Burma 2011: Still a Military Dictatorship

By Altsean Burma • March 24, 2011

Despite the convening of the newly elected Parliament, Burma’s ‘democratically-elected’ regime is nothing more than a disguised version of the military dictatorship that has ruled Burma for the past five decades.

The military-dominated Parliament has placed high-ranking SPDC officials at the top of the country’s political system. In addition, SPDC Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe ensures he will continue to “guide” Burma’s politics by naming himself the leader of a newly created State Supreme Council.

In ethnic nationality areas, the situation continues to deteriorate. The SPDC is targeting ceasefire groups that have rejected the junta’s Border Guard Force (BGF) scheme. Armed conflict between the SPDC Army and these groups has already displaced tens of thousands of civilians.

Of particular concern is the situation of civilians in ethnic nationality areas where the regime is set to re-launch its atrocious and inhumane ‘four cuts’ campaign. This makes the establishment of a CoI extremely urgent. The creation of a CoI has a strong preventive value because it can hold the regime accountable for human rights abuses, deter future violations, promote respect for the rule of law, and obtain justice for the victims of these crimes.

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