THE NATION, FEBRUARY 3,1998. Pipeli (r)

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

      Pipeline will decide fate
      of US financial support

      A senior US administration official recently
      stated that ''it's going to be an enormously
      tough fight'' for congressional passage of
      US$18 billion in new American
      contributions to the IMF. These funds will be
      needed to fund future economic
      emergencies in countries like Thailand. 

      Two powerful groups oppose this IMF bill.
      Liberal Democrats who are concerned
      about environmental standards and labour
      rights oppose this bill on the grounds that
      IMF bail-outs are designed to subsidise
      bad government and crony capitalism at the
      expense of labour rights and the
      environment. Conservative Republicans
      oppose IMF funding due to their belief that
      the market, rather than the IMF, should
      resolve Asia's economic problems. 

      You need 218 votes in the US Congress
      (assuming everyone votes), and the Clinton
      Administration so far has only 150 votes, to
      pass the IMF legislation. It will be an uphill
      battle for the Clinton Administration to
      secure the additional 75 votes needed to
      pass this legislation. What would
      complicate and perhaps cripple the Clinton
      Administration's efforts to help Asia would
      be pictures and videotapes of PTT
      bulldozers attacking environmentalists
      trying to protect the national parks and
      protected forests in Thailand. 

      The PTT-Unocal death gas pipeline will
      determine the economic future of both
      Burma and Thailand. 

      Myint Thein 

      Dallas, Texas