Myanmar (Burma) in 2000 -: More of the same?

As the year 2000 drew to an end, the ruling military junta known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) had been in power for over 12 years. The National Convention organized with the objective of establishing the fundamental principles for an "enduring" state constitution was still in recess (since March 1996) and there was no indication that a target date would soon be set for that body to be recalled to complete its work. The military continued to claim that it was striving earnestly to improve socioeconomic conditions in Myanmar and lay the foundations for a stable multiparty political system. At the same time, the government vigorously denies allegations by Western governments and liberal-democracy advocates that it perpetrates human rights abuses and suppresses the political opposition. The government also claimed to have achieved substantial economic growth and some successes in foreign relations despite the continuation of sanctions and stepped-up pressures by the Western democracies.