Third Force (Myanmar)

The Third Force is an informal group name given to a collection of political parties and local non-governmental organisations operating inside Burma (also known as Myanmar).[1] It was used mainly in relation with the 2010 general elections. Although campaigning for improvement of living conditions and for democratic change inside the country, the Third Force is seen as distinct from Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy. The political parties participated in the November 2010 General elections while Aung San Suu Kyi's party called for a general boycott. Some state that the Third Force consists of liberal elements of the regime, more 'pragmatic' components of the opposition movement and a handful of local and foreign academics who advocated for a change in western policy of sanctions and isolation.[citation needed] The Third Force contains pro-democracy parties, ethnic minorities parties and locally established educational non-governmental organisations.

The name is derived from the argument that the members are distinct from the two main political camps inside the country, the Burmese military regime and the political movement centred on Aung San Suu Kyi. It is seen as campaigning for the similar goals of the more well known opposition but by adopting a less confrontational approach. Some have described it as neither pro-junta or pro-opposition.[2]

  1. ^ a correspondent (28 June 2010). "Burma election: Are activists the new Third Force in politics?". CSMonitor.com. Retrieved 22 December 2013. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ [1] Archived 2 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine