State Peace and Development Council
Encyclopedia
The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma (also known as Myanmar), which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe
signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council.
From 1988 to 1997, the SPDC was known as State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). It replaced the role of Burma Socialist Programme Party
(BSPP). In 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The powerful regional military commanders, who were members of SLORC, were promoted to new positions and transferred to the capital. The new regional military commanders were not included in the membership of the SPDC.
The SPDC consists of eleven senior military officers (six of whom have retired and no longer play any role in decision-making). The members of the junta wield a great deal more power than the cabinet ministers, who are more junior military officers, or civilians. (The exception is the Defence Ministry portfolio, which was in the hands of junta leader Than Shwe
himself.)
Although the regime has retreated from the totalitarian Burmese Way to Socialism
of BSPP, the regime is widely accused of human rights abuses. It has rejected the 1990 election results
and kept Aung San Suu Kyi
under house arrest until the thirteenth of November 2010. The council was officially dissolved on March 30, 2011, with the inauguration of the newly elected government.
(later self-promoted to 'Senior General' Saw Maung, died July 1997), seized power on 18 September 1988 crushing the 'Four Eights Uprising'
. On the day it seized power SLORC issued Order No.1/1988 stating that the Armed Forces had taken over power and announced the formation of the SLORC. With Order No. 2/1988, the SLORC abolished all 'Organs of State Power' that were formed under the 1974 Burmese Constitution
. The Pyithu Hluttaw (the Legislature
under the 1974 Constitution), the Council of Ministers
(the Cabinet), the Council of People's Justices (the Judiciary
), the Council of People's Attorneys
(the 'Attorney-General Office'), the Council of People's Inspectors (the 'Auditor-General Office'), as well as the State/Region, Township, Ward/Village People's Councils were abolished.
The SLORC also stated that the services of the Deputy Ministers in the previous Burma Socialist Programme Party
(BSPP) government which it replaced were also terminated. (Under the 1974 Burmese Constitution the 'Council of Ministers' acted as a Cabinet but since the Deputy Ministers were not considered to be formally part of the Council of Ministers, the SLORC made sure that the Deputy Minister's – together with the Ministers' – services in the previous BSPP government from whom it had taken over power were also terminated.) The Orders that SLORC issued on the day of its takeover can be seen in the 19 September 1988 issue of The Working People's Daily. The first Chairman of SLORC was General Saw Maung
, later Senior General, who was also the Prime Minister
. He was removed as both Chairman of SLORC and Prime Minister on 23 April 1992 when General Than Shwe
, later Senior General, took over both posts from him.
On 15 November 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Most but not all members of the abolished SLORC were in the SPDC military regime.
, Amnesty International
, Human Rights Watch
, have made a variety of serious accusations against the SPDC. Reports by these organizations as well as the United Nations
and Karen Human Rights Group
have alleged human rights abuses taking place in Burma, including:
, when millions of Burmese marched throughout the country calling for an end to military rule. Soldiers shot hundreds of protesters and killed an estimated 3,000 people in the following weeks. During the August and September demonstrations of 2007
, at least 184 protesters were shot and killed and many were tortured. The army continues to engage in military offensives against ethnic minority populations, committing acts that violate international humanitarian law
.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2007/11/01/plight-child-soldiers-burma the Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/content/myanmar and Amnesty International
.
The UN Secretary-General has named the SPDC in four consecutive reports for violating international standards prohibiting the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Children and Armed Conflict, Report of the Secretary-General, 26 October 2006 UN Doc. A/61/529 S2006/826.
http://protection.unsudanig.org/data/child/Security_Council_children/SG%20report%20on%20Children%20and%20Armed%20Conflict%202006.pdf
Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in
Myanmar to the Security Council, 16 November 2007, UN Doc. S/2007/666.http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/574/91/PDF/N0757491.pdf?OpenElement
Report of the Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict to the UN Security Council, 21 December 2007, UN Doc. A/62/609-S/2007/757.
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/656/04/PDF/N0765604.pdf?OpenElement
Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed
conflict in Myanmar 1 June 2009 UN Doc. S/2009/278 http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/350/00/PDF/N0935000.pdf?OpenElement
has reported http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/04/29/i-want-help-my-own-people-0 that since Cyclone Nargis
in May 2008, the Burmese authorities have expelled hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced persons from schools, monasteries, and public buildings, and encouraged them to return to their destroyed villages in the Irrawaddy Delta
. The authorities emptied some public buildings and schools to use as polling
stations for the May 24 referendum
on a new constitution
, despite pleas from United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
to postpone the referendum and focus their resources on humanitarian relief. Since then, the SPDC has evicted people from dozens of government-operated tented relief camps in the vicinity of the former capital Yangon
, ordering the residents to return to their homes, regardless of the conditions they face.
