Burma is a country of extraordinary beauty: Its people, the landscape, the culture. And yet, it is disfigured and scarred by one of the cruelest regimes in the world. The people of Burma need your help. Here's some background . . .

Politics

In 1990, National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected Prime Minister under UN sanctioned elections. After winning 85% of the popular vote, she was imprisoned by the ruling military junta. The junta also imprisoned approximately 1,600 political reformers, including 38 elected members of parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi and others remain in custody today.

Overwhelming, the military defies the will of the people. The illegitimate junta renamed itself the State Peace and Democratic Council (SPDC) in the 1990's. Since 1992, Than Shwe and a core group of top generals have led the SPDC.

Human Rights

''I am deeply concerned about the serious human rights violations that continue to be committed by the armed forces in the ethnic minority areas. The violations include extrajudicial and arbitrary executions (not sparing women and children), rape, torture, inhuman treatment, forced labor and denial of freedom of movement.' - Former UN Official

* The junta is responsible for significant crimes against ethnic minorities.
* Rape is used as a weapon of war (an allegation upheld by the US State Department).
* Landmines are widely used, killing more people in Burma in 2002 than any other country in the world.
* Millions of Burmese have been pressed into forced labor. The International Labor Organization calls this "a modern form of slavery".

Child Soldiers

'Military recruiters are literally buying and selling children to fill the ranks of the Burmese armed forces.' - Jo Becker, children's rights advocates for Human Rights Watch

According to Human Rights Watch, at 70,000 kids, Burma boasts the highest number of child soldiers on Earth.

Economics

Burma was at one time coined the 'Rice Bowl of Asia'. The nation is resource rich:

* It is the world's leading exporter of teak.
* Burma is a principal harvester of jade, pearls, rubies and sapphires.
* The nation controls vast reserves of oil and natural gas.
* The Delta region is home to some of the best farmland on the planet.

Despite the concentration of natural resources, Burma is severely mismanaged:

* The majority of the people remain impoverished.
* The nation has lapsed into third world status.
* Food and gas prices are absurd, and unemployment is at an all time high.
* Private enterprise is suppressed and there is virtually no free market.
* At 51% ownership, the SPDC has majority control of all new businesses.

Health Care

The government spends .04% on health care. This stands in contrast to an estimated 70% of government funds expended on the military.

Narcotics

Burma is the world's second largest producer of opium, only second to Afghanistan. It is Southeast Asia's largest producer of methamphetamines, exacerbating political friction between the SPDC and ethnic groups.

It is widely believed that the Burma Army uses drug money to fund its military, oppression and exploitation practices.

Military

The Burma Army . . .

* boasts nearly 500,000 combat troops.
* is the12th largest military force on the planet.
* spends roughly 70% of the national budget on military expenditure.
* has 0 (zero) external enemies.
* utilizes its military might to exploit its citizens and the country's natural resources.
* has razed more than 3,200 villages and displaced over 1.5 million people, mostly farmers. These people are mainly hiding from the army in the hills and jungles in the east and north.
* actively continues to burn ethnic homes and food stores, murder innocent civilians and defy the world.

Geography

Burma is the 40th largest country in the world and is populated by approximately 48,000,000 people. It is positioned between India, China, Laos and Thailand. (Wikipedia, 2008)

Modern History

Britain - Britain conquered Burma in 1886. Independence from the British Commonwealth was attained in 1948. A coup led by General Ne Win took place in 1962. Ne Win dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin.

Student Protests - In 1988, thousands of student leaders took to the streets seeking democratic elections. Their peaceful protests were ceased by the batons, tear gas, guns, and tanks of the junta. Thousands of students were killed, the leaders were imprisoned and tortured, and the movement was crushed.

Free Elections - Multiparty legislative elections took place in 1990. The opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory. However, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned again. In May 2003, she was transferred to house arrest.

Monk Protests - After Burma's ruling junta in August 2007 unexpectedly increased fuel prices, tens of thousands of Burmese marched in protest, led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks. In late September 2007, the government brutally suppressed the protests, killing hundreds of civilians and monks, and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations.

Democracy Suppressed - Since then, the regime has continued to raid homes and monasteries and arrest persons suspected of participating in the pro-democracy protests. The junta appointed Labor Minister Aung Kyi in October 2007 as liaison to Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest and virtually incommunicado with her party and supporters.

Cyclone Nargis - On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Delta Region. The storm devastated millions of acres of farmland and leveled hundreds of communities. Conservative estimates are that between 100,000 and 200,000 people perished. The survivors needed urgent, immediate aid. The international community responded, but the SPDC closed their borders and prevented aid from reaching the populations in need. This resulted in the unnecessary death of thousands upon thousands of more people. (World Fact Book on Burma, 2008)

Information gathered from the following sources:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma
The World Fact Book on Burma - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html
Human Rights Watch - http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/10/31/burma17178.htm