"The majority of people in Burma are engaged in a constant struggle to meet basic needs as they watch their living standards steadily deteriorate. Due to misguided economic policies, rampant corruption and cronyism, and a disproportionate amount of the budget spent on the army, Burma?s economy has been in a state of decline since the 1962 military coup. At the time of independence Burma was known as ?the rice bowl of Asia,? but today one in three children is malnourished. On 21 March 2001 the SPDC UN representative, speaking about the national economy reported that: ?A growth rate of over 10% has been registered in the current year 2000-2001.? However outside analysis is much less optimistic about Burma?s economic future. In a report released in April 2001, the Asia Development Bank (ABD) stated that economic growth in Burma had been lethargic, and was likely to remain so until key structural reforms were implemented. In November 2001 the ABD released another report expressing doubts as to the validity of economic data gathered by the regime, stating that official statistics are: ?of variable quality and are sometimes incomplete.?..."