Asia and Oceania

BURMA OR MYANMAR

TRAVEL

We have drawn attention to the views of Burma's democratic leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who have in the past argued that tourism to Burma should be discouraged for the economic benefits it brings to the regime. Their recent views are unknown. Burmese tourism officials are included in the EU travel ban imposed on Burma. We would urge anyone who may be thinking of visiting Burma on holiday to consider carefully whether, by their actions, they are helping to support the regime.

Travel Advice Burma

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$16.3 billion (2007 EIU estimate)
GDP per head: US$ 334  (estimate-07)
GDP (PPP) per head: US$ 436
Annual Growth: 3.4% (2007 estimate)
Inflation: 39% (2007 estimate)
Major Industries: Agriculture 50%, Industrial 15%, Services 35% (2007 estimate)
Major trading partners: Thailand, China, Singapore, India
Exchange Rate: £1= kyats  2114.5 (at free market rate), kyats 11.10 (at official rate) (in 2008)

As a result of economic mismanagement, and despite substantial natural resources, Burma is a poor country. Fundamental problems in the economy remain unresolved, and the macroeconomic situation remains unstable. The banking sector is fragile and the small private sector struggles with an unpredictable policy environment and a multitude of market distortions.  Inflation remains high.

Despite inflation, structural rigidities, weak economic policies, and low investment the Burmese economy is thought to be growing (although at a much lower rate than Burmese official figures) largely due to growth of gas exports.
However, unless a comprehensive programme of stabilisation and reform is undertaken, prospects for sustainable growth remain bleak and social indicators will continue their downward slide.

In October 2006 the Financial Action Task Force removed Burma from its list of non-cooperative countries citing the progress made in implementing anti money laundering systems. There have also been efforts to tackle corruption in some areas including the customs service.

HISTORY

During WWII, Burma was the site of heavy fighting between the Japanese and the Allied forces. In 1948, Burma gained independence from the British. General Aung San, the leader of Burma’s Independence movement, assassinated in 1947, is still regarded as the father of the nation. Military governments have ruled Burma since 1962.

Throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s the so-called "Burmese path to socialism" caused economic stagnation and isolation from the international community. In 1988, public discontent over mounting economic chaos caused Ne Win to resign, but public order could not be restored. On the eighth of August 1988 hundreds of thousands of people nation wide marched to demand the BSPP (Burma Socialist Programme Party) regime be replaced by an elected civilian government. Soldiers fired on crowds of unarmed protesters, killing thousands. In September 1988, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) took power and in a brutal crack-down to impose civil order, killed thousands of demonstrators and arrested many more.

In response to the people’s call for democracy, the SLORC pledged to hold elections. However, in the run-up to elections, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the most popular opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was placed under house arrest and many other senior NLD officials were jailed. A free vote took place on 27 May 1990. Of 485 parliamentary seats contested, the NLD won 392 (over 80%). Ethnic minority parties opposed to the SLORC won 65 more seats. The military regime refused to recognise the results claiming a new constitution must be passed before power could be handed over.  Many NLD leaders were imprisoned. Others fled the country and remain in exile.

In May 2003, supporters of the military authorities attacked Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy of NLD supporters in Depayin, central Burma. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into 'protective custody' by the regime and held incommunicado until September 2003, when she was moved to house arrest where she remains.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 13 out of the past 17 years in detention. She won the Nobel Peace Price in 1991. U Tin Oo, NLD Vice Chairman, was held in prison until February 2004 when he too was placed under house arrest.
NLD party offices, except the Rangoon headquarters, remain closed.

The military regime, renamed the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 1997, declared a ‘roadmap to democracy’ in 2003.  As part of the Roadmap a new constitution was drafted in 2007/8. A referendum was held on 10 May 2008 (delayed until 24 May in cyclone-hit areas). The government announced on 26 May 2008 that the constitution had been approved by 92.48% of the voters. Presidential and parliamentary elections are planned for 2010.

Timeline - Excel spreadsheet

Protests and the Crackdown: September 2007

Sudden fuel-price hikes in mid August 2007 sparked anti-government protests.  In September monks in Rangoon and other towns began peacefully marching the streets, chanting prayers, in protest at the mistreatment of monks by government officials in Pakokku, central Burma. Activists and public supporters joined the protests, which evolved into calls for wide reform, with tens of thousands marching.

