President’s Inaugural Speech Fails to Inspire Hope in Burma’s New “Democracy”

On 30 March, Senior General Than Shwe officially dissolved the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to transfer authority to the nominally civilian parliament elected during the flawed November 2010 elections. However, the dissolution of the infamous SPDC has not led to the change that many inside and outside Burma had hoped to see.

“The now disbanded SPDC and the current government is one and the same. The military regime is transferring power to none other than themselves – how is that democratic progress?” stated Naing Aung, Secretary-General of the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) […]

No Real Change as Burma Swaps Military Rule For Civilian Parliament

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has warned that although Burma’s State Peace and Development Council has been officially disbanded, there is no prospect of true democratic reform for the country […]

History Repeats Itself In Burma – Dictatorship Rebrands Itself Again

Burma’s Dictator, Than Shwe, has today officially disbanded the State Peace and Development Council, the body through which Burma’s dictators have ruled the country since 1997. However, Burma Campaign UK today warned that dictatorship remains alive and well in Burma, guaranteed by a new Constitution and a new political infrastructure […]

A Strong EU Common Position is Needed to Prevent Further Crimes in Burma

The recent convening of Burma’s new parliament is merely a façade to hide ongoing serious crimes in Burma. It is essential that the European Union maintain its existing Common Decision on Burma to keep pressure on the Burmese regime […]

Demanding Stipulation of Minimum Wage Suited to Times

1. At present both the SPDC military regime and the USDP parliament are trying to attract massive amounts of foreign investment to enter Burma. Even now business firms from neighboring and regional countries are taking positions to enter Burma […]

Challenging Burma’s Military Deception in Geneva and Naypyidaw

Burma’s military regime continues to falsify and deny facts and attempt to fool the world with their distorted reality. Four days ago at the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Switzerland, nations challenged the SPDC delegation’s fictitious presentation and expressed disdain at Burma’s “alarming” human rights record. Now, with today’s opening of the first session of the parliament, Burma’s supporters must continue to challenge the regime’s false assertions about the current situation in Burma and confront the military with the hard truth: Burma’s citizens continue to suffer under repressive military rule, with poverty, human rights abuses, and ethnic oppression a daily reality for millions. The regime’s elections and new parliament do not mark progress or a credible transition to democracy […]

Burma’s 2010 Elections: A Comprehensive Report

A report released by the Burma Fund UN Office for the opening of Burma’s first Parliament, documents the widespread political repression and human rights abuses marring the electoral process in the country’s first elections in more than 20 years. It shows that none of the fundamental requirements for free and fair elections exist in Burma, and instead of heralding in positive change, the elections brought about a deepening of Burma’s human rights crisis […]

The Burma Fund UN Office Releases Comprehensive Election Report Documenting Widespread Political Repression and Human Rights Abuses

A report released by the Burma Fund UN Office for the opening of Burma’s first Parliament, documents the widespread political repression and human rights abuses marring the electoral process in the country’s first elections in more than 20 years. It shows that none of the fundamental requirements for free and fair elections exist in Burma, and instead of heralding in positive change, the elections brought about a deepening of Burma’s human rights crisis [..]

Thailand and Burma’s Civil Society Organizations Express Concern to the Royal Thai Government about the Safety of Burmese Civilians Seeking Shelter from the Escalation of Conflict in the Border Area

Armed conflict has broken out in several places along the Thai‐Burma border as a result of escalating tensions between the Burma’s military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and armed ethnic groups that refuse to surrender their arms or join the SPDC’s Border Guard Force[…]

Timely Report Documents the Transformation of Burma’s Military Regime’s Paramilitary Organization to Political Party

The Network for Democracy and Development (NDD) released a report today entitled, “Burma: A Violent Past to a Brutal Future; The Transformation of a Paramilitary Organization into a Political Party.” The report looks at the history of the junta-backed social organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), and its transformation to the political party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

The report’s release comes in the final week before the first elections in Burma in 20 years, polls that have been widely criticized as being not free or fair […]