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**tretcheenia** · 06-02-2012, 10:35 AM

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi sent a clear message to investors interested in her country as it begins to open up to the world - be transparent and think deeply about its people.

In her first public speech outside her home country in 24 years at the World Economic Forum on East Asia yesterday, Mrs Suu Kyi, who took the stage to a standing ovation from participants from around the world, called for an economic reform that will improve the living conditions of Myanmar people in general, not any particular groups or individuals.

"I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to tell you what we need," said the charismatic opposition leader who spent 15 out of the past 22 years under house arrest before getting elected to parliament last month.

"We need capacity from the ground up. Please don't think about benefits for investors. I understand investors invest because they hope to profit from ventures, but we also hope our country must benefit as much as those who come to invest."

Mrs Suu Kyi, 66, said economic reform must not engender greater inequalities and breed corruption, nor should it bring more privilege to those already privileged.

What the reform should mean, simply, is jobs, as many jobs as possible, Mrs Suu Kyi said.

She ranked job creation as an immensely important task; one that sits high on her priority list.

The proportion of young people unemployed in Burma is extremely high. It is a "time bomb", she said.

"It's not so much joblessness as hopelessness," she said. "Many youths have already followed the wrong path - gambling, alcohol and drugs. If this goes on, we won't be able to reform them or reform the country."

There is no point in coming up with an ambitious reform strategy when there is a great lack of people who can carry out measures proposed by the government, she said.

"We need basic education in Burma, the kind of education that will enable people to earn a decent living for themselves. Vocational training and non-formal education means much more than doctoral programmes," she said, adding that while others may think about national prestige, she thinks of national workability.

According to the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), the reason there are so many Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand is simple: there is nothing for them to go home to.

"It is very touching to meet the migrant workers here and see how they long to go home," Mrs Suu Kyi said during a press briefing after the address.

There are about 2 million Myanmar workers in Thailand, up to 60% of them unregistered and thus ineligible for the 300-baht minimum wage and healthcare.

Mrs Suu Kyi made two trips to "Little Myanmar", an area in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon, about one hour from Bangkok where the largest community of migrants - estimated at 400,000 - is located.

She told thousands of labourers who gathered to meet her on Wednesday that she would develop their country so they could return home and apply their skills and knowledge to make it prosper.

Mrs Suu Kyi is scheduled to visit displaced Myanmar people at a camp near the border in Tak today.

The iconic opposition leader also urged the international community to exercise "healthy scepticism" when it comes to investment in her country which has made quick steps towards democratic reform after more than 50 years of military rule.

She warned would-be investors that even the best investment law would be no use when there is no court clean enough to administer the law justly.

"There is an urgent need for judicial reform. Not many in the government seem to agree with this," she said.

When asked if the reform is irreversible, she said it depends on how committed the military is to the process.

She urged the international community to be transparent not only with investment but with aid also. The US$50 billion deep-sea port project undertaken by Thailand's Italian-Thai Development construction company at Dawei is one example.

"The reason we have problems with Dawei [a group has protested against the planned coal-fired power plant] is people were kept in the dark. They did not know something was happening and by the time they knew, they could do nothing about it," she said.

On a lighter side, Mrs Suu Kyi noted that while on her flight to Bangkok on Tuesday, the captain invited her to sit in the cockpit. She said the scene was considerably different from the Myanmar she had just left, where people were protesting against electricity cuts.

"What went through my mind was: we need an energy policy," she said.

393721.jpg
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday urged theMyanmar government to carry out judicial reforms to cement recent political progressand foster clean investment in the country. Shewas speaking at theWorld Economic Forum on East Asia yesterday.

06-02-2012, 10:35 AM	#4
tretcheenia Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 414 Senior Member	Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi sent a clear message to investors interested in her country as it begins to open up to the world - be transparent and think deeply about its people. In her first public speech outside her home country in 24 years at the World Economic Forum on East Asia yesterday, Mrs Suu Kyi, who took the stage to a standing ovation from participants from around the world, called for an economic reform that will improve the living conditions of Myanmar people in general, not any particular groups or individuals. "I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to tell you what we need," said the charismatic opposition leader who spent 15 out of the past 22 years under house arrest before getting elected to parliament last month. "We need capacity from the ground up. Please don't think about benefits for investors. I understand investors invest because they hope to profit from ventures, but we also hope our country must benefit as much as those who come to invest." Mrs Suu Kyi, 66, said economic reform must not engender greater inequalities and breed corruption, nor should it bring more privilege to those already privileged. What the reform should mean, simply, is jobs, as many jobs as possible, Mrs Suu Kyi said. She ranked job creation as an immensely important task; one that sits high on her priority list. The proportion of young people unemployed in Burma is extremely high. It is a "time bomb", she said. "It's not so much joblessness as hopelessness," she said. "Many youths have already followed the wrong path - gambling, alcohol and drugs. If this goes on, we won't be able to reform them or reform the country." There is no point in coming up with an ambitious reform strategy when there is a great lack of people who can carry out measures proposed by the government, she said. "We need basic education in Burma, the kind of education that will enable people to earn a decent living for themselves. Vocational training and non-formal education means much more than doctoral programmes," she said, adding that while others may think about national prestige, she thinks of national workability. According to the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), the reason there are so many Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand is simple: there is nothing for them to go home to. "It is very touching to meet the migrant workers here and see how they long to go home," Mrs Suu Kyi said during a press briefing after the address. There are about 2 million Myanmar workers in Thailand, up to 60% of them unregistered and thus ineligible for the 300-baht minimum wage and healthcare. Mrs Suu Kyi made two trips to "Little Myanmar", an area in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon, about one hour from Bangkok where the largest community of migrants - estimated at 400,000 - is located. She told thousands of labourers who gathered to meet her on Wednesday that she would develop their country so they could return home and apply their skills and knowledge to make it prosper. Mrs Suu Kyi is scheduled to visit displaced Myanmar people at a camp near the border in Tak today. The iconic opposition leader also urged the international community to exercise "healthy scepticism" when it comes to investment in her country which has made quick steps towards democratic reform after more than 50 years of military rule. She warned would-be investors that even the best investment law would be no use when there is no court clean enough to administer the law justly. "There is an urgent need for judicial reform. Not many in the government seem to agree with this," she said. When asked if the reform is irreversible, she said it depends on how committed the military is to the process. She urged the international community to be transparent not only with investment but with aid also. The US$50 billion deep-sea port project undertaken by Thailand's Italian-Thai Development construction company at Dawei is one example. "The reason we have problems with Dawei [a group has protested against the planned coal-fired power plant] is people were kept in the dark. They did not know something was happening and by the time they knew, they could do nothing about it," she said. On a lighter side, Mrs Suu Kyi noted that while on her flight to Bangkok on Tuesday, the captain invited her to sit in the cockpit. She said the scene was considerably different from the Myanmar she had just left, where people were protesting against electricity cuts. "What went through my mind was: we need an energy policy," she said. 393721.jpg Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday urged theMyanmar government to carry out judicial reforms to cement recent political progressand foster clean investment in the country. Shewas speaking at theWorld Economic Forum on East Asia yesterday.
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