The forced evictions are part of government efforts to demonstrate that the emergency relief period is over and that the affected population is capable of rebuilding their lives without foreign aid. People forced from their homes by Cyclone Nargis are considered to be internally displaced persons under international law. Under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Burmese government should ensure the right of “internally displaced persons to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, or to resettle voluntarily in another part of the country.”
withdrew Burma's trade privileges because of the prevalence of forced labor and other abuses. The same year, the ILO established a Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of forced labour, coming up with a damning report the following year.
(NLD) took place, which critics say was a pre-emptive measure before the crackdown.
Mass round-ups occurred during the crackdown itself, and the authorities continued to arrest protesters and supporters throughout 2007. Between 3,000 and 4,000 political prisoner
s were detained, including children and pregnant women, 700 of whom were believed still in detention at year’s end. At least 20 were charged and sentenced under anti-terrorism legislation
in proceedings which did not meet international fair trial standards. Detainees and defendants were denied the right to legal counsel.
Than Shwe
Senior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...
signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council.
From 1988 to 1997, the SPDC was known as State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). It replaced the role of Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party was formed by the Ne Win's military regime that seized power in 1962 and was the sole political party allowed to exist legally in Burma during the period of military rule from 1964 until its demise in the aftermath of the popular uprising of 1988.-History:The BSPP...
(BSPP). In 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The powerful regional military commanders, who were members of SLORC, were promoted to new positions and transferred to the capital. The new regional military commanders were not included in the membership of the SPDC.
The SPDC consists of eleven senior military officers (six of whom have retired and no longer play any role in decision-making). The members of the junta wield a great deal more power than the cabinet ministers, who are more junior military officers, or civilians. (The exception is the Defence Ministry portfolio, which was in the hands of junta leader Than Shwe
Than Shwe
Senior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...
himself.)
Although the regime has retreated from the totalitarian Burmese Way to Socialism
Burmese Way to Socialism
The Burmese Way to Socialism refers to the ideology of the Socialist regime in Burma, from 1962 to 1988, when the 1962 coup d'état was led by Ne Win and the military to remove U Nu from power...
of BSPP, the regime is widely accused of human rights abuses. It has rejected the 1990 election results
Burmese general election, 1990
General elections were held in Burma on 27 May 1990, the first multi-party elections since 1960, after which the country had been ruled by a military dictatorship...
and kept Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
under house arrest until the thirteenth of November 2010. The council was officially dissolved on March 30, 2011, with the inauguration of the newly elected government.
History
SLORC was formed when the Burmese Armed Forces, commanded by General Saw MaungSaw Maung
Senior General Saw Maung was the founder of the State Peace and Development Council in Myanmar. He served as their Chairman from 1988 to 1992.-Early life and career:...
(later self-promoted to 'Senior General' Saw Maung, died July 1997), seized power on 18 September 1988 crushing the 'Four Eights Uprising'
8888 Uprising
The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests was a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma...
. On the day it seized power SLORC issued Order No.1/1988 stating that the Armed Forces had taken over power and announced the formation of the SLORC. With Order No. 2/1988, the SLORC abolished all 'Organs of State Power' that were formed under the 1974 Burmese Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. The Pyithu Hluttaw (the Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
under the 1974 Constitution), the Council of Ministers
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
(the Cabinet), the Council of People's Justices (the Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
), the Council of People's Attorneys
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
(the 'Attorney-General Office'), the Council of People's Inspectors (the 'Auditor-General Office'), as well as the State/Region, Township, Ward/Village People's Councils were abolished.
The SLORC also stated that the services of the Deputy Ministers in the previous Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party was formed by the Ne Win's military regime that seized power in 1962 and was the sole political party allowed to exist legally in Burma during the period of military rule from 1964 until its demise in the aftermath of the popular uprising of 1988.-History:The BSPP...
(BSPP) government which it replaced were also terminated. (Under the 1974 Burmese Constitution the 'Council of Ministers' acted as a Cabinet but since the Deputy Ministers were not considered to be formally part of the Council of Ministers, the SLORC made sure that the Deputy Minister's – together with the Ministers' – services in the previous BSPP government from whom it had taken over power were also terminated.) The Orders that SLORC issued on the day of its takeover can be seen in the 19 September 1988 issue of The Working People's Daily. The first Chairman of SLORC was General Saw Maung
Saw Maung
Senior General Saw Maung was the founder of the State Peace and Development Council in Myanmar. He served as their Chairman from 1988 to 1992.-Early life and career:...
, later Senior General, who was also the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. He was removed as both Chairman of SLORC and Prime Minister on 23 April 1992 when General Than Shwe
Than Shwe
Senior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...
, later Senior General, took over both posts from him.
On 15 November 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Most but not all members of the abolished SLORC were in the SPDC military regime.
