Democracy and Governance in Burma
The Development Challenge: Conditions in Burma have changed little over the past year. The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) continues to maintain political and military control of the country. U.S. Government policies continue to place pressure on the SPDC to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the democratic opposition that ultimately leads to genuine national reconciliation and the establishment of democracy.
The SPDC has consistently refused to engage with the National League for Democracy (NLD), other members of the democratic opposition, and ethnic minority groups. On May 30, 2003, forces affiliated with the ruling junta brutally attacked Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy of supporters. Several NLD supporters were killed or injured. Suu Kyi and many party leaders were arrested. Although several were eventually released, Suu Kyi remains under house arrest and unable to communicate with the NLD or others. These events, along with the lack of participation of the democratic opposition at the national convention to prepare a new constitution, reduced the potential for any type of reconciliation or power sharing discussions. Both the national convention and the SPDC's "roadmap" to democracy have been met with much skepticism by the international community.
On October 19, 2004, junta hard-liners further consolidated their hold on power by ousting former Prime Minister and head of Military Intelligence General Khin Nyunt. The junta replaced him with Lt. General Soe Win, who was reportedly directly involved in the decision to carry out the May 30, 2003 attack on Aung San Suu Kyi. It is unclear what impact these moves will have on the informal cease-fire agreements negotiated between Khin Nyunt and various former ethnic insurgent groups and on the ability of social, political, and educational entities to function in the country. Extra-judicial killings, torture, forced labor, portering, forced relocation, rape, and other abuses still commonly occur in most ethnic states.
The SPDC's economic mismanagement of the country's resources has led to a deterioration of social and economic conditions. U.S. sanctions following the May 30 arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi have made it much more difficult for Burma to operate in the international arena due to restrictions placed on financial transactions using U.S. dollars. In 2004, per capita income was estimated at $225. According to the World Bank, Burma has relatively poor health indicators with an infant mortality rate of 77 per 1,000 live births, an under-five child mortality rate of 109 per 1,000 children and a maximum average life expectancy of 57 years. Health care facilities are eroding and HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases are becoming endemic. Universities are sporadically open and the public education system is in very poor condition.
The intensifying economic hardship in Burma over the past decade has resulted in many Burmese relocating to the Thai-Burma border region because of the relative safety, prosperity, and economic opportunities available in Thailand. In the 10 Thai provinces along the thousand mile border with Burma, there are over 144,000 Burmese living in refugee camps, and hundreds of thousands registered and unregistered Burmese migrants.
U.S. interests in Burma include promoting democracy, supporting human rights and religious freedom, fighting HIV/AIDS, furthering effective counter-narcotics efforts, and promoting regional stability.
The USAID Program: Programming decisions are made jointly by the State Department and USAID. Programs in FY 2005 will be funded with carryover funds from the ESF earmark in the FY 2004 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill and the current earmark in the FY 2005 Bill. USAID-administered activities are managed by the Regional Development Mission/Asia (RDM/A) in Bangkok, Thailand in consultation with the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon and the State Department in Washington, D.C. State administered activities are managed by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (State/DRL).
Currently, USAID administers the following programs under the Burma earmark:
Humanitarian assistance to provide access to health care, support migrant rights activities, and strengthen control of priority infectious diseases for out-of-camp Burmese in Thailand: This assistance complements assistance from the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration;
Democracy activities that finance training for Burmese journalists and public information workers to improve the quality and dissemination of news and information on the situation inside Burma;
Scholarships for Burmese refugees to study at colleges and universities in Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the U.S.; and
Program support to the American Center in Rangoon, including publications, library services, English language and other training, and education and democracy-building programs that includes work with the media.
(Excerpted from the 2006 Congressional Budget Justification for Burma)
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