Word: burma
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...some 165,000 candidates.) In May, about 350 million Indians cast votes in the parliamentary elections, leading to the peaceful transfer of power from one group of political parties to another. Those Asian nations that do not allow freely contested elections among candidates with different political views?such as Burma, Vietnam and of course China itself?are beginning to look like outliers to the dominant trend...
...some 165,000 candidates.) In May, about 350 million Indians cast votes in the parliamentary elections, leading to the peaceful transfer of power from one group of political parties to another. Those Asian nations that do not allow freely contested elections among candidates with different political views?such as Burma, Vietnam and of course China itself?are beginning to look like outliers to the dominant trend...
...junk food." More ominously, they must avoid "speaking ill of others," mentioning "topics that are not related to the matters being discussed," and expressing "disloyalty to the State." Anyone who criticizes the forum is subject to a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Speaking to people inside Burma by telephone, I felt the sense of frustration that the convention has inspired in them. A well-known political commentator in Rangoon told me: "I am now quite skeptical of the whole thing, but if I begin to voice my critical views, I'm going to jail...
...Meanwhile, outside the convention, the climate of fear across Burma has intensified. Last week, several NLD members were taken into custody for handing out pamphlets marking the one-year anniversary of Suu Kyi's current house arrest. This follows the detentions of a number of activists, including a Burmese reporter turned activist who was sentenced last month to 15 years in jail for sending news reports to foreign media outlets and contacting exiled dissident groups. An activist friend who recently fled to the Burma-Thailand border told me "the government is adding more rooms to the prisons," implying that...
...Overseas, the convention has been widely dubbed a farce. The U.S. said the assembly "lacks legitimacy," called for the release of "all political prisoners," and extended its economic sanctions against Burma for another year. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, a United Nations human-rights envoy to Burma, dismissed the convention as "a meaningless and undemocratic exercise" that will "[not] end Burma's virtual pariah status." But the generals, who have illegally ruled the country for more than 15 years, are largely deaf to international criticism. Indeed, they have ensured that Burmese state television devotes countless hours to covering the triumph...