In a world where multinationals are forever on the look-out for the most immediate profit, the military junta appears to have pushed the right buttons. The carrots dangled are cheap labour, a wealth of natural resources and an emerging market. Their role in bolstering the military dictatorship is immeasurable. Moreover, Total and Premier are now considering expanding their involvement in Burma. Rothmans and Heineken are considering expanding their operations.
Investment is doubly important for the Burmese regime.
It provides money which directly finances a national budget of which 40 per cent is spent on the military. It also appears to lend the regime political legitimacy. An official of the junta recently claimed that the democracy movement was 'unnecessary' because the regime was attracting so much foreign investment. But 43 per cent comes from the West and Australia in spite of the fact that many Western governments claim not to encourage either trade with or investment in Burma. The British Government, for example, sponsored a trade mission to the country in February of this year.