[Straits Times] THE United States said on Wednesday it remains deeply concerned by the 'oppressive political environment' in Myanmar even with the disbanding of a military junta.Washington is demanding the release of political prisoners and official recognition of the National League for Democracy, the main and now dissolved opposition party of pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
'We remain deeply concerned about Burma's oppressive political environment,' said State Department front man Mark Toner. Myanmar's strongman leader Senior General Than Shwe
...The effective king of Burma. He has held positions within the military dictatorship since at least 1992 and has in the process managed to sideline or bump off all his rivals. Under his sway Burma has remained a xenophobic cultural and economic backwater. Than Shwe ranked No. 4 on Parade Magazine's 2009
World's Worst Dictatorslist of 2009...
signed a decree officially dissolving the military junta, clearing the way for the installation of a civilian government.
The army hierarchy retains a firm grip on power in the resource-rich South-east Asian country, however, and many analysts believe Than Shwe will attempt to retain some sort of control behind the scenes.
The handover came after widely-panned elections last November - the country's first in 20 years - which were marred by the absence of Suu Kyi and claims of cheating and intimidation.
Mr Toner, without commenting directly on the move, blasted the November vote as a 'fundamentally flawed electoral process that has ensured the key military regime figures have continued to dominate the government.'