Burma Issues - Democracy

After gaining independence from Great Britain in 1948, Burma had a democratic government for 14 years until a military coup in 1962. Since then, many people and civil society groups in Burma have struggled to restore democracy and return the military to their correct place in a civil government. In 1990, free elections were once again held in Burma, and the people chose Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi to be their country's Prime Minister.

However, after winning a landslide victory she was subsequently detained by the ruling military and has since been prevented from assuming office. Despite the risk of arrest, imprisonment and torture, the current generation of activists continues the struggle to establish a free and democratic Burma. They call for a real people's constitution, a government free from military influence, and a judiciary that is independent and free from meddling by powerful politicians and generals.