#[1]CSMonitor.com front page [2]Index [3]CSMonitor.com [4]Search CSMonitor.com [5]World RSS [6]The Christian Science Monitor RSS [7]alternate Skip to: [8]Content Skip to: [9]Site Navigation Skip to: [10]Search __________________________________________________________________ [11]Return to Mobile Search _______________ Go * [12]World * [13]USA * [14]Commentary * [15]Business * [16]Energy/Environment * [17]Innovation * [18]Science * [19]Culture * [20]Books [21]Asia Pacific * [22]All Asia Pacific [23]Sign up for FREE E-Newsletters: * [24]Daily Top Stories * [25]Best of the Week - Editor's Picks * [26]Change Agent * [27]Books * [28]BizTech * [29]Opinion & Commentary * [30]Politics * [31]Food (Stir It Up!) [32]Subscribe and save 57 [33]% [34]Subscribe * [35]Christian Science Monitor * Advertisements * [36][about-these-ads.gif] __________________________________________________________________ Could Myanmar's economic reform bring business to war-torn ethnic regions? Myanmar has passed a new foreign direct investment law. Now a cease-fire in the country's war-torn Karen state has some entrepreneurs hoping to attract foreign investment. By Simon Roughneen, Correspondent / September 10, 2012 * Myanmar factory workers stage a rally outside Myanmar Labor's Office in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, Sept. 7. Elected President Thein Sein launched economic and political reforms when he took office last year after almost five decades of military rule, foreign sanctions and restrictive laws that kept the economy stagnant. Khin Maung Win/AP Enlarge __________________________________________________________________ Hpa'an, Myanmar On the heels of recent reforms in [37]Myanmar, aspiring entrepreneur Shar Phaung established Shar Mu Lar Mining Co. just two months ago, sensing economic opportunity in a war-torn state close to the [38]Thailand-Myanmar border. [39]Skip to next paragraph Related stories * [40]Myanmar cease-fire: Who are the Karen rebels? * In Pictures: [41]Myanmar Edges Into the Open * [42]Myanmar removes names from blacklist. What does it mean for reform? Subscribe Today to the Monitor [43]Click Here for your [44]FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition The [45]Karen National Union (KNU) has fought the Myanmar government in the Karen state, where Mr. Shar Phaung lives, since the late 1940s. The on-again, off-again jungle conflict has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, left thousands killed or maimed, and made it a struggle for families to make ends meet. Now a cease-fire has been coupled with Myanmar [46]President Thein Sein's pledge to prioritize economic reform one of [47]Asia's poorest countries. The government and the KNU met last week in the latest round of peace talks, discussing troop positions. “Overall we can say things are improving as this is the third time the government and KNU meet, and publicly the government praises the KNU,” says Susanna Hla Hla Soe of the Karen Women's Action Group, an observer at last weeks' negotiations here in Hpa'an. RELATED [48]Myanmar cease-fire: who are the Karen rebels? The lull in fighting means that even in this ramshackle riverside town of around 50,000, a six-hour drive from [49]Yangon, entrepreneurs such as Mr. Shar Phaung now see business opportunities. “The KNU and the government have the cease-fire so we can go to the places like Kyaiseikgyi near the Thailand-Myanmar border, where there is the antimony,” he says, referring to a potentially lucrative element mostly used in batteries and flame retardants. Antimony is just one of an array of natural resources prompting a surge in investor interest in Myanmar, which is better known for its gas, gemstones, timber, and oil. Given that antimony is also used sometimes in bullets, it is a grim irony that Shar Phaung could soon be mining in a region home to what is commonly described as the world's longest-running civil war. Still, both Ms. Susanna Hla Hla Soe and Shar Phaung acknowledge that a political settlement is a long way off. “It is just cease-fire for now: They have many things to discuss still,” says Shar Phaung. The Karen and several of Myanmar's other large ethnic minorities have long sought substantial devolution of central control to their regions, something the Myanmar authorities have resisted, fearing that minority regions could try to break away from Myanmar. Hurdles await Big issues await discussion, and even