Myanmar's surprise announcement that it will hold a vote on a new constitution this May and a general election in 2010 drew little enthusiasm Feb. 10 among the military regime's critics and the public at large.

The official announcements Feb. 9 of the constitutional referendum and the election were the first moves by the government to set dates for stages of its so-called road map to democracy.

"This is certainly a step forward, but it is long overdue and is in itself insufficient to mollify either Burmese opponents of the military regime or the international community," said Trevor Wilson, a Myanmar expert at the Australian National University in Canberra.