Myanmar (Burma): No End in Sight for Internal Displacement Crisis

Despite intense international focus on the human rights situation in Myanmar (Burma) in 2007, forced displacement, as a result of conflict and human rights violations, is ongoing in the country. The government remains the perpetrator of the majority of violations against civilians, particularly those belonging to ethnic minority groups. As a result of the abuses, hundreds of thousands of Burmese have been left with no choice but to migrate over the course of a number of years. As of October 2007, at least 500,000 people were estimated to be internally displaced in the country's eastern States. This is, however, a conservative figure as no information exists for several parts of the country.