bm.json

{"code":"bm","name":"Burma","region":"East & Southeast Asia","background":"Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. In September 1988, the military deposed NE WIN and established a new ruling junta. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest. She was finally released in November 2010. After the ruling junta in August 2007 unexpectedly increased fuel prices, tens of thousands of Burmese marched in protest, led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks. In late September 2007, the government brutally suppressed the protests, killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. Since then, the regime has continued to raid homes and monasteries and arrest persons suspected of participating in the pro-democracy protests. Burma in early May 2008 was struck by Cyclone Nargis, which claimed over 138,000 dead and tens of thousands injured and homeless. Despite this tragedy, the junta proceeded with its May constitutional referendum, the first vote in Burma since 1990. Parliamentary elections held in November 2010, considered flawed by many in the international community, saw the junta's Union Solidarity and Development Party garnering over 75% of the seats. Parliament convened in January 2011 and selected former Prime Minister THEIN SEIN as president. The vast majority of national-level appointees named by THEIN SEIN are former or current military officers.","geo":{"Location":"Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand","Geographic coordinates":{"N":{"deg":22,"min":0},"E":{"deg":98,"min":0}},"Map references":{},"Area":{"total":{"quantity":676578,"unit":"sq km"},"country comparison to the world":"","land":{"quantity":653508,"unit":"sq km"},"water":{"quantity":23070,"unit":"sq km"}},"Area - comparative":"slightly smaller than Texas","Land boundaries":{"total":{"quantity":5876,"unit":"km"},"border countries":"Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km"},"Coastline":{"quantity":1930,"unit":"km"},"Maritime claims":{"territorial sea":{"quantity":12,"unit":"nm"},"contiguous zone":{"quantity":24,"unit":"nm"},"exclusive economic zone":{"quantity":200,"unit":"nm"},"continental shelf":"200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin"},"Terrain":"central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands","Elevation extremes":{"lowest point":"Andaman Sea 0 m","highest point":"Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m"},"Land use":{"arable land":{"quantity":14.92,"unit":"%"},"permanent crops":{"quantity":1.31,"unit":"%"},"other":{"quantity":83.77,"unit":"%"}},"Irrigated land":{"quantity":22500,"unit":"sq km"},"Total renewable water resources":{"quantity":1045.6,"unit":"cu km"},"Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)":{"total":{"quantity":33.23,"unit":"cu km/yr"},"per capita":{"quantity":658,"unit":"cu m/yr"}},"Natural hazards":"destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts","internationalEnvironmentAgreements":{"signed, but not ratified":"none of the selected agreements","partyTo":["Biodiversity","Climate Change","Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol","Desertification","Endangered Species","Law of the Sea","Ozone Layer Protection","Ship Pollution","Tropical Timber 83","Tropical Timber 94"]},"naturalResources":["petroleum","timber","tin","antimony","zinc","copper","tungsten","lead","coal","marble","limestone","precious stones","natural gas","hydropower"],"environmentalIssues":["deforestation","industrial pollution of air, soil, and water","inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease"],"climate":["tropical monsoon","cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September)","less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)"],"geographyNote":["strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes"]},"people":{"Population":{"Population":53999,"country comparison to the world":""},"Age structure":{"0-14 years":{"quantity":27.5,"unit":"%"},"15-64 years":{"quantity":67.5,"unit":"%"},"65 years and over":"5% (male 1,184,291/female 1,533,599) (2011 est.)"},"Median age":{"total":{"quantity":26.9,"unit":"years"},"male":{"quantity":26.3,"unit":"years"},"female":{"quantity":27.5,"unit":"years"}},"Population growth rate":{"quantity":1.084,"unit":"%"},"Birth rate":{"quantity":19.31,"unit":"births/1,000 population"},"Death rate":{"quantity":8.16,"unit":"deaths/1,000 population"},"Net migration rate":"-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)","Urbanization":{"urban population":{"quantity":34,"unit":"% of total population"},"rate of urbanization":{"quantity":2.9,"unit":"% annual rate of change"}},"Major cities - population":"RANGOON (capital) 4.259 million; Mandalay 1.009 million; Nay Pyi Taw 992,000 (2009)","Sex ratio":{"at birth":{"quantity":1.06,"unit":"male(s)/female"},"under 15 years":{"quantity":1.04,"unit":"male(s)/female"},"15-64 years":{"quantity":0.99,"unit":"male(s)/female"},"65 years and over":{"quantity":0.77,"unit":"male(s)/female"},"total population":{"quantity":0.99,"unit":"male(s)/female"}},"Infant