On 4 January 1948 Burma, ( Myanmar), declared independence from the UK.

The Burma Independence Act 1947 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that conferred independence on Burma, today called Myanmar. The Act received royal assent on 10 December 1947. The Union of Burma came into being on 4 January 1948 as an independent republic outside the Commonwealth.

MPs in the House of Commons voted 288 in favour with 114 against the Bill conferring independence on Burma.

The British had ruled in Burma since 1824.

“Myanmar’s spiralling human rights crisis – fuelled by relentless military violence, systemic impunity and economic collapse – has left civilians caught in the crossfire of an increasingly brutal conflict, according to a new report by the UN human rights office (OHCHR).” – May 2025. The UN has produced several reports on the Human Rights abuses and violence in Myanmar.

Human rights abuses in Myanmar are documented by Amnesty International.

Human Rights Watch stated:

Since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, the junta has driven the country further into a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe. Faced with opposition from the general population and anti-junta armed groups, the military has struggled to maintain control over the country. The junta’s widespread and systematic abuses against the population – including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians – amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. The junta has kept in place a state of emergency imposed since the coup, and dozens of townships across the country are under martial law. Some countries have imposed targeted sanctions, but the international response to the crisis has not placed adequate pressure on the Myanmar military to end its abuses.

Myanmar is a member of the East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement, ASEAN, and BIMSTEC, but it is not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations despite once being part of the British Empire. Myanmar is a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The country is very rich in natural resources, such as jade, gems, oil, natural gas, teak and other minerals, as well as endowed with renewable energy, having the highest solar power potential compared to other countries of the Great Mekong Subregion