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| Home » Myanmar Facts » Myanmar Government
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| DESTINATION MYANMAR |
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| To help you plan a holiday in Myanmar, we provide the complete travel fact resource. Whether you are looking for geography, climate, government, economy, people , religion, language , literature, custom, festivals, costumes, music, handicrafts or architecture of Myanmar. You will get all and more by clicking the sections below. |
| MYANMAR FACT INDEX |
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The Union of Myanmar is a military regime. Elected delegates in the 1990 People's Assembly election formed the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), a government-in-exile in December 1990, with the mission of restoring democracy in Myanmar. Sein Win, a first cousin of Aung San Suu Kyi, is the NCGUB's current prime minister. However, NCGUB has very few powers and has been outlawed in Myanmar. The current Head of State is Senior General Than Shwe, who holds the title of "Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council." He holds all key powers, including the power to remove ministers and cabinet members, and makes major decisions in international politics. Khin Nyunt was prime minister until 19 October 2004, during which he was replaced by General Soe Win, who has close ties to Than Shwe. The majority of ministry and cabinet posts are held by military officers, with the exceptions being the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, posts which are held by civilians.
Major political parties in Myanmar are the National League for Democracy and the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, although their activities are heavily regulated by the regime. Many other parties, often representing the interests of ethnic minorities do exist. There is little tolerance for political opposition, and many parties have been outlawed. The National Unity Party represents the military, and is supported by a mass organisation named the Union Solidarity and Development Association. According to several organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the regime has a poor human rights record. There is no independent judiciary in Myanmar and political opposition to the military government is not tolerated. Internet access is highly restricted through software-based filtering that limits the material citizens can access on-line, including most political opposition and pro-democracy web pages. Forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour are common, and political dissent is not tolerated.
In 1988, the Burmese army violently repressed protests against economic mismanagement and political oppression. On 8 August 1988, the military opened fire on demonstrators in what is known as 8888 Uprising. However, the 1988 protests paved way for the 1990 People's Assembly elections. The election results were subsequently invalidated by the regime. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won over 60% of the vote and over 80% of parliamentary seats in the 1990 election, the first held in 30 years. Aung San Suu Kyi has earned international praise as an activist for the return of democratic rule in Myanmar, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She has been repeatedly placed under house arrest. Despite a direct appeal by Kofi Annan to Than Shwe and pressure by ASEAN, the Burmese military junta extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest another year on 27 May 2006 under the 1975 State Protection Act, which grants the government the right to detain any persons de jure. The junta faces increasing international isolation. Myanmar's situation was referred to the UN Security Council for the first time in December 2005 for an informal consultation. In September 2006, 10 of the United Nations Security Council’s 15 members voted to place Burma on the council's formal agenda.
ASEAN has also stated its frustration with Myanmar's government. It has formed the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus to address the lack of democratisation in Myanmar. Dramatic change in the country's political situation remains unlikely, due to support from major regional powers, in particular China.
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