Myanmar, also known as Burma, was long considered a pariah state, isolated from the rest of the world

with an appalling human rights record. From 1962 to 2011, the country was ruled by a military junta that suppressed almost all dissent and wielded absolute power in the face of international condemnation and sanctions. The generals who ran the country stood accused of gross human rights abuses, including the forcible relocation of ci ilians and the widespread use of forced labour, including children. The first general election in 20 years was held in 2010. This was hailed by the junta as an important step in the transition from military rule to a ci ilian democracy, though opposition groups alleged widespread fraud and condemned the election as a sham. !t was boycotted by the main opposition group, "ung #an #uu $yi%s &ational 'eague for (emocracy )&'(* + which had won a landslide ictory in the pre ious multi+party election in 1990 but was not allowed to go ern. Continue reading the main story At a glance

Politics, -ilitary rule 1962+2011 gi es way to an army+led transition to representati e go ernment

2 Economy, -yanmar is one of "sia%s poorest countries. its economy is under+de eloped and riddled with corruption / International, -yanmar is gradually emerging from its international isolation. 0hina is its main ally 0ountry 1rofiles compiled by BBC Monitoring " nominally ci ilian go ernment led by 1resident Thein #ein + who ser ed as a general and then prime minister under the junta + was installed in -arch 2011. 2owe er, a new constitution brought in by the junta in 2003 entrenched the primacy of the military. " 4uarter of seats in both parliamentary chambers are reser ed for the military, and three 5ey ministerial posts + interior, defence and border affairs + must be held by ser ing generals. (espite this inauspicious start to -yanmar%s new post+junta phase, a series of reforms in the months since the new go ernment too5 up office has led to hopes that decades of international isolation could be coming to an end. This was confirmed when 6# #ecretary of #tate 2illary 0linton made a landmar5 isit in (ecember 2011 + the first by a senior 6# official in 70 years + during which she met both 1resident Thein #ein and "ung #an #uu $yi. The newly re+elected 1resident 8bama followed suit in &o ember 2012, and hosted 1resident Thein #ein in 9ashington in -ay 201/, signalling the country%s return to the world stage. The :6 followed the 6# lead, lifting all non+military sanctions in "pril 2012 and offering -yanmar more than ;100m in de elopment aid later that year. Ethnic tensions

Continue reading the main story Democracy fighter Aung !an !uu "yi eader of &ational 'eague for (emocracy )&'(*

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(aughter of independence hero =eneral "ung #an :ntered politics in 1933 amid pro+democracy protests 1laced under house arrest in 1939 &'( won 1990 election. military ignored result (etained for 17 years between 1939 and 2010 ?eleased after 2010 election, from which she was barred

10 "llowed to register &'( in 2011 11 9on parliamentary seat in &'( sweep of by+elections in 2012 "pril Profile Aung !an !uu "yi #ife in pictures Connecting with Aung !an !uu "yi The largest ethnic group is the @urman people, distantly related to the Tibetans and 0hinese. @urman dominance o er $aren, #han, ?a5hine, -on, ?ohingya, 0hin, $achin and other minorities has been the source of considerable ethnic tension and has fuelled intermittent protests and separatist rebellions. -ilitary offensi es against insurgents ha e uprooted many thousands of ci ilians. 0easefire deals signed in late 2011 and early 2012 with rebels of the $aren and #han ethnic groups suggested a new determination to end the long+running conflicts, as did 0hinese+bro5ered tal5s with $achin rebels in February 201/. #immering iolence between @uddhists and the -uslim ?ohingya erupted in 201/, the official response to which raised 4uestions at home and abroad about the political establishment%s commitment to e4uality before the law. " largely rural, densely+forested country, -yanmar is the world%s largest eAporter of tea5 and a principal source of jade, pearls, rubies and sapphires. !t has highly fertile soil and important offshore oil and gas deposits. 'ittle of this wealth reaches the mass of the population. The economy is one of the least de eloped in the world, and is suffering the effects of decades of stagnation, mismanagement, and isolation. $ey industries ha e long been controlled by the military, and corruption is rife. The military has also been accused of large+scale traffic5ing in heroin, of which @urma is a major eAporter. The :6, 6nited #tates and 0anada imposed economic sanctions on -yanmar, and among major economies only 0hina, !ndia and #outh $orea ha e in ested in the country. Burma )iBbrmCB BUR-m*, officially the $epu%lic of the &nion of Myanmar, commonly shortened toMyanmar )iBmjnmrB MYAHN-mar,D>EBmaFnmrB or BmjFnmrB*,D3ED9ED10ED11E is aso ereign state in

