View source for State Peace and Development Council

{{short description|1988–2011 military government of Myanmar}}
{{About|the military government in Burma set up in 1988|the military junta established after the 2021 coup d'etat|State Administration Council}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = '''Union of Burma'''<br>(1988–1989)<br>'''Union of Myanmar'''<br>(1989–2011)<br>'''Republic of the Union of Myanmar'''<br>(2011)
----{{lang|my|ပြည်ထောင်စုမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်}}<br>(1988–2011)<br>{{lang|my|ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်}}<br>(2011)
| common_name            = Myanmar
| status                 = 
| status_text            = 
| stat_year2             = 2000
| stat_year3             = 2010
| stat_pop1              = 41,335,187<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.populationpyramid.net/myanmar/1990/|title=Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100|access-date=24 July 2022|archive-date=24 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724142101/https://www.populationpyramid.net/myanmar/1990/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| stat_pop2              = 46,719,698<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.populationpyramid.net/myanmar/2000/|title=Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100|access-date=24 July 2022|archive-date=24 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724142100/https://www.populationpyramid.net/myanmar/2000/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| stat_pop3              = 50,600,827<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.populationpyramid.net/myanmar/2010/|title=Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100|access-date=24 July 2022|archive-date=24 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724142101/https://www.populationpyramid.net/myanmar/2010/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| p1                     = Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
| flag_p1                = Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg
| s1                     = Myanmar
| flag_s1                = Flag of Myanmar.svg
| image_flag             = Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg
| flag                   = Flag of Myanmar
| image_flag2            = Flag of Myanmar.svg
| flag_type              = Top: Flag (1988–2010)<br />Bottom: Flag (2010–2011)
| image_coat             = [[File:State seal of Myanmar (1988–2011).svg|90px]]<br />[[File:State seal of Myanmar.svg|90px]]
| symbol_type            = [[State Seal of Myanmar|Top: Seal (1988–2011)<br />Bottom: Seal (2011)]]
| image_map              = Location Burma (Myanmar) ASEAN.svg
| image_map_alt          = 
| image_map_caption      = 
| capital                = Rangoon ([[Yangon]])<br>(1988–2006)<br />[[Naypyidaw]]<br>(2006–2011)
| largest_city           = Rangoon
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = {{lang|my|ကမ္ဘာမကျေ}}<br />{{transliteration|my|Kaba Ma Kyei}}<br />"[[Kaba Ma Kyei|Till the End of the World]]"<div style="position: relative; top:0.2em;">{{center|[[File:U.S. Navy Band - Kaba Ma Kyei.oga]]}}</div>
| official_languages     = [[Burmese language|Burmese]]
| religion               = [[Buddhism in Myanmar|Theravada Buddhism]] ([[state religion|official]] since 2008)
| demonym                = [[Burmese people|Burmese]] (officially until 1989, still commonly used by general population) <br/> [[Burmese people|Myanmar]] (Officially after 1989)
| government_type        = Unitary republic under an authoritarian [[stratocracy]]
| title_leader           = [[President of Myanmar|Chairman]]
| leader1                = [[Saw Maung]]
| year_leader1           = 1988–1992
| leader2                = [[Than Shwe]]
| year_leader2           = 1992–2011
| title_representative   = Vice-Chairman
| representative1        = Than Shwe
| year_representative1   = 1988–1992
| representative2        = [[Maung Aye]]
| year_representative2   = 1992–2011
| title_deputy           = [[Prime Minister of Myanmar|Prime Minister]]
| deputy1                = Saw Maung
| year_deputy1           = 1988–1992 (first)
| deputy2                = Than Shwe
| year_deputy2           = 1992–2003
| deputy3                = [[Khin Nyunt]]
| year_deputy3           = 2003–2004
| deputy4                = [[Soe Win (prime minister)|Soe Win]]
| year_deputy4           = 2004–2007
| deputy5                = [[Thein Sein]]
| year_deputy5           = 2007–2010 (last)
| legislature            = State Law and Order Restoration Council (1988–1997)<br>State Peace and Development Council (1997–2011)
| area_km2               = 676,570
| area_rank              = 39th <!--should be same as listed on [[List of countries and dependencies by area]]-->
