The United States Campaign for Burma today strongly denounces the military regime in Burma that has ruled the Southeast Asian country for nearly five decades, for its failure to release all political prisoners, including 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and banning them from participating in the upcoming election. The regime recently released five laws to govern the process of the election. The Political Parties Registration Law, dated Mar 8, 2010, clearly bans Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and all political prisoners from not only participating in the election, but also from forming and joining a political party

“The edict issued by Burma’s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) guarantees a profoundly undemocratic election by a profoundly undemocratic regime. If initial reports are accurate, it is no surprise that the law is a complete farce. By prohibiting Aung San Suu Kyi, political prisoners and Buddhist monks from participation, the junta makes clear that the only purpose of the upcoming election is simply to keep the SPDC in power.”

The present Government promises that the elections will be ‘free and fair’. Critical to its legitimacy will be the spirit of national reconciliation among the many ethnic groups in the country and the participation of the National League of Democracy and other opposition parties. We know there are ongoing discussions between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the generals, and hope that both sides will show flexibility and compromise. Singapore supports the ASEAN position calling for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her participation in the coming elections.

“This is the final nail in the coffin for the credibility of the elections,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “They won’t be free and fair, and even if they were, the new constitution guarantees continued dictatorship anyway. The entire process is a sham. It is time the United Nations Security Council enforced its demands for a genuine process of reform by passing a binding resolution, and discussing imposing an arms embargo.”

It also instructs parties to expel members who are “not in conformity with the qualification to be members of a party,” a clause that could force Suu Kyi’s expulsion. Parties that don’t register automatically cease to exist, the law says.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention, was convicted last August of violating the terms of her house arrest by briefly sheltering an American who swam uninvited to her lakeside residence. She was sentenced to a new term of house arrest that is to end this November.

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 10/27 of 27 March 2009 and covers human rights developments in Myanmar since the Special Rapporteur’s second report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC 10/19) and his report to the General Assembly (A/64/318) in October 2009.

The Special Rapporteur has travelled three times to Myanmar. The Special Rapporteur conducted his third country visit from 15 to 19 February 2010 at the invitation of the Government after several postponements of planned visits by the Government.

Thein Sein arrived in Namkham about 12:00 (Burma Standard Time) accompanied by the Burma Army’s Northeastern Region Command Commander Maj Gen Aung Than Tut, Electric Power #2 Minister Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint and Auditor General Maj-Gen Lun Maung in two helicopters.

According to local sources, people in both Muse and Nakham were told to prepare for the PM’s trip before his arrival. They were also ordered to check all their meter boxes 3 days ahead.

Reports behind the front appear to support his assessment. Apart from Light Infantry Divisions (LID) 33, 55 and 99 already placed along the front, troops from LID 77, based in Pegu, south of Naypyitaw, were recently reported moving in the direction of Kunlong, Mongyaw-Ta Hsaileng and Tangyan, towns on the Salween that roughly serves as a boundary between the Wa and the Burma Army.

State Peace and Development Council, as provided in Article 443 of Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, hereby enacts the following Law, to form the Union Election Commission, for supervising political parties, and supervising people in exercising their right to stand for election and exercising their franchise.

I have been very closely following and monitoring the situation in Myanmar. I have sent, about ten days ago, a letter to Senior General Than Shwe, first of all expressing my concern about the lack of progress and also emphasizing the importance of the election which will held this year to be a most credible, inclusive and transparent manner. For that purpose, there should be administrative measures taken. I took note of the report that there was an announcement on Myanmar State media on the enactment of election laws