settling on the names of places and people could be problematic. Just as Burma is the old name for Myanmar – the official country name imposed by the ruling military in 1989 – “Kayin” and “Hpa'an” are official names for what are better-known as Karen state and Pa'an respectively. Moreover, analysts say it will take more than peace to ensure significant economic change in Karen state. “We need outside investment, outside technology,” says Shar Phaung, who has yet to sign a contract with the government to mine the antimony. “We are hoping to get a bigger foreign partner to work more effectively,” he says. “We can only mine by hand right now, we don't have machines to do this properly yet.” A new foreign investment law was passed by Myanmar's parliament on Friday after several months debate, during which Western countries relaxed or suspended economic sanctions on Myanmar. The law scratched several potential investment-deterring provisions from the original draft, such as a $5 million minimum initial spend for any foreign company wanting to invest. It could also help bring in the know-how and equipment Shar Phaung is after. That might take time, however. “Foreign investors are looking to see the extent to which peace can be brokered, achieved, and maintained in conflict areas prior to commitment of resources,” says Alessio Polastri, managing partner at P&A Asia, a consultancy that offers legal advice to companies seeking business in Myanmar. Another sticking point is the current mining law, which requires 30 to 70 percent profit sharing between an investor and the Myanmar government, which also seeks royalties and tax. The law is another likely deterrent to the sort of partner Shar Phaung wants, says Mr. Polastri, but one the government says it will revise soon. ‘We are still very poor’ However, for others in Hpa'an, the lingering effects of war mean a daily struggle to make ends meet. Jerome Na makes shirts and dresses from the living room of her family home in a quiet, semi-rural street on the outskirts of town. Eight years ago she brought her family 40 miles from Kama Maung because of the constant dangers of jungle skirmishes there between the Army and the Karen [50]National Liberation Army, the KNU's armed wing. “There are landmines around, and back then it was not safe, and there was no way to earn a living,” she says. Ms. Jerome Na says that the family did not have running water or electricity in their home village, typical of most of rural Karen state. “Business is still the same for me as it was last year and the year before,” she says, despite the cease-fire. “I think it is the same still for most people, we are still very poor.” Related stories * [51]Myanmar cease-fire: Who are the Karen rebels? * In Pictures: [52]Myanmar Edges Into the Open * [53]Myanmar removes names from blacklist. What does it mean for reform? Get free daily or weekly news updates from CSMonitor.com delivered to your inbox. [54]Sign up today. [55][print.png] [56]Permissions [57]Subscribe The Christian Science Monitor Today! * [58]The Culture [59]American Idol: The Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minaj fight that fizzled * [60]Science [61]Asteroid mining: Second company announces plans. Time to stake a claim? (+video) * [62]USA [63]On to the wall-to-wall-Harbaughs Super Bowl. A Week 20 NFL Quiz * [64]The Culture [65]'Birders: The Central Park Effect' aims to make birdwatching cool * [66]The Culture [67]Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star in 'The Impossible' * [68]The Culture [69]Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe face off in 'Broken City' * [70]Books [71]Michelle Obama: 10 quotes on her birthday * [72]Energy/Environment [73]Detroit auto show: the future of energy-efficient cars and trucks (+video) * [74]USA [75]Focus: [76]How to get high school dropouts into 'recovery'? * Making a Difference [77]Randy Grim and Stray Rescue reshape a city's approach to animal control * Autos [78]Data-driven car comparisons * Innovation [79]Data-driven HDTV comparisons * Weekly review of global news and ideas * Balanced, insightful and trustworthy * Subscribe in print or digital Special Offer [80]Print [81]Digital [82]About these ads IFRAME: [83]http://embed.newsinc.com/Thumbnail/iframe.html?wid=9180&cid=506&fre ewheel=90962&sitesection=csmonitor_nws_wld_sty&parent=ndn_launcher_1&ty pe=slider [84]Could you pass a US citizenship test? Find out. Most viewed 1. [85]Lego Racism? Muslim Turks complain about Jabba the Hut 2. [86]Russia's Vladimir Putin says West is fomenting jihadi 'blowback' 3. [87]Monster storm expected to explode in Atlantic. It may be one for the books. 