Burma has steadily become one of the least developed nations in the world due to years of oppression and government rule by military regimes under various guises. The people of Burma have faced continued setbacks in achieving genuine democracy. The nation has struggled with armed insurgencies in many parts of the country fuelled by ethnic and political tensions and today is host to one of the world’s longest running civil wars. Burma is among the poorest countries in South East Asia with almost one third of its 50 million people living in poverty.
Today Burma’s development still remains severely constrained by a lack of progress towards real democracy, economic reform and improved service delivery. The eastern border with Thailand is one of the hardest hit areas in the country. Nearly 50 years of fighting has disrupted the lives of the ethnic minorities living in the area. Some have made their way across the border into Thailand to seek refuge, however the majority of these people live just inside Burma in temporary villages, unable or unwilling to make the journey into Thailand. These Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) number well over 500,000. They face danger from government forces and continued fighting.
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