Starvation in Burma--my former colleague at NCGUB and former student economist Ko Sein Htay--

https://www.irrawaddy.com/in-person/interview/economically-myanmar-junta-plays-by-old-dictators-playbook.html

Ko (U) Sein Htay says I arranged independent studies for him in 1970s at the Rangoon Institute of Economics, but I don't remember him from that time.

Our Institute took in 1000 students per year for a 4 year bachelor's degree--and I worked there for 20 years until I won the Fulbright in early 1980s.

When Ko Sein Htay's relative, Minister for N and S America U Bo Hla Tint heard this, he said,"Po Sein (famous dancer) may be known by many people,but he can't know them all."

I learned a great deal by working with NCGUB/The Burma Fund from 2001-2010.

Dr. Sein Win was/is a very principled person, mild-mannered, kind to employees.

He told me when I was recovering from cancer and still on chemo, "Among all the people who came to work for us, you were the best."

He also said in 2008,"I don't have a strategist."

I feel people should not blame the victims. He was separated from his wife and daughter for at least 8 years, until they arrived via Norway.

That they are honest can be seen by the fact that they are all still struggling.

Ko Sein Htay told me several stories of people arrested in bullock carts whom he saw during his travels inside Burma. He conducted some agricultural surveys with Dr. Nancy Hudson Rodd--who wrote an excellent Human Rights segment for the Report below.

He helped me find previous Burma-related papers for NCGUB by world renowned experts,when I was writing and compiling A Plan for Democracy and Development for Burma 2008-9--funded by Soros Burma Project.

Only I was paid for 6 months at min.pay.

NCGUB did not get anything either. Former PM in Exile Dr. Sein Win told me himself that "not a cent stuck with us,"--it all went to the foreign i.e. non-US, non-Burmese subcontractor--who was supposed to"knock on doors."

When I heard about it, I asked Ko Hlwan Moe,nephew of Daw Mya Mya Thant Gyi, "Why can't we do that ourselves??"

You should not blame the NCGUB--I know for a fact that they were all surviving on about 24,000 per annum.

Whereas those who waltzed with the dictators got projects within Burma averaging about 300,000 per project.

Dr.Sean Turnell was paid by the Australian Government.

kmk

9-24-2025.