"...Ethnic minorities, which make up more than one-third of the population of Burma, have long struggled for political rights and greater independence from the Rangoon government as a reaction to political isolation and oppression. As a result, the military junta has implemented a ?divide and rule policy? in which divisions between and within ethnic groups are developed and encouraged and majority Burman troops in ethnic minority areas oppress the general population. Throughout the year, Burmese soldiers were responsible for a large number of documented abuses against minority peoples including killings, beatings, and rapes..."