Burma: Peaceful Protest Law
(Dec. 30, 2011) On December 2, 2011, the President of Burma (Myanmar), Thein Sein, formally approved legislation that allows citizens of Burma to engage in peaceful protests, subject to certain conditions. Under the new law, demonstrators are required to inform authorities in advance of the time, place, and reason for the protest. They must also […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2011-12-30
Article
Burma: Media Reform Program
(Mar. 23, 2012) The Minister of Information and Culture of Myanmar (Burma), Kyaw Hsan, stated on March 19, 2012, at a two-day conference on “Media Development in Myanmar,” that his ministry has been implementing a three-step process of reform of media in the country through which press restrictions are gradually being relaxed. In the first […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2012-03-23
Article
Burma: Government Announces Amnesty
(Mar. 4, 2009) The Government of Myanmar (Burma) has reportedly announced an amnesty for 23 political prisoners. The news was welcomed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said, “[t]his is the time for Myanmar to seize the opportunity before it to send positive signals.” Ban was speaking at a meeting of the Group of Friends […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2009-03-04
Article
Burma: Democracy Activists Sentenced
(Nov. 3, 2008) On October 24, 2008, a special court in Mandalay, Burma (also called Myanmar), sentenced six members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party to prison terms ranging from 2 to 13 years, on charges of “rousing public alarm and promoting hatred,” according to an NLD spokesperson. The head of the […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2008-11-03
Article
Burma; United Nations: U.N. Opinion Finds Activist’s Detention Violates Myanmar Domestic Law
(Apr. 13, 2009) The United Nations has stated, for the first time, that the detention of pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi by the military regime of Burma (Myanmar) was in violation of not only international but also domestic law. The statement appears in Opinion No. 46/2008 of the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2009-04-13
Article
Burma: New Human Rights Commission
(Sept. 9, 2011) The Myanmar government officially established the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, comprising “former government officials, diplomats, academics, doctors and lawyers,” on September 5, 2011. (Alexandra Malatesta, Myanmar Government Forms Human Rights Commission, PAPER CHASE NEWSBURST (Sept. 6, 2011).) Some of these individuals have formerly made statements defending Myanmar's human rights record, which […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2011-09-09
Article
Burma: Constitutional Referendum Plan Approved
(Mar. 3, 2015) Members of Parliament of Burma (also known as Myanmar) announced on February 11, 2015, that the President of Burma had approved a law permitting a referendum to be held on amending the country’s Constitution. (Jared Ferrie, Myanmar President Enacts Law Allowing Referendum on Disputed Constitution, REUTERS (Feb. 12, 2015).) Approval of the […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2015-03-03
Article
Bangladesh; Burma: Maritime Dispute Adjudicated
(Apr. 12, 2012) On March 14, 2012, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) issued a ruling in a dispute between Bangladesh and Burma (Myanmar) concerning the two countries' maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. (Case No. 16: Dispute Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the […]
Contributor:
Rahman, Shameema
Date:2012-04-12
Article
Burma: Constitution Under Legislative Review
(Aug. 23, 2013) In July 2013, a 109-member multi-party committee was formed in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the two-house Parliament of Burma (also called Myanmar), to review that country’s 2008 Constitution. (Win Ko Ko Latt, Constitutional Change in Hands of Government: Shwe Mann, MYANMAR TIMES (Aug. 18, 2013).) One focus of public discussion has been on […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2013-08-23
Article
Bangladesh: Bangladesh-Burma Maritime Dispute
(June 23, 2010) A delimitation case concerning the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Burma in the Bay of Bengal has been filed with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The dispute between the two countries originated in November 2008, when the Burmese government sold “blocks” of sea, claimed by Bangladesh for […]
Contributor:
Rahman, Shameema
Date:2010-06-23
Article
Myanmar: Minimum Wage Rate Adjusted
On August 9, 2024, the National Committee for Setting the Minimum Wage (the Committee) issued Notification No. 1/2024, which amends the minimum wage rate for workers. Notification No.1/2024 granted an additional daily allowance of Myanmar kyat (MMK) 1000 (US$0.48), in addition to setting a new minimum wage rate of MMK 6,800 (US$3.24) for an eight-hour … Continue reading “Myanmar: Minimum Wage Rate Adjusted”
Contributor:
Umeda, Sayuri
Date:2024-10-30
Article
Burma: Draft Publishing Law Criticized
(Mar. 7, 2013) Burma is now considering a draft of a new law on publishing, designed to replace the 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Act. (Law No. 1, 1962, as amended in 1971, IBIBLIO; Hanna Hindstrom, New Draft Printing Law Accused of Preserving “Censorship,” DEMOCRATIC VOICE OF BURMA (Feb. 28, 2013).) The draft was released […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2013-03-07
Article
Burma: Consumer Protection Law Adopted