#outheast "sia bordered by0hina, Thailand, !ndia, 'aos and @angladesh. 8ne third of @urma%s total perimeter of 1,9/0 5ilometres )1,200 miles* forms an uninterrupted coastline along the @ay of @engal and the"ndaman #ea. @urma%s population of o er 60 million ma5es it the world%s 2<th most populous countryD2E and, at 6>6,7>3 s4uare 5ilometres )261,22> s4 mi*, it is the world%s <0th largest country and the second largest in #outheast "sia. :arly ci iliGations in @urma included the Tibeto+@urman spea5ing 1yu in 6pper @urma and the-on in 'ower @urma.D12E !n the 9th century, the@urmans of the $ingdom of &anGhao entered the upper !rrawaddy alley and, following the establishment of the 1agan :mpire in the 1070s, the @urmese language and culture slowly became dominant in the country. (uring this period, Thera ada @uddhism gradually became the predominant religion of the country. The 1agan :mpire fell due to the -ongol in asions)12>>H1/01*, and se eral warring states emerged. !n the second half of the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo (ynasty, the country was for a brief period the largest empire in thehistory of #outheast "sia.D1/E The early 19th century $onbaung (ynasty ruled o er an area that included modern @urma and briefly controlled-anipur and "ssam as well. The @ritish con4uered @urma after three "nglo+@urmese 9ars in the 19th century and the country became a @ritish colony )a part of !ndia until 19/> and then a separately administered colony*. @urma became an independent nation in 19<3, initially as a democratic nation and then, following a coup in 1962, a military dictatorshipwhich formally ended in 2011. For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and a myriad of @urma%s ethnic groups ha e been in ol ed in one of the world%s longest+runningunresol ed ci il wars. (uring this time, the 6nited &ations and se eral other organiGations ha e reported consistent and systematic human rights iolations in the country.D1<ED17ED16E !n 2011 themilitary junta was officially dissol ed following a2010 general election, and a nominally ci ilian go ernment was installed. "lthough the military retains enormous influence through theconstitution that was ratified in 2003, it has ta5en steps toward relin4uishing control of the go ernment. This, along with the release of @urma%s most prominent human rights acti ist,"ung #an #uu $yi, and many other political prisoners, has impro ed the country%s human rights record and foreign relations and has led to the easing of trade and other economic sanctionsthat had been imposed by the :uropean 6nion and the 6nited #tates.D1>ED13E There is, howe er, continuing criticism of the go ernment%s treatment of the largely -uslim ethnic ?ohingya minorityand its poor response to the religious clashesthat ha e occurred throughout the nation, described by arious human rights organiGations as a policy of ethnic cleansing and religious iolenceBdiscourse.D19ED20ED21ED22E @urma is a country rich in jade and gems, oil,natural gas and other mineral resources. !n 2011, its =(1 stood at 6#;7/.1< billion and was estimated to be growing at an annual rate of 7.7I.D2/E (espite good economic growth it%s belie ed that @urma%s true economic potential w on%t be easily achie ed due to the nation%s lac5 of de elopment, as of 201/ according to the2uman (e elopment !ndeA )2(!* @urma still has one of the lowest human de elopment in the world.D2<E