COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT BURMA (UNION OF MYANMAR) 23 JULY 2010 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE 23 JULY 2010 BURMA Contents Please note: Information which has been updated since the last edition of this document is indicated by the use of grey highlighting. A version of the report without highlighting is available from the RDS website. Preface LATEST NEWS EVENTS IN BURMA FROM 2 JULY TO 23 JULY 2010 Useful sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY........................................................................................ 1.01 Map ................................................................................................ 1.07 2. ECONOMY............................................................................................ 2.01 3. POLITICAL SYSTEM .............................................................................. 3.01 National Convention .................................................................... 3.07 The Constitution........................................................................... 3.09 4. HISTORY – 1948 TO MAY 2008 ............................................................ 4.01 1948 – 2007 .................................................................................. 4.01 Pro-democracy protests: 2007.................................................... 4.03 Cyclone Nargis: May 2008 ........................................................... 4.07 Constitutional referendum: May 2008 ........................................ 4.08 5. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS – MAY 2009 TO MAY 2010 ............................ 5.01 Build-up to 2010 elections........................................................... 5.04 Human Rights 6. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 6.01 7. SECURITY FORCES............................................................................... 7.01 Police............................................................................................. 7.02 Armed forces ................................................................................ 7.05 Human rights violations by the Security Forces....................... 7.08 Abuses by the armed forces ...................................................... 7.08 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 7.12 Torture ....................................................................................... 7.15 Extrajudicial killings & ‘disappearances’ .................................... 7.20 Other Government forces............................................................ 7.23 Intelligence agencies ................................................................. 7.25 People’s militia........................................................................... 7.28 Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) ....... 7.32 Swan Arr Shin ....................................................................... 7.37 8. MILITARY SERVICE ............................................................................... 8.01 9. JUDICIARY ........................................................................................... 9.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 9.01 Independence ............................................................................... 9.02 2 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 1 July 2010. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 23 July 2010. BURMA 23 JULY 2010 Fair trial ......................................................................................... 9.07 Penal code and code of Criminal Procedure ............................. 9.13 10. ARREST & DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS.............................................. 10.01 Arrest warrants............................................................................. 10.06 11. PRISON CONDITIONS ........................................................................... 11.01 12. DEATH PENALTY ................................................................................. 12.01 13. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ....................................................................... 13.01 Freedom of political expression ................................................. 13.01 Political prisoners....................................................................... 13.05 Freedom of association and assembly ...................................... 13.11 Demonstrations outside of Burma ............................................. 13.13 Opposition groups and political activists.................................. 13.18 National League for Democracy (NLD)...................................... 13.21 All Burma Monks Alliance .......................................................... 13.30 88 Generation Students group (88 GSG) .................................. 13.32 Generation Wave....................................................................... 13.35 All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) .................... 13.38 14. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA........................................................ 14.01 15. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS AND ACTIVISTS ...................................... 15.01 16. CORRUPTION...................................................................................... 16.01 17. FREEDOM OF RELIGION ....................................................................... 17.01 Overview ....................................................................................... 17.01 Demography ................................................................................. 17.05 Constitution and legislation ........................................................ 17.06 Buddhists...................................................................................... 17.08 Christians...................................................................................... 17.12 Muslims ......................................................................................... 17.19 18. ETHNIC GROUPS ................................................................................. 18.01 19. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) PERSONS ......... 19.01 20. DISABILITY ......................................................................................... 20.01 21. WOMEN.............................................................................................. 21.01 Overview ....................................................................................... 21.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 21.05 Political rights............................................................................... 21.07 Social and economic rights......................................................... 21.09 Violence against women.............................................................. 21.17 22. CHILDREN .......................................................................................... 22.01 Overview ....................................................................................... 22.01 Basic legal information............................................................... 22.05 Legal rights ................................................................................... 22.06 Violence against children ............................................................ 22.08 Childcare and protection ............................................................. 22.10 Child soldiers................................................................................ 22.11 Education ...................................................................................... 22.19 Health and welfare........................................................................ 22.21 23. TRAFFICKING...................................................................................... 23.01 24. MEDICAL ISSUES................................................................................. 24.01 HIV/AIDS........................................................................................ 24.06 Mental health ................................................................................ 24.08 25. HUMANITARIAN ISSUES ....................................................................... 25.01 Cyclone Nargis ............................................................................. 25.01 26. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT .................................................................... 26.01 27. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) ........................................... 27.01 28. CITIZENSHIP AND NATIONALITY............................................................ 28.01 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 1 July 2010. Further brief information on 3 recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 23 July 2010. 23 JULY 2010 BURMA Identity cards ................................................................................ 28.06 29. FORGED AND FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS ........... 29.01 Arrest warrants............................................................................. 29.02 30. EXIT AND RETURN............................................................................... 30.01 Exiting Burma ..............................................................................