Burma
Despite victory for the National League for Democracy in 1990 elections a military junta refused to relinquish control of Burma and has continued to hold onto power in the country, which the military government refers to as Myanmar. The Burmese military government has suppressed democracy, held political prisoners, including Noble Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and it has also suppressed ethnic minorities. The Burmese military has targeted the Karen people who make up 7 percent of Burma’s population and live in the country’s east. Officially the Burmese military has directed its campaign against Karen political opposition, but in practice the military’s campaigns have destroyed many Karen villages and forced thousands of Karen to flee in a campaign of at least localized ethnic cleansing.
