August 8 marks the anniversary of the 1988 nationwide popular uprising against Burma’s military regime. The 1988 uprising represents the Burmese people’s ongoing struggle against the regime’s protracted economic mismanagement and political oppression.

Twenty-one years later, the military regime’s misrule has turned Burma into:

- One the world’s Least Developed Countries;
- The world’s third most economically repressed country, and the second most corrupt;
- The world’s third largest source of refugees and asylum seekers;
- The worst internal displacement situation in Southeast Asia, and the fourth worst in Asia;
- The country with the highest number of child soldiers; and
- The top producer of opium and amphetamines in Southeast Asia and the second largest opium producer in the world.

The SPDC’s promise of democratic reform, embodied in its “seven-step roadmap to democracy”, has translated into greater oppression of the regime’s opponents, with the number of political prisoners reaching a record high of 2,160.

The expected outcome of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial could trigger a new wave of protests across the country, as she commands great trust and respect among the all of Burma’s people.

The regime’s backlash against ethnic ceasefire groups’ refusal to surrender control of their armies and participate in the bogus 2010 elections has the potential to plunge Burma into renewed conflict.