LIRNEasia has always believed in the efficacy of engagement and in the futility of boycott. Even when the conditions of our funding prevented us from spending money on citizens of Burma, we spent from our meager overhead funds to maintain engagement. We are continuing this practice at CPRsouth6 in Bangkok this month. Thus we are more than pleased to see the US removing the blocks on engagement with Burma:
The steps Mrs. Clinton announced on Thursday were modest in scale but important symbolically. While the United States is not yet considering lifting the sweeping sanctions that ban most imports from Myanmar, she said, Washington will no longer block the World Bank and International Monetary Fund from carrying out assessment programs, and will support the expansion of United Nations development grants for health care and small businesses in Myanmar.
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