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'Ordinary people' and Myanmar's reforms

Sanctions and the man in the Myanmar street
'Ordinary people' and Myanmar's reforms
Kachin refugees camp in the border areas of China who fled from their villages due to fighting with government troops and the Kachin rebels since June, 2011
Published: April 30, 2012 07:09 AM GMT
Updated: April 30, 2012 07:11 AM GMT

An economist in Yangon claims that the sanctions imposed on Myanmar for decades by the US and other countries have never worked effectively. Khin Mg Nyo  says the adverse effects of the various embargoes were borne not by the country's rulers, but  by people at the grass roots level. "I have opposed the sanctions all along because they have never hit the target as accurately as the US and Western nations think," he says. "The greatest sufferer has always been the ordinary citizen." On April 23, the EU agreed to suspend its sanctions for a year, stating that it ‘will continue to watch’ the progress of the new civilian government.? Khin Mg Nyo believes that this will have a direct, positive effect on the country's impoverished people. "The lifting of those sanctions will be very much felt by the people who are struggling with poverty," he says. But does he feel confident that the government will keep moving in the right direction? "That depends on them," he says, cautiously. "It would be very difficult to foretell the future." While welcoming the recent developments and giving credit to the government for its reforms so far, Khin Mg Nyo  warns that in western eyes, more changes are still needed. “I hope the government will now start making improvements in areas such as education, healthcare and development,” he says. "We need to keep walking towards democracy. Only then will we be able to get help and support from others.” Phay Myint, executive editor of The People’s Age journal, agrees that further loosening of sanctions will take place only as long as the reforms continue. "The EU will surely be monitoring this," he says. "If they see more improvements, hopefully  they will raise sanctions further. But as long as they remain in place, there will be no development for the country.” Phay Myint says he would like to see the creation of new opportunities for ordinary people to earn a living. Ko Gyi, a businessman based in Mandalay, is confident that this will happen. "As the sanctions are lifted, our exports will strengthen," he says. "We will be able to command higher prices and we will surely get a great deal of interest in our products. "The economy is bound to get stronger, so workers will have more options to choose from for their livelihood.? With more inward investment in the country, things like roads, transportation and infrastructure will all be upgraded." However, one major bone of contention still remains: the government's long running armed feud with ethnic Kachin and Karen rebels. "Even though the EU has suspended sanctions, the question of Kachin remains neglected and unanswered," says ?Ja Seng Hkawng, a human rights activist.  "Conflict is still going on in Kachin state and rights violations, whether seen or unseen, are still happening. “As an ethnic Kachin, I want the sanctions lifted only when there is peace and equal rights throughout the whole country.”

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