Burma
Burma (or "Myanmar" - named by the current military junta) is a largely rural, densely forested country.
The countryside is covered with thousands of Buddhist pagodas. These have been a focus for an increasingly important tourism industry. But while tourism has been a magnet for foreign investment, its benefits have hardly touched the people.
A military junta, which has been accused of gross human rights abuses, rules Burma. The junta has forcibly relocated civilians and used forced labour, many of whom include children.
Prominent pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, has had various restrictions placed on her activities since the late 1980s. She continues to be under house arrest. In 1990 her party won a landslide victory in Burma's first multi-party elections for 30 years, but has never been allowed to govern.
Military-run enterprises control key industries, and corruption and severe mismanagement are the hallmarks of this black-market economy.
The armed forces - and former rebels who have joined the government - have been accused of large-scale trafficking in heroin, of which Burma is a major exporter. Prostitution and Aids are major problems.
The largest group is the Burman people, who are ethnically related to the Tibetans and the Chinese. Burman dominance over other minorities has been the source of considerable ethnic tension, fuelling intermittent separatist rebellions. Many of these groups have been forced to leave the country and live on the borders of neighbouring countries.
Burma is the world's largest exporter of teak and is a principal source of jade, pearls, rubies and sapphires. It is endowed with extremely fertile soil and has important offshore oil and gas deposits. However, its people remain very poor and are getting poorer.
Source: BBC News
- Fact Sheet…basic info about the country
- CLWR's Involvement…a description of CLWR's program
- Projects…information about specific projects
- Photo Gallery…photos from CLWR program locations and the country in general
- Donate to Burma…direct link to online donation
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