| era                    = Cold War
| date_start             = 18 September
| year_start             = 1988
| event_start            = [[8888 Uprising#SLORC coup and crackdown|1988 Military takeover]]
| event1                 = [[Names of Myanmar|Renamed from "Burma" to "Myanmar"]]
| date_event1            = 18 June 1989<ref>{{cite act |index= |date=18 June 1989 |article=2 |article-type=|title=The Adaptation of Expressions Law |trans-title= |url=https://www.mlis.gov.mm/mLsView.do;jsessionid=5E21A98456533CF19E1A144838C49A4B?lawordSn=1157 }}</ref>
| event2                 = [[ASEAN Declaration]]
| date_event2            = 23 July 1997
| event3                 = [[Saffron Revolution]]
| date_event3            = 15 August 2007
| event4                 = [[2010 Myanmar general election|Elections]]
| date_event4            = 7 November 2010
| event5                 = [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] released
| date_event5            = {{nowrap|13 November 2010}}
| event6                 = Renamed to the [[Myanmar|Republic of the Union of Myanmar]]
| date_event6            = 31 January 2011<ref>{{cite act |index= |date=27 January 2011 |article=1(b),2(a) |article-type= |legislature=The State Peace and Development Council |title=The Law Relating to Adaptation of Expressions, 2011 |trans-title= |url=https://www.mlis.gov.mm/mLsView.do;jsessionid=9881A8DE26818038C1F9B00B2A5F1D26?lawordSn=7791 }}</ref><ref name="ct">{{cite web |url=https://www.constitutionaltribunal.gov.mm/my/laws-history-five |title=၂၀၀၈ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေ |trans-title=2008 Constitution |language=my |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 2018 |website=Constitutional Tribunal of the Union of Myanmar, Online Law Library |quote=ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေပြဋ္ဌာန်းချက်များနှင့်အညီ ၂၀၀၈ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေသည် ပထမအကြိမ် ပြည်ထောင်စုလွှတ်တော်စတင်ကျင်းပသည့် ၃၁-၁-၂၀၁၁ ရက်နေ့တွင် စတင်အာဏာတည်ခဲ့သည်။ |access-date=17 March 2022 |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422162907/https://www.constitutionaltribunal.gov.mm/my/laws-history-five |url-status=live }}</ref>
| event_end              = SPDC dissolved
| date_end               = 30 March
| stat_year1             = 1990
| year_end               = 2011
| drives_on              = right
| currency               = [[Burmese kyat|Kyat]]
| calling_code           = 95
| today                  = [[Myanmar]]
| GDP_PPP                = $152.150 billion
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2010
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = $3,090
| GDP_nominal            = $38.080 billion
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2010
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $774
| HDI                    = 0.526
| HDI_year               = 2011
}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name            = State Law and Order Restoration Council
| native_name     = {{lang|my|နိုင်ငံတော် ငြိမ်ဝပ်ပိပြားမှုတည်ဆောက်ရေး အဖွဲ့}}
| native_name_a   = {{lang|my|နဝတ}}
| native_name_r   = 
| type            = Council
| seal            = 
| seal_size       = 
| seal_caption    = 
| seal_alt        = 
| logo            = 
| logo_size       = 
| logo_caption    = 
| logo_alt        = 
| image           = 
| image_size      = 
| image_caption   = 
| image_alt       = 
| formed          = 18 September 1988
| preceding1      = [[Council of State (Myanmar)|Council of State]] <small>(as the supreme council)</small>
| preceding2      = [[People's Assembly (Burma)|Pyithu Hluttaw]] <small>(as the legislature)</small>
| dissolved       = 15 November 1997
| superseding1    = State Peace and Development Council
| superseding2    = <!-- up to |superseding6= -->
| agency_type     = 
| jurisdiction    = 
| status          = 
| headquarters    = 
| coordinates     = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} -->
| motto           = 
| employees       = 
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| minister_type   = 
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| deputyminister2_pfo = <!-- up to |deputyminister8_name= -->
| chief1_name     = 
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| chief2_position = <!-- up to |chief9_name= -->
| parent_department = 
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| parent_agency_type = <!-- defaults to |type if left blank -->
| child1_agency   = 
| child2_agency   = <!-- up to |child25_agency= -->
| keydocument1    = <!-- up to |keydocument6= -->
| website         = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| agency_id       = 
| map             = 
| map_size        = 
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}}

