Burma and the World Bank (Letter to

[douglas.steele@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: RE: Burma and the World Bank (Letter to IHT))

David,

  The copy of the letter to the editor published by the IHT that you sent
out does not have the signature line on it.  For the record, it was from U
Bo Hla Tint, Minister for N. and S. American Affairs for the NCGUB.

  Take care,

	Douglas


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International Herald Tribune
November 30, 1999

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;

Burma and the World Bank


Regarding ''It's Right to Tell the Burma Regime What It's Doing Wrong''
(Opinion, Nov. 15) by David Steinberg:

Mr. Steinberg asserts that Burma's National League for Democracy was
opposed to the World Bank conducting an objective study of Burma's
economy and faults Burma's democratically elected leaders
for being critical of the report when they ''should have applauded
(its) sound recommendations.''

The NLD has not issued any comment on the report. Indeed, as the
International Herald Tribune reported on Nov. 13, ''The 109-page report
was secretly distributed in draft version last month to top
generals and the opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.''

The confidential report will not be published until February 2000 and
its content would still be confidential if the International Herald Tribune
had not obtained a copy.

It is difficult to comprehend why Mr. Steinberg should take umbrage
that the NLD has not yet commented on a draft report that has not
been published.

The democratic movement has always emphasized that Burma's economic
crisis has its roots in the political situation and has called for a
national
dialogue to advance political and economic reforms. Therefore, the World
Bank's conclusion that the military leadership ''must carry out major
political and human reforms before the country can achieve prosperity'' does
not surprise us.  As a member of the NLD, I can confirm that the democratic
movement appreciates when anyone conducts objective analyses of what went
wrong in Burma.