The Human Rights Watch, an activist organization has urged the regime to allow free speech during the referendum.
The opposition National League for Democracy and ceasefire group the New Mon State Party (NMSP) has condemned the planned referendum.
The NMSP feels the referendum will not help in forming a federal democracy in the country and will not guarantee ethnic rights.
The NMSP continues to exhort the junta to initiate a tripartite dialogue between ethnic leaders, the NLD, and military regime.
While the military regime is going through the motions of having a dialogue with NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, she is not satisfied with the discussion and its pace. She has said "hope for the best and prepare for the worst".
Many observers feel the referendum is not going to be free and fair because there is no freedom of speech and activity in Burma .
On February 15, an editor and a manager of a Myanmar journal were arrested without any case against them and the publication was forced to shut down.
On January 22, poet Saw Wai was detained in Insein prison for writing a poem where the first word of each line formed the words: "Power Crazy Senior General Than Shwe".
The Yangon Based Kumudra Weekly journal was told to stop publishing. The journal stopped its activities on January 25.
According to the journal staff they are unable to get the license to publish. In Burma only people close to the junta are given a license to publish.
The Burma Media Association continues to condemn the military regime for not allowing freedom of the press and arrest of journalists.
A political analyst said during the 1990 election there was some kind of freedom of speech and many newspapers and journals were able to cover the elections without much control by the authorities.