{{Infobox government agency
| name                 = State Peace and Development Council
| native_name          = နိုင်ငံတော် အေးချမ်းသာယာရေးနှင့်ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေး ကောင်စီ
| native_name_a        = နအဖ
| native_name_r        = 
| type                 = Council
| seal                 = 
| seal_size            = 
| seal_caption         = 
| seal_alt             = 
| logo                 = 
| logo_size            = 
| logo_caption         = 
| logo_alt             = 
| image                = 
| image_size           = 
| image_caption        = 
| image_alt            = 
| formed               = 15 November 1997
| preceding1           = State Law and Order Restoration Council
| preceding2           = <!-- up to |preceding6= -->
| dissolved            = 30 March 2011
| superseding1         = 
| superseding2         = <!-- up to |superseding6= -->
| agency_type          = 
| jurisdiction         = 
| status               = 
| headquarters         = 
| coordinates          = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} -->
| motto                = 
| employees            = 
| budget               = 
| minister_type        = 
| minister1_name       = 
| minister1_pfo        = 
| minister2_name       = 
| minister2_pfo        = <!-- up to |minister8_name= -->
| deputyminister_type  = 
| deputyminister1_name = 
| deputyminister1_pfo  = 
| deputyminister2_name = 
| deputyminister2_pfo  = <!-- up to |deputyminister8_name= -->
| chief1_name          = 
| chief1_position      = 
| chief2_name          = 
| chief2_position      = <!-- up to |chief9_name= -->
| parent_department    = 
| parent_agency        = 
| parent_agency_type   = <!-- defaults to |type if left blank -->
| child1_agency        = 
| child2_agency        = <!-- up to |child25_agency= -->
| keydocument1         = <!-- up to |keydocument6= -->
| website              = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| agency_id            = 
| map                  = 
| map_size             = 
| map_caption          = 
| map_alt              = 
| footnotes            = 
| embed                = 
}}
{{Contains special characters|Burmese}}
{{Politics of Myanmar}}
The '''State Peace and Development Council''' ({{langx|my|နိုင်ငံတော် အေးချမ်းသာယာရေး နှင့် ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေး ကောင်စီ}} {{IPA|my|nàɪɰ̃ŋàɰ̃dɔ̀ ʔédʑáɰ̃θàjajé n̥ḭɰ̃ pʰʊ̰ɰ̃bjó jé kaʊ̀ɰ̃sì|}}; abbreviated '''SPDC''' or {{lang|my|နအဖ}}, {{IPA|my|na̰ʔa̰pʰa̰|}}) was the official name of the [[Military dictatorship|military government]] of [[Burma]] ([[Myanmar]]) which, in 1997, succeeded the '''State Law and Order Restoration Council''' ({{langx|my|နိုင်ငံတော် ငြိမ်ဝပ်ပိပြားမှု တည်ဆောက်ရေးအဖွဲ့|links=no}}; abbreviated '''SLORC''' or {{lang|my|နဝတ}}) that had seized power under the rule of [[Saw Maung]] in 1988. On 30 March 2011, [[Senior general (Myanmar)|Senior General]] and Council Chairman [[Than Shwe]] signed a decree that officially dissolved the council.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/news/569/news56902.html |title=Mission accomplished as SPDC 'dissolved' |author1=Shwe Yinn Mar Oo |author2=Soe Than Lynn |date=4 April 2011 |work=The Myanmar Times |access-date=21 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916200931/http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/news/569/news56902.html |archive-date=16 September 2011}}</ref>

SLORC succeeded the [[People's Assembly (Burma)|Pyithu Hluttaw]] as a legislature and the [[Council of State (Myanmar)|Council of State]] as a ruling council, after dissolving the state organs of the [[Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma]]. In 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The powerful regional military commanders, who were members of SLORC, were promoted to new positions and transferred to the capital of Rangoon (now [[Yangon]]). The new regional military commanders were not included in the membership of the SPDC.

