Burma remains under the rule of Than Shwe through the SPDC (Myanmar Army). Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of assassinated President and General Aung San, remains the only Nobel Peace Prize winner under house arrest. Corruption is rampant through all levels of the government, including the army of Myanmar despite an estimated Gross Domestic Product of $ 74 billion. With 52,000,000 people, and 75% of the population below the poverty line, the military dominates the economy and all aspects of society. Burma’s military is estimated to be a 400,000 manned military estimated to grow to 500,000. The military is also reported to spend 50% of national funds on the military and 3% on health and 8% on education. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Burma ranked at the bottom of healthcare delivery. Even basic supplies such a band-aids are difficult to obtain in this country. UNICEF estimates that 36% of children under 5 years of age are moderately to severely underweight.
Life expectancy is low in Burma compared to neighboring countries. Burma lacks in economic infrastructure, lacking in electricity, and lacking in roads with only .005 kilometers of road existing per square kilometer, whereas its neighbor Thailand has .12 kilometers of roads per square kilometer. Railways are in poor condition, modern communication services have not been advanced with telephones barely rising to the level of minimal requirements. There are only 357,000 telephone land lines in use and 66,000 mobile phones, with one internet service provider with severely limited services. Not surprisingly support for the Myanmar Army is low among the populous. The military controls most of the foreign direct investment with a clear limitation on foreign ownership. The military acts as the national banker as most joint ventures with Burma go through the military.
