UAE | General

Political fears plague Myanmar expats

Sending aid to Myanmar is not a straightforward affair for some expatriates in the UAE, who fear that the military-led government will see funds for local aid groups as help for pro-democracy forces.

  • By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:43 May 9, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Sending aid to Myanmar is not a straightforward affair for some expatriates in the UAE, who fear that the military-led government will see funds for local aid groups as help for pro-democracy forces.

The southeast Asian country is facing a major humanitarian disaster after Cyclone Nargis on Sunday killed almost 23,000 people, left more than 42,000 missing and rendered about 1 million homeless.

Aid has been slow to arrive, however, as the isolationist military junta has delayed issuing visas to international aid workers, including those from the United Nations. The government has often accused outside forces of undermining its rule and brutally crushed any popular uprising.

In the UAE, some Myanmar expatriates are collecting donations, which they plan to send to aid groups at home.

However, a few Myanmar nationals are hesitant to donate funds, fearing the gesture would be politically misconstrued.

Aung Ko Myint, an electrical engineer from Myanmar, told Gulf News he did not think sending funds to local aid groups was a good idea.

"It's not easy to send money there. If we donated funds to an NGO, it will risky because the government might think we are contributing to the opposition," he said.

"It's better to give to UN organisations, which can disburse the funds properly," he added.

His immediate family was not affected in the disaster, as they live in the centre of Myanmar. The same could not be said of his relatives in Yangon, who he has not been able to contact.

Trust

Another Myanmar expatriate, who asked to remain anonymous, told Gulf News he would not mind donating money to local aid groups only if he could trust them.

"If I get a good contact with a humanitarian organisation in Myanmar, I might send some money even though it's not much. But I will probably donate to the UN," he said.

Nevertheless, the Myanmar nationals doing the collection drive, bound for the Naryekumuaatin group, said they would continue to collect funds.

One of them, Ayewin Ko, a manager at a luxury hotel in Dubai, told Gulf News he understood some people's fears, but added he has received many donations from his colleagues, from Myanmar and elsewhere.

"If they want to donate to the UN, they can.

"But we are collecting for the people. The money is not going to the government, it's going to the group," he said.

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