The SPDC consisted of eleven senior military officers. The members of the junta<ref name=Leibenluft>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2192726/ |title=Who's in the Junta? The mysterious generals who run Burma |author-first=Jacob |author-last=Leibenluft |publisher=Slate |date=2 June 2008 |access-date=2 June 2008 |archive-date=3 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603094909/http://www.slate.com/id/2192726/ |url-status=live }}</ref> wielded a great deal more power than the [[cabinet minister]]s, who were either more-junior military officers or civilians. The exception was the Defence Ministry portfolio, which was in the hands of junta leader [[Senior general (Myanmar)|Senior General]] [[Than Shwe]] himself. On 15 September 1993, it established the [[Union Solidarity and Development Association]] which was replaced by [[Union Solidarity and Development Party]] on 29 March 2010 in time for the elections.

Although the regime retreated from the [[totalitarian]] [[Burmese Way to Socialism]] of the BSPP when it took power in 1988, the regime was widely [[Human rights in Burma|accused of human rights abuses]]. It rejected the [[1990 Burmese general election|1990 election results]] and kept [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] under house arrest until her release on 13 November 2010.<ref name="Al Jazeera news">{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/11/20101113105340355661.html |title=Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi released |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=13 November 2010 |access-date=14 November 2010 |archive-date=31 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531021128/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2010/11/20101113105340355661.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The way the junta handled [[Cyclone Nargis]] was also internationally criticised.<ref name="AP US help">{{cite news |last=Klug |first=Foster |date=12 May 2008 |title=Bush says world should condemn Myanmar |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/05/12/bush-says-world-should-condemn-myanmar.html |access-date=13 May 2008 |archive-date=13 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513132117/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/05/12/bush-says-world-should-condemn-myanmar.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The council was officially dissolved on 30 March 2011, with the inauguration of the [[2010 Myanmar general election|newly elected government]], led by its former member and Prime Minister, President [[Thein Sein]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21040 |title=Than Shwe Officially Dissolves Junta |author=Wai Moe |date=30 March 2011 |work=[[The Irrawaddy]] |access-date=30 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403064358/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21040 |archive-date=3 April 2011}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Burmese SPDC members greet Abhisit Vejjajiva.jpg|thumb|right|SPDC members greet Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva in an October 2010 visit to [[Naypyidaw]].]]
[[File:Thai delegation with Burmese SPDC.jpg|thumb|right|SPDC members with Thai delegation in an October 2010 visit to [[Naypyidaw]].]]
The State Law and Order Restoration Council was formed when the [[Tatmadaw|Burmese Armed Forces]], commanded by [[General]] [[Saw Maung]] (later self-promoted to [[Senior general (Myanmar)|Senior General]] Saw Maung, died July 1997), seized power on 18 September 1988 crushing the [[8888 Uprising]]. On the day it seized power SLORC issued Order No.1/1988 stating that the Armed Forces had taken over power and announced the formation of the SLORC. With Order No. 2/1988, the SLORC abolished all organs of state power that were formed under the 1974 Burmese constitution. The Pyithu Hluttaw (the legislature under the 1974 Constitution), the Council of [[Minister (government)|Ministers]] (the Cabinet), the Council of People's Justices (the [[Judiciary]]), the Council of People's Attorneys (the Attorney-General Office), the Council of People's Inspectors (the [[Auditor]]-General Office), as well as the State/Region, Township, Ward/Village People's Councils were abolished.

The SLORC also stated that the services of the Deputy Ministers in the previous [[Burma Socialist Programme Party]] ([[Burma Socialist Programme Party|BSPP]]) government which it replaced were also terminated. (Under the 1974 Burmese Constitution the Council of Ministers acted as a Cabinet but since the Deputy Ministers were not considered to be formally part of the Council of Ministers, the SLORC made sure that the Deputy Ministers – together with the Ministers' – services in the previous BSPP government from whom it had taken over power were also terminated.) The Orders that SLORC issued on the day of its takeover can be seen in the 19 September 1988 issue of ''The Working People's Daily''. The first Chairman of SLORC was General [[Saw Maung]], later [[Senior general (Myanmar)|Senior General]], who was also the Prime Minister. He was removed as both Chairman of SLORC and Prime Minister on 23 April 1992 when General [[Than Shwe]], later [[Senior general (Myanmar)|Senior General]], took over both posts from him.

On 15 November 1997, SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Most, but not all members of the abolished SLORC, were in the SPDC military regime.

