About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 [1] (November 7, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/govergy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con res tin I fles~ inf , in I le i I live d b~ 3rch Servon '.1914 Updated November 7, 2024 Burma: Background and Issues for Congress Over ew Burma (also known as Myanmar) is a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation of 57.5 million that has been under some degree of military rule since 1962 and under an authoritarian military junta since a February 2021 coup d'6tat. The coup ended a decade-long period of partial democratization and ushered in a broad nationwide conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), displaced 2.6 million. More than three years after the coup, the military (commonly known as the Tatmadaw) is fighting several ethnic armed groups on Burma's periphery as well as recently formed anti-junta militias across much of the country. Anti-junta activists overseas, including members of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD), the political party of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, have created a shadow government called the National Unity Government (NUG), and seek diplomatic recognition. In 2023, the NUG opened an office in Washington, DC. Congress has taken considerable interest in Burma since a democratic movement rose there in the late 1980s. In the 117th Congress, the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA 2023; P.L. 117-263) included provisions related to the 2021 coup that had been part of the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act (BURMA Act; H.R. 5497/S. 2937), passed by the House of Representatives on April 6, 2022. The FY2023 NDAA states that it is U.S. policy to support the people of Burma in their struggle for democracy, freedom, human rights, and justice and authorizes additional sanctions and non-lethal, technical assistance to resistance groups, among other provisions. Congress also has appropriated resources to provide humanitarian assistance and promote democracy and human rights in Burma. H stor ca ackground Burma gained independence from the U.K. in 1948, and in its early years some political leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi's father, Aung San, sought to develop some form of federalism in the multi-ethnic nation. A 1962 coup installed a military junta that rejected autonomy for ethnic areas, initiating a decades-long period of military rule and ethnic conflict. In 1990, the junta, then known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), ignored the results of a general election won by Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD, and detained her under home arrest. Beginning in 2010, the junta allowed a partial transition toward a more democratic system, in which a hybrid civilian-military government led the country following parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2015. The civilian side of the government undertook some political and economic reforms and released thousands of political prisoners, while the military retained control of the country's security ministries and key economic assets. During this period, the military committed grievous human rights abuses, particularly against Burma's Rohingya minority. (See Plight of the Rohingya, below.) Fioure I. Burma Source: CIA World Factbook, 2024. Burma held another election in November 2020, in which the NLD won an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats, vastly outperforming military parties. Claiming the results were fraudulent, the military launched a coup and installed another junta, known as the State Administrative Council (SAC), led by military commander Min Aung Hlaing. The junta arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and many other NLD leaders. Conflt PostO-20 Resistance to the coup gave rise to conflict that has spread across much of Burma. Resistance forces, many made up of ethnic minority groups that already effectively controlled significant territory, have gained control over additional territory particularly since 2023. The military has repeatedly used lethal force against peaceful protestors, waged offensives-including with airstrikes-against ethnic minority militias, and allegedly committed a wide range of human rights violations, including targeted killings, burning of villages, and sexual violence. OCHA reports that as of November 2024, 18.6 million people- 33% of the country's population-are in humanitarian need. It cites active fighting, administrative restrictions imposed by all sides, and violence and harassment of humanitarian personnel as barriers to providing assistance. The resistance to Burma's military junta is diverse, and it is unclear whether its numerous elements share a common vision for the country's future. In April 2021, a group of ousted parliamentarians, most of them in exile, named a shadow cabinet, the NUG, which included Aung San Suu

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most