mortality rate":{"total":{"quantity":49.23,"unit":"deaths/1,000 live births"},"country comparison to the world":"","male":{"quantity":56.16,"unit":"deaths/1,000 live births"},"female":{"quantity":41.88,"unit":"deaths/1,000 live births"}},"Life expectancy at birth":{"total population":{"quantity":64.88,"unit":"years"},"country comparison to the world":"","male":{"quantity":62.57,"unit":"years"},"female":{"quantity":67.33,"unit":"years"}},"Total fertility rate":{"quantity":2.26,"unit":"children born/woman"},"HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate":{"quantity":0.6,"unit":"%"},"HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS":240000,"HIV/AIDS - deaths":18000,"Drinking water source":{},"Sanitation facility access":{},"Nationality":{"noun":"Burmese (singular and plural)","adjective":"Burmese"},"Languages":{"Languages":"Burmese (official)"},"Literacy":{"definition":"age 15 and over can read and write","total population":{"quantity":89.9,"unit":"%"},"male":{"quantity":93.9,"unit":"%"},"female":{"quantity":86.4,"unit":"%"}},"School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)":{"total":{"quantity":9,"unit":"years"},"male":{"quantity":8,"unit":"years"},"female":{"quantity":8,"unit":"years"}},"Education expenditures":"NA","majorInfectiousDiseases":{"degree of risk":"very high","food or waterborne diseases":"bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever","vectorborne diseases":"dengue fever and malaria","water contact disease":"leptospirosis","animal contact disease":"rabies"},"ethnicGroups":["Burman 68%","Shan 9%","Karen 7%","Rakhine 4%","Chinese 3%","Indian 2%","Mon 2%","other 5%"],"religions":["Buddhist 89%","Christian 4% (Baptist 3%","Roman Catholic 1%)","Muslim 4%","animist 1%","other 2%"]},"government":{"Country name":{"conventional long form":"Union of Burma","conventional short form":"Burma","local long form":"Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar)","local short form":"Myanma Naingngandaw","former":"Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma"},"Government type":"military regime (a nominally civilian government has been named, but a formal transfer of power has not yet taken place)","Capital":{"name":"Rangoon (Yangon)","geographic coordinates":{"N":{"deg":16,"min":48},"E":{"deg":96,"min":9}},"time difference":"UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)"},"Administrative divisions":{"Administrative divisions":"7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states* (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne)","divisions":"Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon","states":"Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine (Arakan), Shan"},"Independence":"4 January 1948 (from the UK)","National holiday":"Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)","Legal system":"mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law","International law organization participation":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt","Suffrage":"18 years of age; universal","Executive branch":{"chief of state":"President THEIN SEIN (since 4 February 2011); Vice President SAI MOUK KHAM (since 3 February 2011); Vice President TIN AUNG MYINT OO (since 4 February 2011)","head of government":"Prime Minister THEIN SEIN (since 24 October 2007)","cabinet":"cabinet is appointed by the president and confirmed by the parliament","elections":"THEIN SEIN elected president by the parliament from among three vice presidents; the upper house, the lower house, and military members of the parliament each nominate one vice president (president serves a five-year term)"},"Legislative branch":{"Legislative branch":"bicameral, consists of the House of Nationalities [Amyotha Hluttaw] (224 seats, 168 directly elected and 56 appointed by the military; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives [Pythu Hluttaw] (440 seats, 330 directly elected and 110 appointed by the military; members serve five-year terms)","elections":"last held on 7 November 2010 (next to be held in December 2015)","election results":"House of Nationalities - percent of vote by party - USDP 74.8%, others (NUP, SNDP, RNDP, NDF, AMRDP) 25.2%; seats by party - USDP 129, others 39; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - USDP 79.6%, others (NUP, SNDP, RNDP, NDF, AMRDP) 20.4%; seats by party - USDP 259, others 66"},"Judicial branch":"remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive; the 2011 constitution calls for a Supreme Court, a Courts-Martial, and a Constitutional Tribunal of the Union","Political parties and leaders":"All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP [NAING NGWE THEIN]; National Democratic Force or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SWE, Dr.THAN NYEIN]; National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, U TIN OO, AUNG SAN SUU KYI]; note - the party was deregisted because it did not register for the 2010 election, but it is still active; National Unity Party or NUP [TUN YE]; Rakhine Nationalities