4. [88]Heroin: Small cities, even rural towns face growing problems 5. [89]For French troops nearing rebel ground, Mali fight is no ordinary mission Photos of the day [90]01.25.13 » [91]Photos of the Day 01/25 [92]CSMonitor.com on Facebook [93]CSMonitor.com on Facebook Editors' Picks: * [94]Difference Maker [95]Rachel Goble helps stop sex trafficking of impoverished children The SOLD Project helps young girls in Thailand avoid becoming prostitutes through mentoring and education. * [96]The Foster Friess soundtrack: top quips from the GOP megadonor * [97]Decoder Wire: [98]The 'stupid party': Is GOP's concern what's said or how it's said? * [99]Mass extinction? Man may still have time to catalog Earth's species. * [100]On North Africa's western flank, long-simmering conflict causes unease [101]About these ads Doing Good What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? [102]Extraordinary change... [103][0118-pmad-Stray-Rescue-132.jpg] Estela de Carlotto has spent nearly 34 years searching for her own missing grandson. [104]Randy Grim and Stray Rescue reshape a city's approach to animal control Grim, a passionate dog lover, and thousands of his Stray Rescue volunteers rehabilitate stray dogs in St. Louis and place them in loving homes. Become part of the Monitor community [105]Become a fan! [106]Follow us! [107]Google+ [108]YouTube [109]See our feeds! [110][subscribe-ad_300x250_e-readers_large.png] [111]About these ads * [112]Home * [113]About * [114]Content Map * [115]Contact Us * [116]Subscribe * [117]E-Readers * [118]Text * [119]Specials * [120]Multimedia * [121]Make Us Your Home Page * [122]Careers * [123]Corrections * [124]Find us online * [125]Advertise With Us * [126]Articles on Christian Science [127]© The Christian Science Monitor. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. [128]Privacy Policy. Quantcast [bh.gif?n=305&g=20&a=826&s=1&t=r&f=1] Références Liens visibles 1. file://localhost/ 2. file://localhost/ 3. file://localhost/ 4. file://localhost/content/search 5. http://rss.csmonitor.com/feeds/world 6. http://rss.csmonitor.com/feeds/csm 7. http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0910/Could-Myanmar-s-economic-reform-bring-business-to-war-torn-ethnic-regions 8. file://localhost/home/elfe/PROJET-MOT-SUR-LE-WEB/PAGES-ASPIREES/105.html#contentBounds 9. file://localhost/home/elfe/PROJET-MOT-SUR-LE-WEB/PAGES-ASPIREES/105.html#mNav 10. file://localhost/home/elfe/PROJET-MOT-SUR-LE-WEB/PAGES-ASPIREES/105.html#search 11. http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0910/Could-Myanmar-s-economic-reform-bring-business-to-war-torn-ethnic-regions 12. file://localhost/World 13. file://localhost/USA 14. file://localhost/Commentary 15. file://localhost/Business 16. file://localhost/Environment 17. file://localhost/Innovation 18. file://localhost/Science 19. file://localhost/The-Culture 20. file://localhost/Books 21. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific 22. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific 23. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 24. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 25. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 26. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 27. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 28. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 29. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 30. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 31. http://www.pages03.net/christiansciencemonitor/Registration/ 32. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/GiftsGateway?cds_mag_code=CSX&cds_page_id=105053&cds_response_key=I2MCSXSPH 33. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/GiftsGateway?cds_mag_code=CSX&cds_page_id=105053&cds_response_key=I2MCSXSPH 34. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/GiftsGateway?cds_mag_code=CSX&cds_page_id=105053&cds_response_key=I2MCSXSPH 35. file://localhost/ 36. file://localhost/About/Contact/Feedback/About-these-Ads 37. file://localhost/tags/topic/Myanmar 38. file://localhost/tags/topic/Thailand 39. file://localhost/home/elfe/PROJET-MOT-SUR-LE-WEB/PAGES-ASPIREES/105.html#nextParagraph 40. