Change for Burma

2010 is a key year with Burma’s elections coming up in November, so it’s absolutely vital we keep shining a spotlight on one of the world’s poorest nations, with one of the most repressive regimes.  Burma’s notorious 77-year-old military dictator, Than Shwe, was recently profiled in a book  written by CSW’s Burma specialist. He is accused of brutal campaigns against ethnic minorities, involving rape, forced labour, the destruction of villages and killing civilians, as well as the cruel suppression of Burmese dissidents, notably the 2007 crackdown on the Saffron Revolution, during which scores of protesters, including Buddhist monks, were killed and thousands jailed.  The Burma Army continues to routinely hunt down and kill Karen villagers, many of whom are Christians, showing no sign of relenting. Christians among the Chin and Kachin peoples are also subjected to religious persecution.