[APP] Discovering the Burmese voices of dissent

On March 30, 2011, the Burmese junta was officially dissolved [FR]. Senior General Than Shwe relinquished power, and a new Prime Minister was appointed. This would have been good news if the new official, Thein Sein, was not also a member of the military junta which has been in control the country since 1962.

The decision was made a few months after the November 2010 general elections. These were the first held in over 20 years; Aung San Suu Kyi and her political party – the LND – won the previous campaign in 1990. Described as a masquerade by the media and certain opponents of the regime, they were seeking to legitimize the junta’s power by transforming the government into an elected democracy.

In furthering the debates surrounding the recent elections which divided the Burmese and the main opposition parties, the interactive application shows a non-exhaustive overview of the Burmese opposition: where they diverge and their rallying points.

Who and where are the Burmese political parties, clandestine groups, associations, media organizations, and exiles? We also focused on other crucial aspects:

• Who supports the junta’s policies?
• Who boycotted the November 2011 elections?
• Which groups are for maintaining economic sanctions?

According to Reporters Without Borders 2010 ranking on press freedom, Burma ranked 174 out of 178 countries. Censorship is extreme, and its policies for the Internet have landed the country on RWB’s Internet Enemies top 10 list, along with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Syria.

Republic of Myanmar

Photo credits: Wikimediacommons Antoine Errasti