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0112/Myanmar-cease-fire-Who-are-the-Karen-rebels/Who-are-the-Karen-people 41. file://localhost/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Myanmar-Edges-Into-the-Open 42. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0828/Myanmar-removes-names-from-blacklist.-What-does-it-mean-for-reform 43. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=CSZ&cds_page_id=114269&cds_response_key=I2GZSPTL1 44. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=CSZ&cds_page_id=114269&cds_response_key=I2GZSPTL1 45. file://localhost/tags/topic/Karen+National+Union 46. file://localhost/tags/topic/Thein+Sein 47. file://localhost/tags/topic/Asia 48. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0112/Myanmar-cease-fire-Who-are-the-Karen-rebels 49. file://localhost/tags/topic/Yangon 50. file://localhost/tags/topic/National+Liberation+Army 51. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0112/Myanmar-cease-fire-Who-are-the-Karen-rebels/Who-are-the-Karen-people 52. file://localhost/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Myanmar-Edges-Into-the-Open 53. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0828/Myanmar-removes-names-from-blacklist.-What-does-it-mean-for-reform 54. http://bit.ly/CSMEmailRegistration 55. file://localhost/layout/set/print/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0910/Could-Myanmar-s-economic-reform-bring-business-to-war-torn-ethnic-regions 56. file://localhost/About/Terms#re-use 57. http://www.csmonitor.com/About/Subscriptions 58. file://localhost/The-Culture 59. file://localhost/The-Culture/TV/2013/0124/American-Idol-The-Mariah-Carey-vs.-Nicki-Minaj-fight-that-fizzled 60. file://localhost/Science 61. file://localhost/Science/2013/0122/Asteroid-mining-Second-company-announces-plans.-Time-to-stake-a-claim-video 62. file://localhost/USA 63. file://localhost/USA/Sports/2013/0121/On-to-the-wall-to-wall-Harbaughs-Super-Bowl.-A-Week-20-NFL-Quiz/Road-king 64. file://localhost/The-Culture 65. file://localhost/The-Culture/Movies/2013/0118/Birders-The-Central-Park-Effect-aims-to-make-birdwatching-cool 66. file://localhost/The-Culture 67. file://localhost/The-Culture/Movies/2013/0118/Naomi-Watts-and-Ewan-McGregor-star-in-The-Impossible 68. file://localhost/The-Culture 69. file://localhost/The-Culture/Movies/2013/0118/Mark-Wahlberg-and-Russell-Crowe-face-off-in-Broken-City 70. file://localhost/Books 71. file://localhost/Books/2013/0116/Michelle-Obama-10-quotes-on-her-birthday/On-the-American-Dream 72. file://localhost/Environment 73. file://localhost/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0116/Detroit-auto-show-the-future-of-energy-efficient-cars-and-trucks-video 74. file://localhost/USA 75. file://localhost/tags/special/focus 76. file://localhost/USA/2013/0115/How-to-get-high-school-dropouts-into-recovery-Ideas-bloom-across-US 77. file://localhost/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0118/Randy-Grim-and-Stray-Rescue-reshape-a-city-s-approach-to-animal-control 78. http://cars.csmonitor.com/ 79. http://hdtv.csmonitor.com/ 80. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=CSX&cds_page_id=67239&cds_response_key=I2GXGTYP1 81. https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=CSZ&cds_page_id=114269&cds_response_key=I2GZGTYP1 82. file://localhost/About/Contact/Feedback/About-these-Ads 83. http://embed.newsinc.com/Thumbnail/iframe.html?wid=9180&cid=506&freewheel=90962&sitesection=csmonitor_nws_wld_sty&parent=ndn_launcher_1&type=slider 84. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0104/Could-you-pass-a-US-citizenship-test/Who-signs-bills?cmpid=prc:ctzn:d 85. file://localhost/Business/2013/0125/Lego-Racism-Muslim-Turks-complain-about-Jabba-the-Hut 86. file://localhost/World/Europe/2013/0125/Russia-s-Vladimir-Putin-says-West-is-fomenting-jihadi-blowback 87. file://localhost/Science/2013/0125/Monster-storm-expected-to-explode-in-Atlantic.