[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Humanitarian Aid Urged for Myanmar



Sunday January 17 8:16 AM ET

Humanitarian Aid Urged for Myanmar

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A U.S. congressman on Sunday appealed for
large-scale humanitarian aid to Myanmar, rejecting arguments that such
assistance would merely sustain that country's harsh military regime.

``Humanitarian concerns are taking a back seat in Burma. But I've always
believed that human concerns and human rights go together,'' Rep. Tony P.
Hall, D-Ohio, told reporters in Bangkok.

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whom Hall met last week,
opposes foreign aid to her country, saying some 50 percent of it is siphoned
off by the military.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has also criticized some foreign aid workers
for allegedly ``collaborating'' with the regime and promoting poorly
conceived projects.

Hall quoted Suu Kyi as saying she would reverse her stance only if there was
a 100 percent guarantee that foreign aid would not go to supporting the
government.

Hall said Myanmar, also known as Burma, was plagued by malnutrition,
diseases, poor education and the rapid spread of AIDS. Myanmar is ranked as
one of the world's poorest nations.

``If humanitarian aid is not provided a whole generation will be lost. The
need is tremendous,'' Hall said, adding that waiting to provide foreign
assistance until democracy is restored might take years and merely prolong
poverty and suffering.

Hall said he brought up the government's alleged human rights abuses in his
meeting with strongman Gen. Khin Nyunt.

The regime is widely criticized for arresting political opponents, torture
and ruthlessness in dealing with ethnic minorities. It routinely denies such
charges.