• Despite the regime?s claim that an elected legislature was a crucial step towards the emergence of its ?discipline-flourishing democracy,? the Parliament is turning out to be the regime?s key tool for institutionalizing oppression. • The pro-regime Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)-dominated Parliament refuses to repeal the draconian laws that provided the basis for the imprisonment of several thousand political prisoners in recent years. • The refusal makes the adoption of the much-publicized ?Labor Organizations Law? and ?Peaceful Gathering and Demonstration Law? irrelevant as the regime is still able to invoke the blanket ?security? provisions of draconian laws. • The Parliament?s second session repeats the sham parliamentary debates witnessed during the January- March first session. Important issues, such as national reconciliation and the ongoing conflict in ethnic areas are only marginally discussed. • During question time, regime ministers and officials go to great lengths to categorically deny human rights abuses and to justify repressive measures. • Ruling party and military MPs oppose the adoption of important proposals on the release of political prisoners and the improvement of detention conditions in jails across the country. Instead, they introduce new restrictive laws designed to limit political participation. • Debate and approval of the national budget remain off-limits to MPs because State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe approved the budget for the 2011-2012 financial year before Parliament convened on 31 January. • The laws that govern parliamentary proceedings, enacted by Than Shwe in October 2010, continue to severely restrict parliamentary debate and participation. • Censorship and lack of access continue to characterize the media environment during the Parliament?s second session. • Despite the regime?s claim that local Parliaments would provide some degree of legislative decentralization, most of the Division and State Parliaments fail to introduce or debate any legislation. • In a bogus attempt to show its commitment to reach a ceasefire with ethnic armed groups, the regime forms two parliamentary ?peace-making? committees. However, the committees fail to adopt any initiatives aimed at facilitating peace talks.