As international economic sanctions loosen, the World Bank considers getting involved after two decades away.
Photo by pwbaker on Flickr
Carey L. Biron writes for IPS News on the problems that need to be faced before investing in the country:
“Particularly notable has been an absence of representation from within Myanmar’s conflict areas, where most of the country’s ethnic minorities live.
“In Karen state and other such areas, ‘People are still living in fear,’ says Paul Sein Twa, executive director of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network. ‘Withdrawing troops from these areas would immediately help people to go back and farm – without waiting for any money from the international community or the government.’
“Instead, Sein Twa contends, the government’s focus in dealing with armed ethnic groups has been simply to ‘secure’ the areas for large- scale economic projects, including the creation of special economic zones, several of which are currently in the works.”
Read more at Multilaterals Warned Not to Go Too Far, Too Fast in Myanmar.