Editorial, Marco B?nte: "Since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, Burma has been faced with ?the dilemma of national unity?.1 This dilemma has continued through all three successive periods of modern Burmese history: parliamentary democracy (1948-1962), military-socialist (one-party) rule (1962-1988) and renewed military rule under the SLORC/ SPDC regime (from 1988 to this day). What began with an armed insurrection by the Communist Party in March 1948 and with the rebellion of the Karen National Union in January 1949 ended in a protracted conflict in which nearly all the ethnic groups of Burma fought for some degree of autonomy or independence. Although the military government has signed ceasefire agreements with seventeen ethnic groups since 1989, the eastern part of Burma/ Myanmar is still plagued by low-intensity conflict and armed fighting. One consequence of these protracted conflicts is ongoing human rights abuses such as forced labour, political persecution and sexual abuse, with a huge number of refugees being created as a result. Since September 1988, when the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) came to power, approximately one million Burmese nationals have fled to neighbouring states – either out of sheer economic necessity or for political reasons..."..... ISSN: 1868-4882 (online), ISSN: 1868-1034 (print)