-It-may-be-one-for-the-books 88. file://localhost/USA/Society/2013/0125/Heroin-Small-cities-even-rural-towns-face-growing-problems 89. file://localhost/World/Africa/2013/0125/For-French-troops-nearing-rebel-ground-Mali-fight-is-no-ordinary-mission 90. file://localhost/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-01-25 91. file://localhost/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-01-25 92. http://www.facebook.com/ChristianScienceMonitor 93. http://www.facebook.com/ChristianScienceMonitor 94. file://localhost/tags/special/difference-maker 95. file://localhost/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0125/Rachel-Goble-helps-stop-sex-trafficking-of-impoverished-children 96. file://localhost/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2013/0125/The-Foster-Friess-soundtrack-top-quips-from-the-GOP-megadonor 97. file://localhost/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire 98. file://localhost/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2013/0125/The-stupid-party-Is-GOP-s-concern-what-s-said-or-how-it-s-said 99. file://localhost/Science/2013/0125/Mass-extinction-Man-may-still-have-time-to-catalog-Earth-s-species 100. file://localhost/World/Africa/2013/0125/On-North-Africa-s-western-flank-long-simmering-conflict-causes-unease 101. file://localhost/About/Contact/Feedback/About-these-Ads 102. file://localhost/World/making-a-difference 103. file://localhost/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0118/Randy-Grim-and-Stray-Rescue-reshape-a-city-s-approach-to-animal-control 104. file://localhost/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0118/Randy-Grim-and-Stray-Rescue-reshape-a-city-s-approach-to-animal-control 105. http://www.facebook.com/ChristianScienceMonitor 106. http://www.twitter.com/CSMonitor 107. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106478337234414923781/106478337234414923781/posts 108. http://www.youtube.com/user/csmonitor100?feature=results_main 109. file://localhost/About/Subscriptions/RSS 110. http://www.csmonitor.com/About/Subscriptions/E-Readers 111. file://localhost/About/Contact/Feedback/About-these-Ads 112. file://localhost/ 113. file://localhost/About/The-Monitor-difference 114. file://localhost/layout/set/basic/csm/contentmap 115. file://localhost/About/Contact 116. file://localhost/About/Subscriptions 117. file://localhost/About/Subscriptions/E-readers 118. file://localhost/textedition 119. file://localhost/Specials 120. file://localhost/Multimedia 121. file://localhost/layout/set/popup/About/homepage.html 122. file://localhost/About/Careers 123. file://localhost/About/Corrections 124. file://localhost/About/Find-us-online 125. file://localhost/About/Advertise 126. file://localhost/The-Culture/Articles-on-Christian-Science 127. file://localhost/About/Terms 128. file://localhost/About/Privacy-Policy Liens cachés : 130. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106478337234414923781/106478337234414923781/posts 131. http://www.twitter.com/CSMonitor 132. http://www.facebook.com/ChristianScienceMonitor 133. file://localhost/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0910-myanmar-workers-protest/13708415-1-eng-US/0910-Myanmar-Workers-Protest_full_600.jpg 134. file://localhost/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0112/Myanmar-cease-fire-Who-are-the-Karen-rebels/Who-are-the-Karen-people 135. file://localhost/The-Culture/TV/2013/0124/American-Idol-The-Mariah-Carey-vs.-Nicki-Minaj-fight-that-fizzled 136. file://localhost/Science/2013/0122/Asteroid-mining-Second-company-announces-plans.-Time-to-stake-a-claim-video 137. file://localhost/USA/Sports/2013/0121/On-to-the-wall-to-wall-Harbaughs-Super-Bowl.-A-Week-20-NFL-Quiz/Road-king 138. file://localhost/The-Culture/Movies/2013/0118/Birders-The-Central-Park-Effect-aims-to-make-birdwatching-cool 139. file://localhost/The-Culture/Movies/2013/0118/Naomi-Watts-and-Ewan-McGregor-star-in-The-Impossible 140. file://localhost/The-Culture/Movies/2013/0118/Mark-Wahlberg-and-Russell-Crowe-face-off-in-Broken-City 141. file://localhost/Books/2013/0116/Michelle-Obama-10-quotes-on-her-birthday/On-the-American-Dream 142. file://localhost/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0116/Detroit-auto-show-the-future-of-energy-efficient-cars-and-trucks-video 143. file://localhost/USA/2013/0115/How-to-get-high-school-dropouts-into-recovery-Ideas-bloom-across-US 144. file://localhost/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0118/Randy-Grim-and-Stray-Rescue-reshape-a-city-s-approach-to-animal-control 145. http://cars.csmonitor.com/ 146. http://hdtv.csmonitor.com/ 147. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0104/Could-you-pass-a-US-citizenship-test/Who-signs-bills?cmpid=prc:ctzn:d 148. file://localhost/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-01-25 149. file://localhost/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0125/Rachel-Goble-helps-stop-sex-trafficking-of-impoverished-children