==Leadership==

===Chairmen===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=3|Chairman
! colspan=3|Term of office
! rowspan=2|Political party
|-
! <small>No.</small>
! <small>Portrait</small>
! <small>Name<br />(Born–Died)</small>
! <small>Took office</small>
! <small>Left office</small>
! <small>Duration</small>
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Military Rule}}; colour:black"|1
| 
| <small>Senior General</small> '''[[Saw Maung]]'''<br /><small>(1928–1997)</small>
| 18 September 1988
| 23 April 1992<br />{{small|(''deposed'')}}
| {{age in years and days|1988|9|18|1992|4|23}}
| [[Tatmadaw]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Military Rule}}; colour:black"|2
| [[File:Than Shwe 2010-10-11.jpg|70px]]
| <small>Senior General</small> '''[[Than Shwe]]'''<br /><small>(b. 1933)</small>
| 23 April 1992
| 30 March 2011
| {{age in years and days|1992|4|23|2011|3|30}}
| [[Tatmadaw]]
|-
|}

===Vice Chairmen===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=3|Vice-chairman
! colspan=3|Term of office
! rowspan=2|Political party
|-
! <small>No.</small>
! <small>Portrait</small>
! <small>Name<br />(Born–Died)</small>
! <small>Took office</small>
! <small>Left office</small>
! <small>Duration</small>
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Military Rule}}; colour:black"|1
| [[File:Than Shwe 2010-10-11.jpg|70px]]
| <small>General</small> '''[[Than Shwe]]'''<br /><small>(b. 1933)</small>
| 18 September 1988
| June 1993
| {{age in years and days|1988|9|18|1992|4|23}}
| [[Tatmadaw]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Military Rule}}; colour:black"|2
| [[File:MaungAye.jpg|70px]]
| <small>Vice-Senior General</small> '''[[Maung Aye]]'''<br /><small>(b. 1938)</small>
| July 1993
| 30 March 2011
| 17 years, 8 months
| [[Tatmadaw]]
|-
|}

==Former members==
Ordered by protocol:
* Senior General [[Than Shwe]], Chairman of the SPDC, [[Commander-in-Chief]] of [[Defense (military)|Defence Services]]
* Vice Senior General [[Maung Aye]], Deputy Chairman of the SPDC, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the Army
* Retired General Thura U [[Shwe Mann]], Former Joint Chief of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force
* Retired General U [[Thein Sein]], [[Prime Minister of Burma|Prime Minister]] and former [[President of Burma|President]]
* Retired General U Thiha Thura [[Tin Aung Myint Oo]], Secretary-1 of the SPDC, Former [[Quartermaster General]] and ex-[[Vice President of Burma|Vice-president]]
* Major-General [[Ohn Myint (politician)|Ohn Myint]], Chief of Bureau of Special Operation – 1 ([[Kachin State]], [[Mandalay Region]], [[Chin State]], [[Sagaing Region]])
* Lieutenant-General [[Min Aung Hlaing]], Chief of Bureau of Special Operation – 2 ([[Shan State]], [[Kayah State]])
* Lieutenant-General [[Ko Ko (minister)|Ko Ko]], Chief of Bureau of Special Operation – 3 ([[Bago Region]], [[Ayeyarwady Region]])
* Lieutenant-General [[Tha Aye]], Chief of Bureau of Special Operation – 4 ([[Karen State]], [[Mon State]], [[Tanintharyi Region]])
* Lieutenant-General [[Myint Swe (general)|Myint Swe]], Chief of Bureau of Special Operation – 5 ([[Yangon Region]])
* Lieutenant-General [[Khin Zaw]], Chief of Bureau of Special Operation −6 ([[Magwe Region]], [[Rakhine State]])
* Major-General Hla Htay Win, Chief of Armed Forces [[Training]]
* Retired Lieutenant-General U [[Tin Aye]], Former Chief of Military [[Ammunition#Ordnance ammunition|Ordnance]], Current Head of Election Council<ref name=AP>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/asia/17briefs-myanmar.html |title=Myanmar: Junta Member Resigns From Parliament |work=The New York Times |date=16 February 2011 |access-date=25 February 2017 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624205328/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/asia/17briefs-myanmar.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Lieutenant-General Thura Myint Aung, [[Adjutant General]]