(Mar. 21, 2014) On March 14, 2014, Burma’s Union Parliament passed a Law on Consumer Protection, the country’s first law comprehensively addressing this topic. President Thein Sein has signed the legislation. The law is divided into 12 chapters. It has provisions on the rights and responsibilities of both manufacturers and consumers. It establishes a Committee […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2014-03-21
Article
Burma: 2017 Union Tax Law Passed
(Mar. 30, 2017) The legislature of Burma (also known as Myanmar) passed the Union Tax Law 2017 (UTL) on March 1, 2017; it will come into force on April 1, 2017. (Suet Yen Loo, Myanmar: Union Tax Law 2017 Adopted, TAX NEWS SERVICE (Mar. 27, 2017), International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation online subscription database (IBFD); Law Draft […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2017-03-30
Article
Burma: Proposal to Monitor Court Cases
(Sept. 13, 2013) Thura Aung Ko, a legislator in Burma’s (Myanmar’s) parliament, announced on September 7, 2013, that legislation will be drafted to create groups to monitor judicial proceedings. The purpose, according to Aung Ko, is to end corruption in the court system; it is not designed, the legislator asserted, to interfere with the independence […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2013-09-13
Article
Burma: Election Process Called “Deeply Flawed”
(Oct. 27, 2010) Tomás Ojea Quintana, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Myanmar (Burma), stated on October 21, 2010, that he is disappointed with the plans for the country's upcoming elections, scheduled for November 7. The elections, which are for seats in the General Assembly, will be the first elections […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2010-10-27
Article
Burma: Resignation of Constitutional Court Justices
(Sept. 12, 2012) The nine justices of the Constitutional Tribunal of Myanmar (Burma) all resigned on September 6, 2012. The abrupt move was made in response to a vote to impeach them taken that day by the Lower House of the country’s Parliament as part of a dispute between that body and the government of […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2012-09-12
Article
Burma: Amended Foreign Investment Law Published
(Nov. 28, 2012) On November 1, 2012, the Pyithu Hluttaw, Burma’s Parliament, passed amendments to the Foreign Investment Law that it adopted just two months ago. President U Thein Sein, who had recommended that the Law be revised, signed the revisions into law on November 2, and the amended legislation was published the following day. […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2012-11-28
Article
Burma: Law Used to Stifle Dissent Abolished
(Oct. 10, 2016) On October 4, 2016, Htin Kyaw, the President of Burma (also known as Myanmar), signed legislation that abolishes a law in place since 1950 that has been used to imprison dissidents. (Justin Cosgrove, Myanmar Abolishes Law Used to Jail Dissidents, PAPER CHASE (Oct. 5, 2016); 1950 Emergency Provisions Act (Mar. 9, 1950), […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2016-10-10
Article
Burma: Investigation into Alleged Police Crimes Planned
(Feb. 22, 2017) On February 8, 2017, officials in Burma (also known as Myanmar), announced that there would be an investigation of alleged police actions, and possible serious crimes, against the Rohingya Muslims, an ethnic and religious minority population. (Roseanne Gerin, Myanmar Investigation Commission Begins Fact-Finding Mission in Maungdaw, RADIO FREE ASIA (Feb. 10, 2017); […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2017-02-22
Article
Burma: Recent Human Rights Assessments Identify Problems
(Aug. 8, 2012) Two recent reports, one by the United Nations and one by the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), have pointed out continuing, serious human rights problems in Burma (Myanmar). Tomás Ojea Quintana, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, released a statement on August 4, 2012, […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2012-08-08
Article
Burma: Cyclone Orphan Adoptions Must Follow Procedures
(July 2, 2008) Cyclone Nargis, which devastated a large region of Burma, created a number of orphans. The Burmese Department of Social Welfare (DSW) has stressed, however, that they can be adopted only through the proper legal procedures. The 1939 Act of Registration of Adopting Children is the relevant legislation and will be enforced. Officials […]
Contributor:
Johnson, Constance
Date:2008-07-02
Article
Burma: New Foreign Direct Investment Law Adopted
(Sept. 12, 2012) On September 7, 2012, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Assembly of the Union, the parliament of Burma) approved a new Foreign Investment Law, after several months of parliamentary debate and adjustments to the draft legislation “as proposed changes have gone back and forth between the assembly and the president’s office.” (Aung Hla Tun, Myanmar […]
Contributor:
Zeldin, Wendy
Date:2012-09-12
Article
Burma: Four “Race and Religion Protection Laws” Adopted
(Sept. 14, 2015) Four laws known collectively as the Race and Religion Protection Laws, which were submitted to the Parliament of Burma (Myanmar) in December 2014, were adopted this spring by the Parliament and recently signed by Thein Sein, Burma’s President. (Myanmar: Parliament Must Reject Discriminatory ‘Race and Religion’ Laws, Amnesty International website (Mar. 3, […]
Contributor:
Rahman, Shameema
Date:2015-09-14
Article
Burma: Group Questions Legality of Cabinet Appointments
(Mar. 14, 2011) A former Burmese political party formally dissolved last year, the National League for Democracy (NLD), recently published a statement arguing that the President-elect of the country should not have appointed government ministers to his Cabinet before actually taking office. Thein Sein has been the defacto head of the government, even though not […]
