Intriguingly, Miss Suu Kyi asked for more investment in technology and
infrastructure, but said that investors “should pay close attention to
the costs and collateral damage of our development, whether
--
environmental or social.” Furthermore, she urged “those who have
invested or who are thinking of investing in Burma to put a premium on
respect for law, on environmental and social factors, on the rights of
--
aimed at the foreign governments. Rather, I think she was speaking to
Chinese, Thai and other Asian investors who are coming in and, by all
accounts, doing great damage to many of Myanmar's minority communities
--
don't expect Miss Suu Kyi's appeals to change things very much, but I
hope it focuses fresh attention on the misdeeds of those investors who
are already operating in Myanmar.
--

1. The corporations in the West are not even investing in their own
countries (just look at the US unemployment rate) for short-term
--
"financial" (i.e. profit-making) reasons. So why would they be
interested in investing in Burma, except to exploit natural resources
(perhaps not just gas and oil), which unfortunately always has some
--
2. China (including Chinese businessmen from Thailand and Singapore) do
"invest" heavily in Burma. This fits in well with the strategic Chinese
goal of of "sinicization of the periphery" (string of pearls). This
--

There is in any case little Western interest in "investing" in Myanmar.
Oil and gas, yes, but there is tremendous competition from the region.
Otherwise, some niche investments and financial services. But that's
about it. The West is no longer into manufacturing, which has already