In August of this year, the military regime announced they would hold elections on 7 November 2010. The possibility of elections, the first in 20 years, led to rigorous debate: would elections pave the way for genuine democratic reform or would it be business as usual in Burma. Network for Human Rights Documentation - Burma (ND-Burma) is not hopeful that there will be any improvement in the human rights situation for the people of Burma after the 2010 elections. The people of Burma have suffered under military rule for fifty years, facing numerous human rights violations on a daily basis throughout this period. Rather than advancing a democratic transition, the elections will cement military rule indefinitely.

The Network for Human Rights Documentation - Burma (ND-Burma) includes 13 member organizations collectively using the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to challenge the regime’s impunity for human rights violations (HRVs) through advocacy and to prepare for a peaceful democratic transition.

ND-Burma monitors HRVs against a variety of vulnerable groups in Burma including political prisoners, ethnic minorities and women.

ND-Burma fieldworkers put themselves at great risk to gather the stories of people who have suffered HRVs.

Because this monitoring cannot take place openly, a comprehensive representation of all HRVs that happen in Burma is not possible. However, ND-Burma’s reports feature information from a wide range of areas of Burma and cover 16 categories of human rights violations.

This report provides up-to date information on HRVs and highlights pressing issues and trends within the country including election-related HRVs in the pre-election period.

ND-Burma will continue to monitor election-related violations through and following voting day on November 7 and will publish a comprehensive report on the subject. ....

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The Hidden Impact of Burma's Arbitrary and Corrupt Taxation

Governments require resources to provide goods and services, such as health care, education, roads, bridges, electricity, water and sanitation.

The majority of government revenue is typically raised by; taxing people and their businesses, charging fees for services supplied by a government, aid funds and revenue from the country’s natural resources.  People all over the world are dissatisfied and complain about the taxes they are obliged to pay.

However, as this report shows, the taxation that occurs in Burma is of such an arbitrary, corrupt nature and negatively affects Burma’s economy and its people’s livelihood on such a level, that it is grossly and systematically impacting on their human rights.

The military has transformed taxation from a routine and legitimate function of government into extortion and a tool of repression.

This destructive taxation system, with its lack of basic public provisions, has crushed the people’s capacity to stand up against the state of Burma as their need to focus on survival prevails.