The Generals of Burma:  Under Burma’s 2008 constitution, the general are exempt from the law.  They have a tight hand on all the resources of the country, and horde the profits.  They brutally quash any dissent, and are utterly secretive in how they run the government.  The constitution also allows the generals to abolish any elected government and take over.  They are doing everything they can through the constitution to hold on to their power.  These generals represent one of the world’s longest-standing military dictatorships.  The military is the state, and they have a powerful army – they’ve doubled in size in two decades – to ensure no one resists without dire consequences.  The staying power of Burma’s faceless generals has outstripped that of the world’s far better known dictators.  These superstitious brutal greedy generals make themselves and their family and close friends wealthy, while leaving the rest of the nation impoverished.

Corruption:  Burma is the third most corrupt nation in the world, and has been for years.  Reports of serious human rights violations, sexual violence, and recruitment of child soldiers and forced labor are rampant.  One of the main reasons for corruption in Burma is that it is ruled by a military government.  There is no accountability for their actions, and they do not have to be responsible for corrupt acts.  This has led to a system of bribes that is choking, making it impossible for anyone to obtain relief through the government, including the courts.  If a person wants a good job, they have to bribe to get it; and once they get it they have to take bribes, to pay for what the bribes cost them in getting the job.  Often government workers have to engage in corrupt activities to make ends meet, because they are underpaid.  The Burmese people are used to giving bribes to get any basic government services, and they routinely do so without hesitation.  International economic and targeted sanctions due to the government’s crackdown in 2007 against a pro-democracy uprising, including thousands of monks, has led to asset freezing and travel restrictions, which only make it more difficult for them to survive.  Corruption in Burma includes drug producing and trafficking; and, human trafficking for forced sex and labor.