Map of Burma
Terminology and Abbreviations
In this report “child” means any person under the age of 18 years.
In 1989 the English name of the country was changed from Burma to Myanmar by the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, now called the State Peace and Development Council, SPDC). English versions of place names were changed to Burmanized versions at the same time: for example, Rangoon became Yangon. The National League for Democracy, which won elections in 1990 that were subsequently rejected by the military government, does not recognize these name changes, and ethnic groups that are not ethnic Burman regard them as part of an effort to Burmanize national culture. Human Rights Watch uses the term “Burma.” The adjective “Burmese” is used to describe anything related to the country and language, and “Burman” is used to describe the ethnicity of the country’s dominant group.
Tatmadaw translates literally as “armed forces,” and is made up of the Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay), and Navy (Tatmadaw Ye). In English we have used the term “Burma army” for the Tatmadaw Kyi.
This report uses the term “non-state armed groups” to refer to all armed groups in Burma that are not under the full and direct control of the regime. These include groups that have surrendered to the government but retain soldiers and arms, groups that have ceasefire agreements with the SPDC (and which vary in the extent of their cooperation with the regime), militias that have effectively been created by the SPDC and act as proxy armies at least partially under SPDC control, and armed groups that have no ceasefire agreements (sometimes referred to as “resistance groups” or “resistance armies”).
Unless otherwise specified, “recruitment” is used in this report to encompass all forms of gaining recruits by armed forces or groups, including voluntary, coerced, and forced recruitment.
The value of the kyat, the Burmese currency, is officially pegged at between five and six kyat to one US dollar. However, most exchange occurs on the black market where one US dollar is presently worth over 1,300 kyat to the dollar. Day laborers in Burma commonly earn several hundred kyat per day. A Burma army private’s salary is presently 15,000 kyat per month, compared to only 4,500 kyat per month prior to April 2006. This report also makes reference to the Thai baht, which presently exchanges at about 33 to the US dollar.
Some terms, acronyms, and other abbreviations that appear in this report are listed below. Please note that this list is not intended to be exhaustive.
Burma Army
SPDC State Peace and Development Council, ruling military junta
SLORC State Law and Order Restoration Council, former name of the SPDC until 1997
MOC Military Operations Command
NCO Non-commissioned officers: lance corporals, corporals, and sergeants
Pyitthu Sit “People’s Army”: militia formed and controlled by the Burma army
Su Saun Yay Recruiting center and holding camp for new recruits into the Burma army
Ye Nyunt “Brave Sprouts”: a network of camps for boys within Burma army camps, previously used as a way to channel young boys into the Burma army
Other Armed Groups
ABSDF All-Burma Students’ Democratic Front
CPB Communist Party of Burma
DKBA Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
KDA Kachin Defense Army
KIO/KIA Kachin Independence Organization/Kachin Independence Army
KNDO Karen National Defense Organization (militia of the KNLA)
KNPLF Karenni Nationalities People’s Liberation Front
KNPP/KA Karenni National Progressive Party/Karenni Army
KNU/KNLA Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army
NDA-K New Democratic Army–Kachinland
NMSP/MNLA New Mon State Party/Mon National Liberation Army
RCSS Restoration Council of Shan State
(umbrella organization for SSA-S)
SSA-S Shan State Army–South
SNPLO/SNPLA Shan Nationalities People’s Liberation Organization/Shan Nationalities People’s Liberation Army
UWSA United Wa State Army