Development Party or RNDP [Dr. AYE MG]; Shan Nationalities Democratic Party [SAI AIKE PAUNG]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Party or USDP [SHWE MANN, HTAY OO]; numerous smaller parties","Political pressure groups and leaders":{"Thai border":"Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC; Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and labor advocates); National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) [\"Prime Minister\" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government in exile); National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of opposition groups)","Inside Burma":"Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary] became the Union Solidarity and Development Party in 2010; United Wa State Army or UWSA; 88 Generation Students (pro-democracy movement); several other Shan factions"},"Diplomatic representation in the US":{"chief of mission":"Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires HAN THU; note - Burma does not have an ambassador to the United States","chancery":"2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008","telephone":"[1] (202) 332-3344","FAX":"[1] (202) 332-4351","consulate(s) general":"none; Burma has a Mission to the UN in New York"},"Diplomatic representation from the US":{"chief of mission":"Charge d'Affaires Larry M. DINGER; note - The United States does not have an ambassador to Burma","embassy":"110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon","mailing address":"Box B, APO AP 96546","telephone":"[95] (1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038","FAX":"[95] (1) 650-306"},"Flag description":"design consists of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow (top), green, and red; centered on the green band is a large white five-pointed star that partially overlaps onto the adjacent colored stripes; the design revives the triband colors used by Burma from 1943-45, during the Japanese occupation","National anthem":{"name":"\"Kaba Ma Kyei\" (Till the End of the World, Myanmar)","lyrics/music":"SAYA TIN"},"internationalOrganizations":["ADB","ARF","ASEAN","BIMSTEC","CP","EAS","FAO","G-77","IAEA","IBRD","ICAO","ICRM","IDA","IFAD","IFC","IFRCS","IHO","ILO","IMF","IMO","Interpol","IOC","ISO (correspondent)","ITU","NAM","OPCW (signatory)","SAARC (observer)","UN","UNCTAD","UNESCO","UNIDO","UPU","WCO","WHO","WIPO","WMO","WTO"]},"economy":{"Economy - overview":"Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, corruption, and rural poverty. Despite Burma's emergence as a natural gas exporter, socio-economic conditions have deteriorated under the regime's mismanagement, leaving most of the public in poverty, while military leaders and their business cronies exploit the country's ample natural resources. The transfer of state assets, especially real estate, to cronies and military families in 2010 under the guise of a privatization policy further widened the gap between the economic elite and the public. The economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including unpredictable inflation, fiscal deficits, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, a distorted interest rate regime, unreliable statistics, and an inability to reconcile national accounts. Burma's poor investment climate hampers the inflow of foreign investment; in recent years, foreign investors have shied away from nearly every sector except for natural gas, power generation, timber, and mining. The exploitation of natural resources does not benefit the population at large. The business climate is widely perceived as opaque, corrupt, and highly inefficient. Over 60% of the FY 2009-10 budget was allocated to state owned enterprises - most operating at a deficit. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries - especially oil and gas, mining, and timber - with the latter two causing significant environmental degradation. Other areas, such as manufacturing, tourism and services, struggle in the face of inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable trade policies, neglected health and education systems, and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 caused 20 private banks to close; private banks still operate under tight restrictions, limiting the private sector's access to credit. The United States, the European Union, and Canada have imposed financial and economic sanctions on Burma. US sanctions, prohibiting most financial transactions with Burmese entities, impose travel bans on senior Burmese military and civilian leaders and others connected to the ruling regime, and ban imports of Burmese products. These sanctions affected the country's fledgling garment industry, isolated the struggling banking sector, and raised the costs of doing business with Burmese companies, particularly firms tied to Burmese regime leaders. The global crisis of 2008-09 caused exports and domestic consumer demand to drop. Remittances from overseas Burmese workers - who had provided significant financial support for their families - slowed or dried up as jobs were lost and migrant workers returned home. Although the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, significant improvements in economic governance, the business climate, and the political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment.","GDP (purchasing power parity)":{"GDP (purchasing power parity)":{"usd":76470000000},"country comparison to the world":""},"GDP (official exchange rate)":{"usd":42950000000},"GDP - real growth rate":{"quantity":5.3,"unit":"%"},"GDP - per capita (PPP)":{"GDP - per capita (PPP)":{"usd":null},"country comparison to the world":""},"GDP - composition by sector":{"agriculture":{"quantity":43.2,"unit":"%"},"industry":{"quantity":20,"unit":"%"},"services":{"quantity":36.8,"unit":"%"}},"Labor force":31680000,"Labor force - by occupation":{"agriculture":{"quantity":70,"unit":"%"},"industry":{"quantity":7,"unit":"%"},"services":{"quantity":23,"unit":"%"}},"Unemployment rate":{"quantity":5.7,"unit":"%"},"Population below poverty line":{"quantity":32.7,"unit":"%"},"Household income or consumption by percentage share":{"lowest 10%":{"quantity":2.8,"unit":"%"},"highest 10%":{"quantity":32.4,"unit":"%"}},"Investment (gross fixed)":{"quantity":15.1,"unit":"% of GDP"},"Budget":{"revenues":{"usd":1369000000},"expenditures":{"usd":2951000000}},"Inflation rate (consumer prices)":{"quantity":9.6,"unit":"%"},"Central bank discount rate":{"quantity":12,"unit":"%"},"Commercial bank prime lending rate":{"quantity":17,"unit":"%"},"Stock of narrow money":{"Stock of narrow money":{"usd":4907000000},"country comparison to the world":""},"Stock of broad money":{"usd":7800000000},"Stock of domestic credit":{"usd":8552000000},"Market value of publicly traded shares":"$NA","Industrial production growth rate":{"quantity":4.3,"unit":"%"},"Electricity - production":{"quantity":6286000000,"unit":"kWh"},"Electricity - consumption":{"quantity":4403000000,"unit":"kWh"},"Electricity - exports":{"quantity":0,"unit":"kWh"},"Electricity - imports":{"quantity":0,"unit":"kWh"},"Oil - production":{"quantity":18880,"unit":"bbl/day"},"Oil - consumption":{"quantity":42000,"unit":"bbl/day"},"Oil - exports":{"quantity":2200,"unit":"bbl/day"},"Oil - imports":{"quantity":18250,"unit":"bbl/day"},"Oil - proved reserves":{"quantity":50000000,"unit":"bbl"},"Natural gas - production":{"quantity":12400000000,"unit":"cu m"},"Natural gas - consumption":{"quantity":3850000000,"unit":"cu m"},"Natural gas - exports":{"quantity":8550000000.000001,"unit":"cu m"},"Natural gas - imports":{"quantity":0,"unit":"cu m"},"Natural gas - proved reserves":{"quantity":283200000000,"unit":"cu m"},"Current account balance":{"usd":652000000},"Exports":{"Exports":{"usd":7841000000},"country comparison to the world":""},"Imports":{"Imports":{"usd":4532000000},"country comparison to the world":""},"Reserves of foreign exchange and gold":{"usd":3762000000},"Debt - external":{"usd":7145000000},"Exchange rates":"kyats (MMK) per US dollar -","industries":["agricultural processing","wood and wood products","copper, tin, tungsten, iron","cement, construction materials","pharmaceuticals","fertilizer","oil and natural gas","garments, jade and gems"],"agricultureProducts":["rice","pulses","beans","sesame","groundnuts","sugarcane","hardwood","fish and fish products"],"exportCommodities":["natural gas","wood products","pulses","beans","fish","rice","clothing","jade and gems"],"exportPartners":["Thailand 46.57%","India 12.99%","China 9.01%","Japan 5.65%"],"importCommodities":["fabric","petroleum products","fertilizer","plastics","machinery","transport equipment","cement","construction materials","crude oil","food products","edible oil"],"importPartners":["China 33.1%","Thailand 26.28%","Singapore 15.18%"]},"communications":{"Telephones - main lines in use":812000,"Telephones - mobile cellular":502000,"Telephone system":{"general assessment":"meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government","domestic":"system barely capable of providing basic service; mobile-cellular phone system is grossly underdeveloped","international":"country code - 95; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2009)"},"Broadcast media":"government controls all domestic broadcast media; 2 state-controlled television stations with 1 of the stations controlled by the armed forces; a third TV channel, a pay-TV station, is a joint state-private venture; access to satellite TV is limited; 1 state-controlled domestic radio station and 6 FM stations that are joint state-private ventures; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in parts of Burma; the opposition-backed station Democratic Voice of Burma broadcasts into Burma via shortwave (2009)","Internet country code":".mm","Internet hosts":172,"Internet users":110000},"transport":{"Airports":76,"Airports - with paved runways":{"total":37,"over 3,047 m":12,"2,438 to 3,047 m":8,"1,524 to 2,437 m":15,"914 to 1,523 m":1},"Airports - with unpaved runways":{"total":39,"over 3,047 m":1,"1,524 to 2,437 m":4,"914 to 1,523 m":11,"under 