==Human rights abuses==
{{see also|Human rights in Burma}}
Western non-governmental organisations, such as the [[Burma Campaign UK]], the [[US Campaign for Burma]], [[Amnesty International]] and [[Human Rights Watch]] have made a variety of serious accusations against the SPDC. Reports by these organisations as well as the United Nations and the [[Karen Human Rights Group]] alleged gross human rights abuses that took place in Burma under their regime, including:
* Murder and arbitrary executions
* Torture and rape
* Recruitment of child soldiers
* Forced relocations
* Forced labour
* Political imprisonment

===Murder===
{{History of Burma}}
One of the worst atrocities in Burma took place during the [[8888 Uprising|uprising of August 1988]], when millions of Burmese marched throughout the country calling for an end to military rule. Soldiers shot hundreds of protesters and killed an estimated 3,000 people in the following weeks. During the August and September [[2007 Burmese anti-government protests|demonstrations of 2007]], at least 184 protesters were shot and killed and many were tortured. Under the SPDC, the [[Tatmadaw|Burmese army]] engaged in military offensives against ethnic minority populations, committing acts that violated [[international humanitarian law]].<ref>{{cite web |author-first=Elaine |author-last=Pearson |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2008/08/07/burma-no-rights-reform-20-years-after-massacre |title=Burma: No Rights Reform 20 Years After Massacre &#124; Human Rights Watch |publisher=Hrw.org |date=6 August 2008 |access-date=13 October 2009 |archive-date=11 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151111132120/https://www.hrw.org/news/2008/08/07/burma-no-rights-reform-20-years-after-massacre |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Recruitment of child soldiers===
It has been alleged that the SPDC forcibly recruited children – some as young as 10 – to serve in its army, the [[Tatmadaw]]. It is difficult to estimate the number of [[child soldiers]] used to serve in the Burmese army, but there were thousands, according to [[Human Rights Watch]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers|title=Burma: World's Highest Number of Child Soldiers|date=16 October 2002|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-date=25 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425070047/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/10/15/burma-worlds-highest-number-child-soldiers|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2007/11/01/plight-child-soldiers-burma |title=The Plight of Child Soldiers in Burma |date=2 November 2007 |access-date=4 December 2016 |archive-date=5 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405013339/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2007/11/01/plight-child-soldiers-burma |url-status=live }}</ref> the Child Soldiers Global Report 2008<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/content/myanmar |title=Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-date=22 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222221716/http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/content/myanmar |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Amnesty International]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}

The [[UN Secretary-General]] named the SPDC in four consecutive reports for violating international standards prohibiting the recruitment and use of child soldiers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Children and Armed Conflict, Report of the Secretary-General, 26 October 2006 UN Doc. A/61/529 S2006/826. |url=http://protection.unsudanig.org/data/child/Security_Council_children/SG%20report%20on%20Children%20and%20Armed%20Conflict%202006.pdf |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-date=1 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501160503/http://protection.unsudanig.org/data/child/Security_Council_children/SG%20report%20on%20Children%20and%20Armed%20Conflict%202006.pdf |url-status=live }}, {{cite web|title=Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Myanmar to the Security Council, 16 November 2007, UN Doc. S/2007/666.|url=http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/574/91/PDF/N0757491.pdf?OpenElement|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503215257/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/574/91/PDF/N0757491.pdf?OpenElement|archive-date=3 May 2011}}, {{cite web|title=Report of the Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict to the UN Security Council, 21 December 2007, UN Doc. A/62/609-S/2007/757.|url=http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/656/04/PDF/N0765604.pdf?OpenElement|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503215244/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/656/04/PDF/N0765604.pdf?OpenElement|archive-date=3 May 2011}}, {{cite web|title=Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Myanmar 1 June 2009 UN Doc. S/2009/278|url=http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/350/00/PDF/N0935000.pdf?OpenElement|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503215240/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/350/00/PDF/N0935000.pdf?OpenElement|archive-date=3 May 2011}}</ref>

===Forced relocations===
[[Human Rights Watch]] reported<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/04/29/i-want-help-my-own-people-0 |title="I Want to Help My Own People" |work=Human Rights Watch |date=29 April 2010 |access-date=4 December 2016 |archive-date=4 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704071741/http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/04/29/i-want-help-my-own-people-0 |url-status=live |last1=Mathieson |first1=David Scott }}</ref> that since [[Cyclone Nargis]] in May 2008, the Burmese authorities expelled hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced persons from schools, monasteries, and public buildings, and encouraged them to return to their destroyed villages in the [[Irrawaddy Delta]]. The authorities emptied some public buildings and schools to use as [[polling station|polling]] stations for the 24 May [[referendum]] on a new constitution, despite pleas from [[United Nations Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]] to postpone the referendum and focus their resources on [[humanitarian relief]]. The SPDC was alleged to have evicted people from dozens of government-operated tented relief camps in the vicinity of the former capital [[Yangon]], ordering the residents to return to their homes, regardless of the conditions they face.

