Should we "Invest in Burma?"

It was refusal to invest in South Africa which helped to bring white minority rule to an nd.  The state of the daily stock market may have little or Nothing to do with the lives of most or at least Many ordinary working people.  But it has a Lot to do with the success of multi-national corporations and their large share holders.

Since Secretary of State Hilary Clinton made her much publicized tatement, urging American businesses to "Invest in Burma" the US. Campaign for Burma has reported intimidation by rape, farmers being forced by the military to leave resource rich land and become internally displaced refugees, torture of political prisoners and ordinary people for non-compliance with military orders, etc.

I sent the following mail to the BBC which has waxed optimistic about investing in Burma, only sayin there are "ethnic tensions" between  the Rohinga Muslim people and Buddhists. 

The US. Campaign for Burma wants the People of Burma to have their Own Independence Day.  They are asking everyone to call their Federal Senators and urge renewal of the "Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act" Including Renewing sanctions against the Burmese military junta.

Below is my letter to the BBC.

The BBC and other news organizations are singing the praises of "invest in Burma" and saying the only difficulties are between Muslim and Buddhist people.  Then why do I keep receiving E-mails such as the material copied below Directly from an E-mail from the US. Campaign for Burma?  Could it be that both the US. And Europe hope to boost their flagging economies through "investing in Burma" which has exploitable natural resources, at the expense of More people whose human rights are being violated on a daily basis?  Please have the courage to do a bit of research or put this on your Facebook page so Others can.

Teresa Myeers, from the USA.

"While the international community, according to Aung San Suu Kyi, has expressed reckless

optimism, the situation has not gotten any better outside big cities like Rangoon

and Naypyitaw.  As you are reading this, Burma’s military is violating the basic

human rights of ethnic people, particularly the Kachin. Burma’s regime still refuses

to admit there are hundreds of political prisoners behind bars.  With the lifting

of the US investment ban, interest in development has spiked.

More and more farmers are in danger of being forced off their land to make way for foreign investment

or subjected to forced labor, crop burnings, and extortion.

Some farmers have been arrested for refusing to leave their land

. We must send a strong signal that real reform respects rights for all, not profits

for the few. The import ban in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act is the last

piece of leverage the U.S. has to push Burma's military and government towards real

reform.

Please call your Senators and ask them to cosponsor the renewal of sanctions against

Burma's regime before they expire this summer. Click here for detailed instructions.

Presently five Senators have agreed to cosponsor the renewal! We need to keep the

momentum going, emails will not be enough,

we need you to call your Senators.

The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act denies hundreds of millions of American dollars

from getting into the hands of the Burmese junta and its cronies. Now more than ever,

the Kachin and Burma's marginalized communities need our help to sustain strong U.S.

pressure on the regime . . ."