| After Burma
Coup Inner City Press Asks IMF About $350M
To Militarized Central Bank
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Video
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
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SDNY COURT, Feb 4
– Days after the coup in
Burma, Inner City Press asked
International Monetary Fund
spokesperson Gerry Rice abou
the $350 million the IMF
recently gave the country. Is
there any way to ensure it
does not now support a
military government? Video here.
IMF
spokesperson Rice emphasized
that the funds were to combat
the COVID pandemic. He added
that the IMF has not spoken
since the coup with the new
regime, which has reinstalled
the military's previous
figurehead atop the Central
Bank. From the IMF transcript:
Inner City Press:
In terms of Myanmar, recent
developments in Myanmar. It
seems that quite recently,
just before the coup, that the
IMF had given some $350
million and dedicated it
toward it. I'm wondering what
are your thoughts? First of
all, what are the IMF's
thoughts, obviously, on the
coup? But also generally, how
did the IMF react when there's
a change of government in this
way right after they've given
money? Is there any -- how can
you assure that the money
goes, you know, for the
intended purposes? That it
doesn't actually support a now
more military government?
That's my question for
today.
MR. RICE: Thank
you very much for that. We
are, of course, very concerned
about the impact of recent
events and what they could
have on the people of Myanmar,
and we're watching it very
closely, of course, like the
rest of the world. Just to
remind that, of course,
Myanmar faced large economic
and social costs as a result
of the pandemic, and the IMF
resources, our support was to
help the people of Myanmar to
meet these urgent humanitarian
needs. That was the whole
purpose. Again, just to
set in context, the approval
of this supports was back in
January by our board and
followed all standard procures
for this kind of emergency
financing. The same as we have
done for another 84 countries
in this crisis, and standard
safeguards in place regarding
the resources, including the
repayment schedule. And as I
think you know, the IMF's
record over 75 years on
repayment and safeguarding of
IMF resources is very clear.
In terms of the status of our
engagement, we have had no
communication at this point
with the new regime, and
that's about as much as I have
at the moment on Myanmar."
We'll have
more on this, including
contrasts with the US (which
in another embargoed briefing
said it is reviewing all aid)
and the UN, where SG Guterres
refuses all Press questions as
does this month's UNSC
President Barbara Woodward of
the UK.
The United
States, responding to the coup
in Burma, is reviewing all of
its programs that benefit the
Burmese military.
This was said on
an embargoed US State
Department press conference on
February 2, at the same time
that the UN Security Council
was hold a closed meeting
about Myanmar.
The US
State Department official
repeated that cutting US
funding would not impair
assistance to the Rohingya,
and alluded to working with
countries with closer ties to
the Myanmar government, such
as Japan and India.
While the
US State Department official,
on background, described
sanctions on businesses tied
to military figures being
considered, there is no chance
of UNSC sanctions, give for
example China's veto right.
But the United Kingdom as
President of the UNSC for
February did not even push to
have the Tuesday meeting be
open, and UK Ambassador
Barbara Woodward on February 1
banned the Press - which was
given access to Tuesday's
background briefing - from her
UN "press" conference (at
which not a single question on
Africa, for example, was
taken).
Here was
and is Inner City Press'
question to the UK, as UNSC
President: ""on
deadline, for
UK's response
to current
developments
in Myanmar /
Burma. Please
confirm
receipt." This
was sent on
January 31 to
PR Barbara Woodward,
Jaclyn Licht,
Sorcha Lowry
and Isabella
Olex; no
answer from
them or
"spokesman"
Mungo
Woodifield.
Later
at the
February 2 US
State
Department
briefing,
Spokesman Ned
Price said,
"When it comes
to Burma,
look, I don’t
think the
military
takeover, the
military coup,
is in the
interest –
it’s certainly
not in our
interest.
It’s certainly
not in the
interest of
our likeminded
partners.
I think you
will also find
that it’s not
in the
interest of
the
Chinese.
So our first
concern, of
course, is the
restoration of
civilian
leadership in
Burma.
Our concern,
consistent
with that, is
ensuring that
as we
undertake this
review, now
that we have
determined
that a coup
has taken
place on
February 1st,
the
civilian-led
government has
been deposed
by the
military – our
first concern
as we do that
review will be
to ensure that
of the $135
million we
contribute
annually to
the people of
Burma, that we
don’t do
anything that
would affect
the
long-suffering
people of
Burma,
including the
Rohingya in
this case." Inner
City Press will have more on
this.
***
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