On 26 September the military responded, establishing a curfew and beginning night time raids of monasteries,  beating and arresting monks and destroying property. On 27 September, several thousand civilians gathered in several locations in Rangoon. When the crowds refused to disperse the military and police troops threw smoke grenades and shot into the crowd. Official figures are that 15 were killed, but the true figure is likely to be higher. A Japanese journalist was among those killed.

The international community was swift and united in condemning the military government for the violent crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters.   The UN Secretary General's Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari visited Burma shortly after the crackdown and met separately with junta leader Senior General Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi.  The UN Security Council issued a Presidential Statement on 11 October 2007, which strongly deplored the use of violence against peaceful demonstrations.

Cyclone Nargis

Cyclone Nargis, a Category 4 cyclone, struck Burma’s Irrawaddy delta and townships in Rangoon, Mon and Karen states on 2nd and 3rd May 2008, leaving 140,000 dead or missing. The UN estimated that about 2.5 million people were affected by the cyclone.

Following the Cyclone the international community pressed the Burmese government to up the scale of the response and to accept the need for foreign aid workers to access the affected areas to increase the effectiveness of the support reaching the victims. On 25th May, an international pledging conference was held in Rangoon attended by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.  Following the conference a Burmese-UN-ASEAN coordination mechanism set in place to co-ordinate the aideffort.

 On 21^st July, a Post-Nargis Joint Assessment(PONJA) Report on the impact of the cyclone Nargis, compiled by a joint team ofthe ASEAN, Burmaand the United Nations, estimated the total damage and losses due to thecyclone at over 4 billion US dollars.

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9320.doc.htm

UN Security Council Statement: Presidential Statement, 14 November 2007

UN Security Council Statement: Presidential Statement, 11 October 2007

Reports of the Special Rapporteur

Human Rights

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) have passed successive resolutions condemning human rights violations in Burma. The UNHCR established a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma in 1992. The Special Rapporteur's reports have highlighted the gravity of the human rights situation.
The new UN  Special Rapporteur for Burma, Ojea Quintana  visited Burma in August 2008.

http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N08/494/69/PDF/N0849469.pdf?OpenElement

UK Development Assistance

British Aid to  Burma will total £57 million in 2008/09. This includes £45 million for emergency relief following Cyclone Nargis and £12 million of development & humanitarian assistance for non-Nargis support. The £12 million for the current year is part of an overall commitment since 2005/06 of more than £40 million to support poverty reduction in Burma. This includes:

• Three Diseases Fund (Malaria, HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis) - £20.1 million over five years
• Pre-school Education through Save the Children managed projects - £2.7 million (2006-2009)
• Support for UNICEF's basic education programme - £3.3 million
• Support for the UN Human Development Initiative programme - £4 million 
• Support for Burmese refugees in camps in Thailand and cross-border support to internally displaced people - £1.8 million

For more information on the DfID Burma programme please visit their website:

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/asia/burma.asp

Recent UK Statements on Burma

Burma - the British Response
Statement by International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander in the House of Commons (29/10/07)
Prime Minister's statement: People of Burma not forgotten (6/10/07)
International community needs to 'redouble its efforts' on Burma (26/09/2008
http://ukinburma.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/?view=News&id=6600165
Meg Munn 20th Anniversary of the 1988 Uprising : http://ukinburma.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/?view=Speech&id=5289671
Statement by Bill Rammell on Sentencing of democracy activist 11 November 2008
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=PressR&id=8986057
Foreign Secretary at ASEM 25 October 2008
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=News&id=8087065

GEOGRAPHY

Burma is the largest country in mainland South East Asia (678,500 square kilometres). Three mountain ranges exist within Burma, all of which run north-to-south from the Himalayas. The mountain chains divide Burma's three river systems, the Irrawaddy, Thanlwin and Sittang rivers. There are central lowlands along the Irrawaddy River culminating in a delta region by the sea. Much of Burma’s rich ecosystem, including the valuable growth of teak, has been lost to deforestation.

POLITICS

Recent Political Developments

The Ethnic Minorities

The Road Map

The first stage of the 7-step Road Map towards 'disciplined democracy', the National Convention, was completed without fanfare on 3 September 2007. There have been five sittings of the National Convention, held intermittently since May 2004. The National Convention, originally convened from 1993-1996 recommenced under the initiative of General Khin Nyunt in 2003. Despite the regime's determined commitment to the process, it has not been considered credible or inclusive by the opposition, ethnic ceasefire groups or the international community. Most of the 1080 delegates have been handpicked by the regime and have little independence. The NLD decided not to attend when it became clear the SPDC would not meet their conditions, which included the release of ASSK and Chairman U Tin Oo and the re-opening of NLD offices.

