Defying international opinion, Myanmar's military government continues to rule the country with an iron hand. It is hard to understand why the ruling generals, despite their increasing isolation at home and abroad, maintain such a hardline stance. They should know that genuine democratic reform is the only way for the Union of Burma to gain international acceptance.
The ruling junta has been roundly criticized for its heavy-handed policy of political repression since grabbing power in 1988. It has come under fire not only from the United States and the European Union -- longtime critics of the military regime -- but also from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member. Japan, a long-standing aid donor to Myanmar, and China, which was once sympathetic toward the junta, has also joined the chorus of criticism.
After being released from 19 months of house arrest in May 2002, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, the largest opposition party, was again detained a year later and remains under house arrest. All the while the junta has effectively ignored international calls for her release. As recently as last month, it called a special conference to establish a new constitution aimed at perpetuating its military rule.