic which is controlled by the military (Tatmadaw) in the form of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). A parliamentary government was elected in 1990, but the military prevented it from convening.

Political Background

The Union of Myanmar (Burma) is a military regime. Elected delegates in the 1990 People's Assembly election formed the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), a government-in-exile since December 1990, with the mission of restoring democracy in the country. The NCGUB has been outlawed by the military junta.

The current Head of State is Senior General Than Shwe, who holds the posts of 'Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council' and 'Commander in Chief of the Defence Services'. General Khin Nyunt was prime minister until 19 October 2004, during which he was replaced by General Soe Win, after the purge of Military Intelligence sections within Myanmar Armed Forces. The majority of ministry and cabinet posts are held by military officers, with the exceptions being the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, posts which are held by civilians.

Major political parties are the National League for Democracy and the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, although their activities are heavily regulated by the regime. Many other parties, often representing the interests of ethnic minorities, do exist. However, there is little tolerance for political opposition, and many political parties have been outlawed. The National Unity Party represents the current government, and is supported by a mass organisation named the Union Solidarity and Development Association.

Protests in 1988 protests paved way for the 1990 People's Assembly elections, the results of which were subsequently invalidated by Senior General Saw Maung's regime. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won over 60% of the vote and over 80% of parliamentary seats in the 1990 election, the first held in 30 years. Aung San Suu Kyi has earned international praise as an activist for the return of democratic rule in Myanmar (Burma), winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She has been repeatedly placed under house arrest. Despite a direct appeal by former U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan to Senior General Than Shwe and pressure by ASEAN, the Burmese military junta extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest another year on 27 May 2006 under the 1975 State Protection Act, which grants the government the right to detain any persons de jure.

Human Rights

According to several organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the regime has a poor human rights record. There is no independent judiciary in Myanmar (Burma) and political opposition to the military government is not tolerated. Internet access is highly restricted through software-based filtering that limits the material citizens can access on-line, including most political opposition, pro-democracy web pages and pornography. Forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour are common.

Foreign Relations

The country's foreign relations, particularly with Western nations, have been strained. The United States has placed a targeted import ban, travel ban, and arms embargo on Myanmar (Burma), as well as frozen military assets in the United States due to the military regime's ongoing human rights abuses, the ongoing detention of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, and refusal to honour the election results of the 1990 People's Assembly election. Similarly, the European Union has placed embargoes on Myanmar (Burma), including an arms embargo, cessation of trade preferences, and suspension of all aid with the exception of humanitarian aid.

US and European government sanctions against the military government, coupled with boycotts and other direct pressure on corporations by western supporters of the Burmese democracy movement, have resulted in the withdrawal from Burma of most US and many European companies. However, several Western companies remain due to loopholes in the sanctions. For example, the French oil company Total S.A. operates the Yadana natural gas pipeline from Burma to Thailand despite the European Union's sanctions. Asian corporations have generally remained willing to continue investing in Myanmar (Burma) and to initiate new investments, particularly in natural resource extraction.

The junta faces increasing international isolation. The country's situation was referred to the UN Security Council for the first time in December 2005 for an informal consultation. In September 2006, ten of the United Nations Security Council's 15 members voted to place Burma on the council's formal agenda. On Independence Day, 3 January 2007, the government released 40 political prisoners, under a general amnesty, in which 2,831 prisoners were released. On 8 January 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the national government to free all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Three days later, on 11 January, five additional prisoners were released from prison.

ASEAN has also stated its frustration with the country's government. It has formed the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus to address the lack of democratisation in Myanmar. However, dramatic change in the country's political situation remains unlikely, due to support from major regional powers such as India, Russia and particularly China.

In January 2007, United States submitted a draft Security Council resolution, backed by Great Britain, in an effort to end political repression and human rights violations to United Nation Security Council. Belgium, France, Ghana, Italy, Panama, Peru, Slovakia, the UK and the US voted in favor of the resolution, while China and Russia vetoed, and South Africa voted against the resolution. Indonesia, Qatar, and the Republic of the Congo abstained. Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya stated that domestic problems in Myanmar were largely internal affairs, while Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that the issues would be better handled by other UN organs, such as the Human Rights Council and humanitarian agencies, rather than the Security Council. The Indonesian Ambassador, who abstained from the vote, deplored the situation in Myanmar, but said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), did not believe the problems in Myanmar were threats to security and peace in the region.

In the annual ASEAN Summit in January 2007, held in Cebu, the Philippines, member countries failed to find common ground on the issue of Myanmar's lack of political reform. During the summit, ASEAN foreign ministers asked Myanmar to make greater progress on its roadmap toward democracy and national reconciliation. Some member countries contend that Myanmar's human rights issues were domestic affairs of Myanmar, while others contend that Myanmar's poor human rights record is an international issue.

Military

Myanmar's armed forces are known as the Tatmadaw, which numbers 488,000. The Tatmadaw comprises the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the Air Force. Myanmar is ranked twelfth in the world in its number of active troops. The military is very influential in the country, with top cabinet and ministry posts held by military officers. Although official figures for Burmese military spending are not available, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in its annual rankings, ranked Myanmar in the top 15 military spenders in the world.