914 m":23},"Heliports":6,"Pipelines":"gas 3,046 km; oil 551 km (2010)","Railways":{"total":{"quantity":5031,"unit":"km"},"country comparison to the world":"","narrow gauge":"5,031 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)"},"Roadways":{"total":{"quantity":27000,"unit":"km"},"country comparison to the world":"","paved":{"quantity":3200,"unit":"km"},"unpaved":{"quantity":23800,"unit":"km"}},"Waterways":{"quantity":12800,"unit":"km"},"Merchant marine":{"total":26,"country comparison to the world":"","by type":"bulk carrier 1, cargo 19, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1","foreign-owned":3,"registered in other countries":"3 (Panama 3) (2010)"},"Ports and terminals":"Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe"},"military":{"Military branches":"Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay), Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) (2011)","Military service age and obligation":"18-35 years of age (men) and 18-27 years of age (women) for compulsory military service; service obligation 2 years; male (ages 18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors, engineers, mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be extended to 5 years in an officially declared emergency; forced conscription of children, although officially prohibited, reportedly continues (2011)","Manpower available for military service":{"males age 16-49":14747,"females age 16-49":14710},"Manpower fit for military service":{"males age 16-49":10451,"females age 16-49":11181},"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{"male":522478,"female":506388},"Military expenditures":{"quantity":2.1,"unit":"% of GDP"}},"issues":{"Refugees and internally displaced persons":{"IDPs":"503,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near the eastern borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2007)"},"Trafficking in persons":{"current situation":"Burma is a source country for women, children, and men trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; Burmese women and children are trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor; Burmese children are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Thailand as hawkers and beggars; women are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Malaysia and China; some trafficking victims transit Burma from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from China to Thailand; Burma's internal trafficking remains the most serious concern occurring primarily from villages to urban centers and economic hubs for labor in industrial zones, agricultural estates, and commercial sexual exploitation; the Burmese military continues to engage in the unlawful conscription of child soldiers, and continues to be the main perpetrator of forced labor inside Burma; ethnic insurgent groups also used compulsory labor of adults and unlawful recruitment of children; the regime's widespread use of and lack of accountability in forced labor and recruitment of child soldiers is particularly worrying and represents the top causal factor for Burma's significant trafficking problem","tier rating":"Tier 3 - serious problems remain in Burma, and in some areas, most notably in the area of forced labor, the Government of Burma is not making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, warranting a ranking of Tier 3; in other areas, particularly with regard to international sex trafficking of women and girls, the Government of Burma is making significant efforts (2010)"},"Illicit drugs":"remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2008 of 340 metric tons, an increase of 26%, and poppy cultivation in 2008 totaled 22,500 hectares, a 4% increase from 2007; production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control remains low; Shan state is the source of 94% of Burma's poppy cultivation; lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption\r\n (2008)","internationalDisputes":["over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups who have substantial numbers of kin in neighboring countries","the Naf river on the border with Bangladesh serves as a smuggling and illegal transit route","Bangladesh struggles to accommodate 29,000 Rohingya, Burmese Muslim minority from Arakan State, living as refugees in Cox's Bazar","Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal cross-border transit and tensions from the military build-up along border with Bangladesh in 2010","Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea","Burmese forces attempting to dig in to the largely autonomous Shan State to rout local militias tied to the drug trade, prompts local residents to periodically flee into neighboring Yunnan Province in China","fencing along the India-Burma international border at Manipur's Moreh town is in progress to check illegal drug trafficking and movement of militants","140,000 mostly Karen refugees fleeing civil strife, political upheaval and economic stagnation in Burma live in remote camps in Thailand near the border"]}}