The Burmese military government in December 2007 formed a commission tasked with drawing up the draft constitution. The commission announced in mid February 2008 that the drafting process is completed.  

In early February 2008, the military government announced that it would hold a constitutional referendum in May this year to approve the draft constitution, followed by multi-party elections in 2010.

The referendum was held on 10 May in most parts of the country. The vote was delayed until 24 May in the cyclone-hit areas. The decision to continue as planned with the referendum was seen by the public as unsympathetic and wholly inappropriate. There was clear manipulation and tampering of the vote, including open ballots, intimidation, blackmail, and a clearly fabricated final result. The Government announced on 26 May that the Constitution had been approved.

Ethnic Minorities Ceasefires

The government claims they have negotiated ceasefire arrangements with 17 out of 18 of the armed groups. There are however arguably up to 40 armed groups. Some significant ceasefires have been agreed, such as with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Shan State Army - North (SSA-N), but there are non-ceasefire groups who are still fighting, albeit small scale and sporadically in localised areas. These include the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Karenni Army,the Shan State Army - South (SSA-S) and the Shan State National Army(SSNA).

Some ethnic minority groups have tried hard to be constructive with the regime, such as the Kachin Independence Organisation. The National Convention has proved an unsatisfactory process of engagement. Views within ethnic groups remain divided on whether to accept the Road Map as the only realistic chance for change or whether to return to fighting if the Constitution-drafting committee continues to ignore their demands for greater self-rule at state-level and better protection of ethnic autonomy.

Many cease-fire groups, under pressure from the regime, issued statements in the state-run newspapers, rejecting the statement made by Aung San Suu Kyi, which called for broad dialogue including with the ethnic nationalities of Burma, for national reconciliation.

Most of the cease-fire groups did not publicly stat their position on the recent referendum. Some, the New Mon State Party and Kachin Independent Organisation, are reported to have ordered their members not to vote.  

Protests and the Crackdown: September 2007

Sudden fuel-price hikes at the end of September sparked small-scale protests of up to 100 people, lead by the 1988 student leaders, whose political activity had slowly been on the rise since their release from prison in 2004. In late August more than 100 activists from the '88 student group and NLD youth members were arrested. Anger began to rise amongst the general population. There was a significant increase in the number of junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) members and government-paid thugs roaming the streets.

In early September, an impromptu protest by monks in Pakokku, central Burma, sympathising with people's growing economic hardship was mishandled by local authorities, who shot bullets over the monks' heads. The monks, in anger, held officials hostage and burnt government property. A statement was issued by the previously unknown Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks youth monks calling for an apology, the release of Aung San Su Kyi and demanding genuine political dialogue. One week later (on 18 September) monks in Rangoon and other towns began peacefully marching the streets, chanting prayers, and cheered by onlookers. Activists and public supporters soon followed and then participated and they quickly took on a more political overtone. The protest marches in Rangoon gained momentum and tens of thousands of monks and people took part in their peaceful marches in the following days.

The protests continued to grow for over a week, but on 26 September the regime finally acted, beating up monks as they gathered at the Shwedagon Pagoda, establishing a curfew and beginning night time raids of monasteries, brutally beating and arresting monks and destroying property.

On 27 September, several thousand civilians gathered in central Rangoon, although very few monks were to be seen (either arrested or guarded in their monasteries). When the crowds refused to disperse, the military and police troops threw smoke gas and shot into and above the crowd, in front of hundreds of local and foreign onlookers. Government sources say that 9 were killed and around 15 were injured but independent commentators fear the numbers were higher. A Japanese journalist was among those killed.

The International Community was swift and united in condemning the military government for the violent crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters. The UN special envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari came to Burma shortly after the crackdown and met with junta leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe and ASSK separately. After Gambari's first visit after the protests, some initial progress was  made. The regime appointed a liaison officer, Aung Kyi who has already met with ASSK for five times, and around half of the estimated 3000 prisoners have been released. However, the regime has been less prepared to cooperate with Gambari and their dialogue with Aung San Suu kyi was not continued. Mr. Gambari last visited Burma from 17 – 22 August.

Country information

Share this with:

• Delicious
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• StumbleUpon