30

Have you been to any of these areas or are you just basing this on media reports?

Because in all honesty Hpakant is actually a relatively rich town because of the Jade business. Heroin and Prostitution ruin the people there but the wages and because of that also the prices are higher then in other areas.

I have been to Kachin IDP camps and know the situation very well. The camps around Myitkyina are in good shape. Unfortunately the government doesnt allow international aid to reach the IDP camps in KIA controlled areas so these people are in a extremly difficult situation without enough food, shelter, health care and medicine.

But is a Kachin IDP really representative for the average Myanmar citizen?

31

Kachin state no, the other places yes and more. To give you an idea of what I have seen look at my website http://www.burmapictures.nl look at the Nargis section and Chin state and througout the website you will see other examples

32

Undernourishment (hunger) has a more exact definition than poverty. As having deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals (and calories).

The united nations world food program gives a list of countries with percentage of population suffering from undernourishment with data from 1990 and 2004.
Developing countries 20 to 16% (1990 to 2004)
Thailand 29 to 17%
Burma 44 to 17%

So they came from far, but there is still a road ahead.

33

Hilron, I also saw those figures. I was surprised to see that Burma's HDI indicators do seem to be getting dramatically better over the past decade. Also, for economic growth, the rate is one of the highest in the region (around 8% per year), although that's often the case when a country is starting from a low base. The ADB predicts Burma will be categorized as a "middle-income" country in a bit more than a decade. That's a funny category, though: Indonesia hit that mark a while ago, China and India either have or will very soon, too. When that happens, most of the people living in extreme poverty around the world (the $1.25 per day mark) will be in middle income countries. You can have quite a large, prosperous middle class in a country, and still have huge numbers of poor people. Of course, they mostly tend to live in areas where the affluent visitor is less likely to see them -- remote rural areas, far from roads, the peripheries of cities, and so on. Which is why the impressions of short term visitors who see some signs of affluence can be very misleading.

34

as a poverty stricken Englishman I know only too well the sufferings inflicted by a poor diet, ie the rubbish bin, end of date cheapos and processed meat products I am forced to live on from Tescos. I can only dream of anM&S meal lol Without social welfare and sick benefits and NHS i'd be begging under a bridge somewhere too, although without NHS i's be dead now anyway. Sadly these are not available in SEA to most people and this is why familes work close together and people are more caring and generous than say in the selfish west.
Those of us who refused to be dictated to by Burma campaign extremists, contributed to the economies of the tourist trail in Myanmar ie Bagan Mandalay and Inle etc improving the lives and income possibilities, whereas Burma campaign and others wanted the populace to to starve and thus rise against their Generals and usurp them in favour of US imposed ideology.
I always said Travel with passion not politics. ask whos feeding the arms to the Kachin and Karen. what's the political motivation behind the Rahkine dispute.
I remember my last time in Hsipaw where the farmers were disgruntled because the generals demanded they no longer grow the local rice they for centuries planted, but the type of rice demanded by China for export. The rice growers were given the seed and after harvesting received zilch out of the profits as compensation for their efforts. Burma is one of the richest countries in SEA, but watch who makes the money from them under this new democracy as the generals still control the wealth and give gentle warnings (as in Rahkine) what will happen if they deviate too far along the democratic path they themselves have designated.

35

I didn't ask what hunger, starvation or malnutricion is. I just wanted to know if my glasses (for some rubbish, for others a better view) can be usefull; So I contacted the coordinator of fmmt organisation. see www.fmmt.org
they operate "poor" chidren with a handicap. so, this man told my that many old people in the villages will be very happy with reading glasses. He gave my also the advice to take T shirts for children too. sometimes people travel in the same but different world you know.
for some... dont open only your eyes during your travel but also your ears and learn how to speak without sharp words
peace and love bro

36

What do you think a coordinator of a charity organisation is going to tell you?

"Nah...We dont need any help, there is no poverty in Myanmar and we are only here to waste your donations and buy expensive SUVs" ?

37

Linda , I am sure your glasses will help a lot of people just as T shirts will. If you go to Kalaw have a look at the RDS (Rural development society) founded by a personal friend of ASSK and in possesion of a SUV dating from the second world war brand name Jeep.. Do not worry about what Martin010 has to say. I am pretty sure by now the man is so attached to his screen that he lost sense of reality.I am not going to feed the troll any longer.

38

A personal friend of ASSK? That would be a reason NOT to give anything to this group.

Yeah bring T-Shirts and glasses to Myanmar...they dont have that over there.

Why not at least be smart enough to not bring this stuff from your home country but simply buy it locally? That way you would at least help the economy