The forced evictions were part of government efforts to demonstrate that the [[emergency relief]] period was over and that the affected population were capable of rebuilding their lives without [[foreign aid]]. People who were forced from their homes by Cyclone Nargis are considered to be [[internally displaced persons]] under international law. Under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Burmese government was urged to ensure the right of "internally displaced persons to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, or to resettle voluntarily in another part of the country."

===Forced labour===
According to the [[International Labour Organization]] (ILO), despite the new quasi-civilian government taking power in Burma, forced labour continues to be widespread in Burma. It is imposed mainly by the military, for portering (that is, carrying of provisions to remote bases, or on military operations), road construction, camp construction and repair, and for a range of other tasks. In March 1997, the [[European Union]] withdrew Burma's trade privileges because of the prevalence of forced labour and other abuses. The same year, the ILO established a Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of forced labour, coming up with a damning report the following year.

In November 2006, the [[International Labour Organization]] (ILO) announced it was to seek at the [[International Criminal Court]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://birmanie.total.com/en/contexte/p_1_1.htm |title=Human Rights in Myanmar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322145055/http://birmanie.total.com/en/contexte/p_1_1.htm |archive-date=22 March 2006}}</ref> "to prosecute members of the ruling Myanmar junta for crimes against humanity" over the allegations of [[forced labour]] of its citizens by the military. According to the ILO, an estimated 800,000 people are subject to forced labour in Burma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GC29Ae02.html |title=ILO cracks the whip at Yangon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404025755/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GC29Ae02.html|archive-date=4 April 2005}}</ref>

===Political imprisonment===
Even before the large-scale demonstrations began in August 2007, the authorities arrested many well-known opponents of the government on political grounds, several of whom had only been released from prison several months earlier. Before the 25–29 September crackdown, more arrests of members of the opposition party [[National League for Democracy]] (NLD) took place, which critics say was a pre-emptive measure before the crackdown.

Mass round-ups occurred during the crackdown itself, and the authorities continued to arrest protesters and supporters throughout 2007. Between 3,000 and 4,000 [[political prisoner]]s were detained, including children and pregnant women, 700 of whom were believed still in detention at year's end. At least 20 were charged and sentenced under [[anti-terrorism legislation]] in proceedings which did not meet international fair trial standards. Detainees and defendants were denied the right to legal counsel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Asia-Pacific/Myanmar |title=Amnesty International Report 2009 &#124; Working to Protect Human Rights |publisher=Thereport.amnesty.org |date=9 October 2009 |access-date=13 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417125456/http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/regions/asia-pacific/myanmar |archive-date=17 April 2009 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[State of Burma]]
*[[Panglong Agreement]]
*[[Union of Burma (1948-1962)|U Nu's regime]]
*[[Myanmar conflict]]
*[[1962 Burmese coup d'etat]]
*[[Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma|Ne Win's regime]]
*[[8888 uprising]]
*Military Junta
*[[Myanmar]]
*[[2021 Myanmar coup d'etat]]
*[[Myanmar civil war (2021-present)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051220003223/http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/ Myanmar.gov: Official State Peace And Development Council (SPDC) website] (archived)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110812140611/http://www.irrawaddy.org/research_show.php?art_id=454 Irrawaddy.org: Members of State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)] (archived)
* [http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk Burma Campaign UK]

{{Burma (Myanmar) topics|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Peace And Development Council}}
[[Category:Government of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Military rule in Myanmar]]
[[Category:Military history of Myanmar]]
[[Category:1990s in Myanmar]]
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[[Category:1997 in military history]]
[[Category:1997 establishments in Myanmar]]
[[Category:2011 disestablishments in Myanmar]]
[[Category:History of Myanmar (1948–present)]]
[[Category:Internal conflict in Myanmar]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 2011]]