Burma remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and faces a range of humanitarian challenges which are compounded by the absence of fundamental rights, and continued lack of progress towards democracy.

Military governments have ruled Burma since 1962. In 1988, pro-democracy protests were brutally crushed by the military. Thousands of demonstrators were killed. In 1990 national elections were held and the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won the elections with an overwhelming majority. The result was ignored by the regime.

The military government has since pursued what it calls its ‘7 step roadmap to democracy’. In May 2008 it held a referendum on a new constitution and plans to hold elections in 2010. The process however, appears designed to entrench military rule, excluding the opposition and ethnic groups and maintaining sweeping powers for the military.

Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. She has been detained for more than 13 of the last 19 years.

Sentencing

Aung San Suu Kyi and her two companions were arrested on 14 May 2009 and sentenced to 18 months house arrest on the Tuesday 11 August 2009. The UN and EU have already condemned her trial and detention as unlawful. We believe this is a political sentence designed to prevent her from taking part in the elections the regime planned for 2010.

There has been strong international condemnation at the verdict, including from the UN Secretary General and the EU. The Prime Minister is said that he was both 'saddened and angry' at the verdict. We will continue to press for her release.

UK and Burma

The UK has been working for many years to secure the release of all political prisoners, a credible transition to democracy and respect for human rights in Burma.

In response to the brutal crackdown of peaceful protests in autumn 2007, the Security Council set out three clear demands for progress:

• the release of all political prisoners
• the start of credible talks between the regime, the opposition and the ethnic groups, and 
• full co-operation with the UN.

For more on the current situation in Burma, view the FCO's Annual Report on Human Rights 2008 [PDF, 5.73MB, 194 pages]

Current concerns

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Leader of the National League for Democracy, was arrested on the morning of Thursday 14 May 2009, and charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest, following the intrusion by an individual into the compound where she had been detained.

The international community has widely condemned Ms Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest. We have strongly urged Burma’s leaders to step back from such counter-productive steps, releasing Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and set Burma on a path to stability and prosperity. We believe that elections in 2010 can have no credibility while political prisoners are held in this way.

Detention of political prisoners

It is estimated that over 2,100 political prisoners remain in detention. The regime has resisted all calls for an accurate accounting of those held, and the International Committee of the Red Cross has not been permitted to visit any political prisoners since 2005.

Discrimination of ethnic minorities

Many ethnic minority communities and religious groups in Burma are discriminated against, through failure to protect or respect their cultures and languages, and their inability to practise non-Buddhist religions.

In the west of the country the Muslim Rohingya face a range of restrictions on their freedom to travel, marry, work, study, gather food or practise their faith.

The Burmese army's regular campaigns in Karen State have left many villages destroyed, causing a significant level of internal displacement.

The UK Government emphasises regularly to the Burmese regime the need for the full and fair participation of ethnic nationalities in the political process as key to a durable solution to Burma's problems.

Providing humanitarian relief

On 2 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta area and Rangoon, killing some 130,000 people and left thousands more without shelter, land, or any source of food or income. The Department for International Development (DFID)’s £45 million contribution to the relief effort was one of the largest contributions of any donor country. Read more about the FCO and DfIDs work in our Cyclone Nargis: one year on case study.

In addition to the £45 million committed to relief efforts after Cyclone Nargis, DFID has recently announced that it will increase humanitarian aid to the Burmese people by £10 million in each of the next two financial years, taking us to £25 million in 2009-10, and £28 million the following year. This assistance will focus on fighting the killer diseases of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, helping poor rural families improve their income-earning capacity, supporting Burmese refugees in Thailand and others displaced by conflict in Burma.