Politics of Myanmar

Politics of Myanmar (Burma) takes place in a framework of a 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 was not convened.

Political conditions

Historically, Burma was a monarchy ruled by various dynasties prior to the 1800s. The British colonised Burma in the late 1800s, and it was under the juridstiction of British Raj until 1937. On January 4 1948, Burma achieved independence from Britain, and became democracy based on the parliamentary system. However, in 1962, a coup d'état took place, and Burma, under the Burmese Way to Socialism and its leader Ne Win, attempted to convert itself into a socialist government. Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current Head of State is Senior General Than Shwe who holds the title of "Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council." His appointed prime minister was Khin Nyunt until 19 October 2004, when he was replaced by Gen. Soe Win. Almost all cabinet offices are held by military officers. US sanctions against the military government have been largely ineffective, due to loopholes in the sanctions and the willingness of mainly Asian business to continue investing in Myanmar and to initiate new investments, particularly in natural resource extraction. For example, the French oil company Total S.A. is able to buy Myanmar's oil despite the country being under sanctions, although Total (formerly TotalFinaElf) is the subject of a lawsuit in French and Belgian courts for alleged connections to human rights abuses along the gas pipeline jointly owned by Total, the American company Unocal, and the Myanmar military. The United States clothing and shoe industry could also be affected if all the sanctions loopholes were to be closed, although they were already subject to boycotts prior to US sanctions imposed in June of 2002. At the same time, the US-led sanctions are criticized by many for their adverse effects mainly on the civilian population rather than on the military rulers.

A government slogan at Mandalay Palace stating "Tatmadaw and the people, cooperate and crush all those harming the union."

The regime is accused of having an appalling human rights record and the human rights situation in the country is a subject of concern for a large number of international organizations. There is no independent judiciary in Myanmar and political opposition to the military government is not tolerated. Internet access is highly restricted.Times of India article detailing blocking of Google, Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail. The state uses software-based filtering from US company Fortinet to limit the materials citizens can access on-line, including free email services, free web hosting and most political opposition and pro-democracy pages.

In 1988, protests against economic mismanagement and political oppression were violently repressed; on August 8 of that year, the military opened fire on demonstrators in what has come to be known as the 8888 Uprising. Nonetheless, the 1988 protests paved way for the 1990 elections; these were however invalidated by the military. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose opposition party won 83% of parliamentary seats in a 1990 national election, but who was prevented from becoming prime minister by the military, has earned international praise as an activist for the return of democratic rule to Myanmar. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She has been repeatedly placed under house arrest, although in recent years the regime has been willing to enter into negotiations with her and her party, the National League for Democracy. She was placed under house arrest on May 31, 2003, following an attack on her convoy in northern Myanmar. Her house arrest was extended for yet another year in late November of 2005. Despite a direct appeal by Kofi Annan to Than Shwe and pressure from ASEAN, the Burmese government extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest another year on 27 May 2006.

The junta faces increasing international isolation. Burma's situation was referred to the UN Security Council for the first time in December 2005 for an informal consultation. ASEAN has also stated its frustration with Burma's government. However, with China and Russia supporting the junta, any dramatic change in the country's political situation seems unlikely.

Executive branch