Legal Issues on Burma Journal No. 5

No. 5 of legal issues on Burma Journal contains 4 articles within 3 different scopes:

• Issues of self-determination in Burma, an article within the scope of ethnic minorities issues, written by Louise Southalan. This article discussed the meaning of self-determination in international law and then gave a brief outline of Burmese history, considering the relevance of self-determination.
• Ethnic issues in Burma: The fourth Burman empire, an article within the same scope , written by Aung Htoo. This article gave a brief historical overview of several of the major ethnic groups in Burma and relations between them, then considered issues of equity and equality in the future governance of Burma.
• An overview of the recognition of Native Title in Australia, an article within the scope of rights to land, written by D. L. Ritter. The author of this article is a lawyer form Australia working for an aboriginal land rights body. The article explains the development of Australian laws and institutions recognizing pre-existing rights of land-ownership by indigenous people. It was published in the journal to encourage consideration and debate about resolution of similar issues in future Burma.
• Military regime to establish base on Mars... or a Human Rights Commission, an article within the scope of human rights, written by John Southalan. This article is in view of recent indications by the STate Peace and Development Council (SPDC, Burma's military government) that is may establish a Human Rights Commission. It discusses the essential elements of such institutions, and issues arising form their establishment, particularly in authoritarian states.