By Francis Wade

Western sanctions on Burma stop crucial international aid from being channelled into the country and should be eased in the wake of positive developments over the past nine months, a refugee advocacy group has said.

Burma receives less foreign aid money than any country in Southeast Asia, despite being the poorest. Refugees International said this week that the international community must expand operations in Burma to respond to the persistent needs of the population, among whom are more than 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).

While not advocating for a complete rollback of sanctions, the group argues that “removing specific barriers to technical assistance to key ministries and civil servants would allow Burma’s government to better respond to humanitarian needs and jumpstart the country’s stagnant development progress”.

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