A/HRC/39/CRP.2 the country. Insurgencies from “ethnic armed organizations” 82 had flared soon after independence and were “in protest against the centralising and Burmanising tendencies of the Union government, the heavy-handedness of the army, and Prime Minister U Nu’s persistent promotion of Buddhism as the state religion”. 83 The Tatmadaw has used the alleged “ethnic” threat to national sovereignty and territorial integrity as the excuse for its control of the country ever since. 72. When the “Union Revolutionary Council”, chaired by Ne Win, took power, it was solely comprised of members of the armed forces and sought to transform Myanmar into a self-sustaining socialist state. It suspended the 1947 Constitution. The regime placed significant restrictions on political and union activities, suppressing demonstrations through military force and arresting political opponents. It also used military force to attempt to suppress “ethnic” insurgencies. 73. By 1988, there was increasing resentment towards Ne Win’s regime, exacerbated by widespread human rights violations, high levels of corruption and economic mismanagement. Widespread anti-regime protests took place between March and September 1988, predominantly led by students calling for an end to one-party rule. Military force was used to suppress the demonstrations throughout Myanmar, resulting in thousands of deaths. Ultimately, these protests led Ne Win to resign as leader of the Burma Socialist Programme Party, the Tatmadaw’s vehicle for governing, on 23 July 1988. The sitting President, San Yu, also resigned. A general strike across much of Burma, beginning on 8 August 1988, was accompanied by further significant protests attended by hundreds of thousands of people. This became known as the 8888 Uprising. Riot police fired upon protestors, killing and wounding thousands. On 18 September 1988, the military, under the command of General Saw Maung, replaced the old military regime with a new one. It established the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and seized control of government operations. 84 74. With a view to establishing a multi-party system, the SLORC briefly allowed the registration of political parties. Parties registering included the National League for Democracy (NLD), headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Major General Aung San, the Burmese independence leader and founder of the Tatmadaw, who was assassinated in 1947, shortly before independence. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had come to prominence during the 8888 Uprising. However, in 1989, the authorities placed her under house arrest. In the general election of 27 May 1990, the NLD won 60 per cent of the popular vote and, under the electoral system in place, 80 per cent of parliamentary seats. 85 The SLORC refused to recognise the result and maintained governmental control, refusing to allow the legislature to assemble. Those who had been elected to parliament either were arrested and imprisoned or fled. The 1990s remained a period of tight military control where political dissent was stifled. Throughout the 1990s, Western nations imposed increasingly strong sanctions against Myanmar. In 1997, the military junta changed its name from SLORC to State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). 75. Following a sharp rise in the cost of basic commodities, at the end of 2006, and the removal of oil and gas subsidies in August 2007, widespread protests occurred in urban areas throughout Myanmar.86 Buddhist monks played a prominent role, leading to international 82 83 84 85 86 22 “Ethnic armed organizations” is a term used in Myanmar to refer to non-State armed groups operating predominantly in northern and eastern Myanmar that maintain political opposition to the State. For example, the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement of 2015 is “between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the ethnic armed organizations”. This report will use the term as such. D.C. Williams, “A second Panglong Agreement: Burmese Federalism for the Twenty–first Century” in Constitutionalism and Legal Change in Myanmar, A. Harding, K.K. Oo, eds. (Oxford and Portland, Hart Publishing, 2017), p. 61 D. Steinberg, Myanmar: The Anomalies Of Politics And Economics, The Asia Foundation Working Paper Series - Working Paper #5 (1997). J. Badgley and I. Holliday, “Democracy” in Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Myanmar, A. Simpson, N. Farrelly, I. Holliday eds. (London and New York, Routledge, 2018), p. 38. J. Head, “The hardship that sparked Burma’s unrest” (BBC News, 2 October 2007).