But they are not proof that Burma is moving inexorably towards rights-respecting democracy, still less that it has become one. Nor should these reforms obscure massive ongoing rights violations or the continuing harsh reality of life for so many in Burma. Human Rights Watch and others have documented many of these abuses, including extra-judicial killings, sexual violence, torture, forced labour, and deliberate attacks on civilians in places like Kachin and Shan states, as well as Thein Sein's failure to tackle cronyism and vested interests, especially the military's nefarious control over large parts of the economy.
Nowhere, perhaps, have these abuses been more egregious over the last year than in Arakan State. In April, Human Rights Watch published a
detailed report documenting crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims there. These are not claims we make lightly.