Chairmen
- Senior General Saw MaungSaw MaungSenior General Saw Maung was the founder of the State Peace and Development Council in Myanmar. He served as their Chairman from 1988 to 1992.-Early life and career:...
(18 September 1988 – 23 April 1992) - Senior General Than ShweThan ShweSenior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...
(23 April 1992 – 30 March 2011)
Former members
Ordered by protocol:- Senior General Than ShweThan ShweSenior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...
, Chairman of the SPDC, Commander-in-ChiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of Defence ServicesDefense (military)Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy... - Vice Senior General Maung AyeMaung AyeVice-Senior General Maung Aye is the former Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council , which was until March 2011, the ruling military junta of Burma. Maung Aye was the second highest-ranking member of the SPDC....
, Deputy Chairman of the SPDC, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Commander-in-ChiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the ArmyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps... - Retired General Thura U Shwe MannShwe MannThura Shwe Mann is joint chief of staff of the Burmese Armed Forces, and was the third-highest ranking member of the State Peace and Development Council, after Than Shwe and Maung Aye. He graduated in 1969 from the Defence Services Academy, Intake 11. He was promoted to major in 1988...
, Former Joint Chief of Staff of the ArmyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, NavyNavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
and Air ForceAir forceAn air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or... - Retired General U Thein SeinThein SeinThein Sein is a Burmese politician and military figure who has been president of Myanmar since March 2011. Previously, he was Prime Minister from 2007 until 2011...
, Prime Minister and current PresidentPresident of BurmaThe President of Burma is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and leads the executive branch of the Burmese government, and heads the Cabinet of Burma. The president is elected by members of parliament, not by the general population. The Presidential... - Retired General U Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint OoTin Aung Myint OoGeneral Thihathura Tin Aung Myint Oo is one of the Vice Presidents of Myanmar. He is also chairman of Burmese Trade Council, having been appointed in November 2007 by Than Shwe, in response to Saffron Revolution demonstrations in October of that year, and Minister of Military Affairs.He graduated...
, Secretary-1 of the SPDC, Former Quartermaster GeneralQuartermaster generalA Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...
and current Vice PresidentVice President of BurmaThe Vice President of Burma also known as Vice President of Myanmar, is the second highest-ranking post in the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The office was established by the 2008 Burmese constitution and ranks directly after the President... - Major-General Ohn Myint, Chief of Bureau of Special Operation - 1 (Kachin StateKachin StateKachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
, Mandalay Region, Chin StateChin StateChin State is a state located in western Burma . The Chin State is bordered by Rakhine State in the south, Bangladesh in south-west, Sagaing Division and Magway Division in the east, Indian state of Manipur in the north and Indian state of Mizoram in the west. The Chin ethnic group make up the...
, Sagaing Region) - Lieutenant-General Min Aung Hlaing, Chief of Bureau of Special Operation - 2 (Shan StateShan StateShan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
, Kayah StateKayah StateKayah State is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately between 18° 30' and 19° 55' north latitude and between 94°40' and 97° 93' east...
) - Lieutenant-General Ko Ko, Chief of Bureau of Special Operation - 3 (Bago Region, Ayeyarwady Region)
- Lieutenant-General Tha Aye, Chief of Bureau of Special Operation - 4 (Karen State, Mon StateMon StateMon State is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is sandwiched between Kayin State on the east, the Andaman Sea on the west, Bago Region on the north and Tanintharyi Region on the south, and has a short border with Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province at its south-eastern tip. The land area is...
, Tanintharyi Region) - Lieutenant-General Myint SweMyint SweLieutenant General Myint Swe is an ethnic Mon military officer who is currently the Chief of Bureau of Special Operations - 5 and Quartermaster General. He is the first ethnic Mon to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. Myint Swe graduated from the Defence Services Academy in 1971 as...
, Chief of Bureau of Special Operation - 5 (Yangon Region) - Lieutenant-General Khin Zaw, Chief of Bureau of Special Operation -6 (Magwe Region, Rakhine StateRakhine StateRakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
) - Major-General Hla Htay Win, Chief of Armed Forces TrainingTrainingThe term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
- Retired Lieutenant-General U Tin Aye, Former Chief of Military Ordnance, Current Head of Election Council
- Lieutenant-General Thura Myint Aung, Adjutant GeneralAdjutant generalAn Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
Human rights abuses
Western Non-governmental Organizations, such as the Burma Campaign UKBurma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK founded in 1991 is a London based Non Governmental Organisation that aims to achieve the 'restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma . BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma in Europe...
, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, have made a variety of serious accusations against the SPDC. Reports by these organizations as well as the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and Karen Human Rights Group
Karen Human Rights Group
The Karen Human Rights Group is a grassroots Karen-led human rights organization, established in Karen State during 1992 and it is now operating across rural eastern Burma. Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the KHRG is recognized internationally as an authority on major issues such as...
have alleged human rights abuses taking place in Burma, including:
- Murder and arbitrary executions
- Torture and rape
- Recruitment of child soldiers
- Forced relocations
- Forced labor
- Political imprisonment
Murder
One of the worst incidents in Burma took place during the uprising of August 19888888 Uprising
The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests was a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma...
, when millions of Burmese marched throughout the country calling for an end to military rule. Soldiers shot hundreds of protesters and killed an estimated 3,000 people in the following weeks. During the August and September demonstrations of 2007
2007 Burmese anti-government protests
The 2007 Burmese anti-government protests were a series of anti-government protests that started in Burma on 15 August 2007...
, at least 184 protesters were shot and killed and many were tortured. The army continues to engage in military offensives against ethnic minority populations, committing acts that violate international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law
International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus that comprises "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It...
.
Recruitment of child soldiers
It has been alleged that the SPDC have forcibly recruited children - some as young as 10 - to serve in its army, the Tatmadaw. It is difficult to estimate the number of child soldiers currently in the Myanmar Army, but there are thousands, according to Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2007/11/01/plight-child-soldiers-burma the Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/content/myanmar and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
.
The UN Secretary-General has named the SPDC in four consecutive reports for violating international standards prohibiting the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Children and Armed Conflict, Report of the Secretary-General, 26 October 2006 UN Doc. A/61/529 S2006/826.
http://protection.unsudanig.org/data/child/Security_Council_children/SG%20report%20on%20Children%20and%20Armed%20Conflict%202006.pdf
Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in
Myanmar to the Security Council, 16 November 2007, UN Doc. S/2007/666.http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/574/91/PDF/N0757491.pdf?OpenElement
Report of the Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict to the UN Security Council, 21 December 2007, UN Doc. A/62/609-S/2007/757.
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/656/04/PDF/N0765604.pdf?OpenElement
Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed
conflict in Myanmar 1 June 2009 UN Doc. S/2009/278 http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/350/00/PDF/N0935000.pdf?OpenElement
Forced relocations
Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
has reported http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/04/29/i-want-help-my-own-people-0 that since Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis , was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma. The cyclone made landfall in Burma on Friday, May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,000 fatalities...
in May 2008, the Burmese authorities have expelled hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced persons from schools, monasteries, and public buildings, and encouraged them to return to their destroyed villages in the Irrawaddy Delta
Irrawaddy Delta
The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Ayeyarwady Region , the lowest expanse of land in Burma that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, 290 km to the south at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River...
. The authorities emptied some public buildings and schools to use as polling
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
stations for the May 24 referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on a new constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, despite pleas from United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
to postpone the referendum and focus their resources on humanitarian relief. Since then, the SPDC has evicted people from dozens of government-operated tented relief camps in the vicinity of the former capital Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, ordering the residents to return to their homes, regardless of the conditions they face.
The forced evictions are part of government efforts to demonstrate that the emergency relief period is over and that the affected population is capable of rebuilding their lives without foreign aid. People forced from their homes by Cyclone Nargis are considered to be internally displaced persons under international law. Under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Burmese government should ensure the right of “internally displaced persons to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, or to resettle voluntarily in another part of the country.”
Forced labor
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), forced labour continues to be widespread in Burma. It is imposed mainly by the military, for 'portering' (that is, carrying of provisions to remote bases, or on military operations), road construction, camp construction and repair, and for a range of other tasks. In March 1997, the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
withdrew Burma's trade privileges because of the prevalence of forced labor and other abuses. The same year, the ILO established a Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of forced labour, coming up with a damning report the following year.
Political imprisonment
Even before the large-scale demonstrations began in August 2007, the authorities arrested many well-known opponents of the government on political grounds, several of whom had only been released from prison several months earlier. Once the protests were underway but before the 25–29 September crackdown, more arrests of members of the opposition party National League for DemocracyNational League for Democracy
The National League for Democracy is a Burmese political party founded on 27 September 1988. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi serves as its General Secretary. The party won a substantial parliamentary majority in the 1990 Burmese general election. However, the ruling military junta...
(NLD) took place, which critics say was a pre-emptive measure before the crackdown.
Mass round-ups occurred during the crackdown itself, and the authorities continued to arrest protesters and supporters throughout 2007. Between 3,000 and 4,000 political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s were detained, including children and pregnant women, 700 of whom were believed still in detention at year’s end. At least 20 were charged and sentenced under anti-terrorism legislation
Anti-terrorism legislation
Anti-terrorism legislation designs various types of laws passed in the aim of fighting terrorism. They usually, if not always, follow specific bombings or assassinations...
in proceedings which did not meet international fair trial standards. Detainees and defendants were denied the right to legal counsel.