Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

Anna Roberts, the executive director of Burma Campaign UK, said that it is shameful that the international community is taking such a “rose tinted” view of what is going on in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, now tending to focus on trade and investment policies while remaining largely silent on human rights. According to Roberts, despite a public perception of improvements, Myanmar still has one of the worst human rights records in the world. She said that since former General Thein Sein became president, human rights abuses have actually increased, with higher numbers of reports of rape by the Myanmar Army and security forces, hundreds of political prisoners still in jail and almost all of the nation’s repressive laws still in place. Roberts said that while there has undoubtedly been an increase in “civil liberties” in urban centers, things have not changed greatly on the ground; and for many, conditions have actually deteriorated, particularly for members of Myanmar’s ethnic and religious minorities.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

July 16 marks 80 years since the first atomic bomb was detonated. The specter of nuclear annihilation has been with us ever since.
James T. KeaneJuly 15, 2025
David Corenswet in a scene from "Superman" (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The first time we see the titular hero of James Gunn’s new film “Superman,” he doesn’t descend from the heavens. He plummets.
John DoughertyJuly 15, 2025
If we imagine ourselves as satisfying a God who will “give us” things only if we do the “right things,” then our relationship with God becomes less a friendship and more a chore.
James Martin, S.J.July 15, 2025
For 13 years, Josep Lluís Iriberri, S.J. has guided pilgrims along the same trail St. Ignatius walked over 500 years ago.