Burma Raps West for Denying Aid: TO

[chan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Burma Raps West for Denying Aid: TOI/AFP


Myanmar junta raps West for denying aid 

The Times of India, New Delhi
Jun. 4, 1999

               TOKYO: Myanmar's ruling military junta on Thursday attacked
               Western countries for spurning its ``valiant'' efforts at
economic
               recovery for their own political agendas. 

               The country had to rely on itself to gain economic and
investment
               growth, visiting Myanmar foreign minister U Win Aung told a
               conference in Tokyo on the future of Asia. ``This is because a
               few powerful countries for their domestic political agenda
denied
               Myanmar not only ODA (Official Development Assistance) but
               also access to resources of the international financial
               organisations,'' he said. 

               ``This could be likened to the situation where someone who had
               the misfortune to fall into a deep ravine, and who because
of his
               valiant efforts was able to climb back to the level ground
was not
               given a helping hand, but even pushed back into the abyss,'' he
               said. 

               Japan suspended all but a small amount of humanitarian aid
to the
               military-run state in the late 1980s but agreed in February
to help
               finance reconstruction of the airport in Yangon, Myanmar's
               capital. The US has imposed broad sanctions since the ruling
               junta crushed a pro-democracy movement and seized power in
               1988. In 1997, Washington banned new investment in the
               country. 

               The Myanmar foreign minister said southeast Asia's currency
               crisis was responsible for a 53 per cent drop in foreign direct
               investment commitments in the fiscal year to March 1998.
               Economic growth in the fiscal year to March this year was 5.6
               per cent, compared to a target of 6.6 per cent, he said,
largely
               because of the Asian financial crisis. 

               Win Aung said the military was forced to take power in
               September 1988 because of civil unrest which led to ``chaos and
               anarchy.'' The military was now trying to build a solid
foundation

               for democracy, he said. ``We are trying to settle the
situation.'' 

               The UN Human Rights Commission in April condemned
               Myanmar for sweeping human rights violations. A resolution
               contained a long list of abuses ranging from summary
executions,
               torture, and abuse of women to systematic programmes of forced
               relocation and widespread use of forced labour. (AFP)


#####
CCN