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Reuters-World Bank says Myanmar nee

Subject: Reuters-World Bank says Myanmar needs political reform 

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World Bank says Myanmar needs political reform=20
12:16 a.m. Nov 13, 1999 Eastern=20
BANGKOK, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The World Bank has told Myanmar's ruling =
generals in a confidential report that they must carry out major =
political and human rights reforms to achieve prosperity on a par with =
neighbouring countries, a newspaper reported on Saturday.=20

The International Herald Tribune said the draft of a 109-page World Bank =
report on Myanmar was distributed secretly to top generals in the ruling =
military council and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and reflected a =
World Bank-U.N. initiative to break political deadlock between them.=20

The report, which the paper said was the Bank's first on Myanmar in =
nearly five years, attributed the country's economic malaise to =
mismanagement rather than Asia's financial crisis.=20

It concluded that current policies would exacerbate poverty, stunt human =
development and devastate national social cohesion, the paper said.=20

It said Myanmar's rich had gained disproportionately from economic =
development compared with the wealthy in other Asian countries and =
Myanmar had yet to achieve sustainable growth.=20

Child malnutrition levels were high and death rates for children =
significantly higher than in Asian countries with similar gross domestic =
products, the Bank report said.=20

It also said many factors suggested child labour had risen since the =
early 1980s, the paper reported.=20

The newspaper said the report was delivered to the generals by U.N. =
Assistant Secretary-General Alvaro de Soto, who visited Myanmar last =
month to try to promote dialogue between them and Suu Kyi, the 1991 =
Nobel peace laureate.=20

Last year De Soto raised the possibility of World Bank development aid =
if the government initiated such a dialogue.=20

On Friday Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said the =
military government arrested leaders of two allied ethnic parties who =
took part in talks with De Soto last month.=20

It said Naing Tun Thein, 82, chairman of the Mon National Democratic =
Front, and Kyin Shin Htan, chairman of the Zomi National Congress, were =
arrested on November 3, both for the second time in two years.=20

It said no reason had been given for their detention and the government =
declined to comment.=20

Myanmar's military took direct power in 1988 by killing thousands to =
crush a pro-democracy uprising. It then ignored the results of the last =
election in 1990, which the NLD won by a landslide.=20

The U.N. General Assembly, as well as Western countries led by the =
United States and the European Union, has condemned Myanmar for failing =
to democratise and for severe human rights violations, including forced =
labour and torture.=20

The generals have so far refused to negotiate with Suu Kyi unless she =
disbands a committee set up last year to represent the parliament they =
never allowed to form.=20





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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>World Bank says =
Myanmar needs=20
political reform</STRONG></FONT> <BR>12:16 a.m. Nov 13, 1999 Eastern=20
<P>BANGKOK, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The World Bank has told Myanmar's ruling =
generals=20
in a confidential report that they must carry out major political and =
human=20
rights reforms to achieve prosperity on a par with neighbouring =
countries, a=20
newspaper reported on Saturday.=20
<P>The International Herald Tribune said the draft of a 109-page World =
Bank=20
report on Myanmar was distributed secretly to top generals in the ruling =

military council and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and reflected a =
World=20
Bank-U.N. initiative to break political deadlock between them.=20
<P>The report, which the paper said was the Bank's first on Myanmar in =
nearly=20
five years, attributed the country's economic malaise to mismanagement =
rather=20
than Asia's financial crisis.=20
<P>It concluded that current policies would exacerbate poverty, stunt =
human=20
development and devastate national social cohesion, the paper said.=20
<P>It said Myanmar's rich had gained disproportionately from economic=20
development compared with the wealthy in other Asian countries and =
Myanmar had=20
yet to achieve sustainable growth.=20
<P>Child malnutrition levels were high and death rates for children=20
significantly higher than in Asian countries with similar gross domestic =

products, the Bank report said.=20
<P>It also said many factors suggested child labour had risen since the =
early=20
1980s, the paper reported.=20
<P>The newspaper said the report was delivered to the generals by U.N. =
Assistant=20
Secretary-General Alvaro de Soto, who visited Myanmar last month to try =
to=20
promote dialogue between them and Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel peace =
laureate.=20
<P>Last year De Soto raised the possibility of World Bank development =
aid if the=20
government initiated such a dialogue.=20
<P>On Friday Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said the =
military=20
government arrested leaders of two allied ethnic parties who took part =
in talks=20
with De Soto last month.=20
<P>It said Naing Tun Thein, 82, chairman of the Mon National Democratic =
Front,=20
and Kyin Shin Htan, chairman of the Zomi National Congress, were =
arrested on=20
November 3, both for the second time in two years.=20
<P>It said no reason had been given for their detention and the =
government=20
declined to comment.=20
<P>Myanmar's military took direct power in 1988 by killing thousands to =
crush a=20
pro-democracy uprising. It then ignored the results of the last election =
in=20
1990, which the NLD won by a landslide.=20
<P>The U.N. General Assembly, as well as Western countries led by the =
United=20
States and the European Union, has condemned Myanmar for failing to =
democratise=20
and for severe human rights violations, including forced labour and =
torture.=20
<P>The generals have so far refused to negotiate with Suu Kyi unless she =

disbands a committee set up last year to represent the parliament they =
never=20
allowed to form.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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