IT'S THE BURMESE ECONOMY

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

IT'S THE BURMESE ECONOMY
 
Over the past few years the human rights case against the Burmese
military has been made extensively and effectively. Hundreds of
statements and reports by Inter-Governmental, Governmental, and
Non-Governmental organisations have been issued; resolutions have
been adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly, the UN
Commission on Human Rights and by many other bodies; journalists,
academics and documentary film-makers have described the horrors
suffered by the Burmese people under the heel of their military. 
 
However, the economic case has not yet been adequately put. 
Burma is being run by an unpopular milltary junta which does not
have the technical competence or public support required to
depart substantially from the command economy established by
General Ne Win as the Burmese Way to Socialism. The result is
increased centralization, militarization, the ruin of a
potentially rich country and the impoverishment of its people.
The chaotic economy is also an important factor underlying the
violation of civil and political rights as well as of economic,
social and cultural rights.
 
As a contribution to this debate, the Burma Peace Foundation has
gathered together a few papers which analyse Burma's economy. The
 
first of these are posted below in this conference. They are:
 
1) "Myanmar: Will Forever Flow the Ayeyarwady?" by Khin Maung Kyi
 
   (in two parts)
 
2) "Miscarried Reforms" by Stefan Collignon
 
3) "Notes on Myanmar (Burma)" Anonymous
 
4) Extract from the recent World Bank report "Myanmar: Policies
for Sustaining Economic Reform"
 
 
David Arnott   
Burma Peace Foundation  
19 November 1995