Burma Update: The World Bank decided to cooperation with SPDC without financial aid

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
BDD

After one week of meetings and visited Irrawaddy delta region, the World Bank experts concluded that they are unable to assist any financial needs but to support the ASEAN-UN let humanitarian assistance and rebuilding the livelihoods. The WB mission also reviewed what Burmese officials estimate caused $11 billion in damage to the needy in Irrawaddy delta, five member of WB team decided to provide technical assistance and other suggestions for SPDC.

Sources said reflection of Burma current political situations and regime showed it’s reluctant of international humanitarian assistance in poor country; WB mission needs further negotiation with regime and opposition party NLD. Without political stability, the WB is unable to provide any funds for isolated country.

Regardless of strong suggestions from ASEAN, the World Bank has clear mission; a country with political crisis, but able to conduct the free assessment, design and support the country development. However, country’s current situation is not met to the international recipient standard, sources said.

During the first time in post Nargis emergency meeting in Singapore, ASEAN ministers believed that Burma might corporate with international agencies and ASEAN was able to lead international relief and reconstruction efforts.

ASEAN officials and international aid agencies created a framework that could open the way for foreign relief to enter the country from different donors, mainly from West. In terms of having a major devastated, ASEAN-UN and SPDC estimated that 75 percent of schools, 60 percent of economy were destroyed or damaged in areas.

ASEAN ministers expected the International Financial Institutions is only a source to reconstruct the country needs. ASEAN and UN officials wanted to see a major role of the World Bank and the ADB, Asian Development Bank.

ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan flew to Washington D.C. to meet with World Bank President Robert Zoellick in June but he didn’t get assurance from the World Bank, sources said. The World Bank expectation is to avoid SPDC restrictions, unstable policies and different regulations from different ministries.

During the visit, the WB mission meeting with NLD officials and they did get the real picture of SPDC and unable to provide any financial assistance. NLD offered discussed the issue of regime intolerance against the relief effort. The WB mission worried that current arrest of individuals donors and leading Nargis relief coordinator Zarganar.

The WB mission might have seen the SPDC’s too much politicized the relief issues; allowing only cronies and its civil groups are able to do for their long term political and economic benefits.

Other NGOs reportedly met WB mission but they were unable to convince the WB to review to provide a financial assistance. Yet, the WB has not received any request for financial support from regime, sources said.

One of the regime’s close associates that able to get access to the international community and aid agencies has got frustrated. But this group didn’t give up and try through ASEAN, and planned to meet with ASEAN top secretariat in Bangkok this week, sources said.