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Press Release:

CFOB welcomes renewed and increased funding to Thai-Burma Border Projects

Ottawa (March 10, 2010) – Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) welcomes the renewed and  increased funding of the Government of Canada for the Thai-Burma Border Project – from $12.4 million to $15.9 million over five years, a substantial increase from the previous five-year program.
“We are extremely pleased to see both the renewal of this important funding and a significant increase in amount while the government is tightening its budget,” said Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of Canadian Friends of Burma. “This important announcement clearly shows that Canada does care about Burma and is trying to do whatever it can to support the Burmese population,” he added.

Mrs. Kelly Block, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, at the 3rd Burma Forum Canada in Saskatoon last Saturday. Representatives of Burmese-Canadian communities across Canada gathered on the weekend in Saskatoon to discuss the current political situation in Burma.

Currently millions of people, including members of ethnic communities, are living in difficult and often dire conditions all over the country and particularly in its border areas. The much-needed funding will go to a variety of organizations dedicated to providing food, education, and healthcare among these populations. Inter Pares, a well-respected and experienced Canadian relief organization, will oversee distribution of these funds.

“The military dictatorship in Burma has been systematically neglecting the basic needs of the population for many decades,” said Tin Maung Htoo, “and currently we will also see increased needs due to further political tensions inside the country, leading to more families having to seek refuge outside the country or finding themselves displaced within it.”

Recently, the ruling junta announced a number of electoral laws, along with restrictions in the registration process for taking part in the general elections expected in October this year. The military dictatorship has also placed increased pressures on ethnic groups with whom they have ceasefire agreements to transform into Border Guard Forces, despite not meeting the political demands of these groups.

Burma remains one of the poorest countries on the planet despite having rich natural resources. The population is one of the most isolated in the world, with the dictatorship’s spending on health and education one of the lowest per capita among nations. Nobel Peace prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the first democratic elections in the country, has been kept under house arrest for nearly 20 years. Her sentence was renewed last October and her appeal was denied by the country’s highest court two weeks ago.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, hope of Burma and democracy icon around the world, was conferred with the highest honor of Canada - Honorary Canadian Citizenship - in May 2008 by the Government of Canada and all Members of Canadian Parliament.

“Canadians should be proud that Canada continues to be one of the most supported countries for the aspiration of freedom for the people of Burma,” added Tin Maung Htoo.

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Media contact: Tin Maung Htoo or Nisha Toomy at 613-297-6835
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The Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) is federally incorporated, national non-governmental organization working for democracy and human rights in Burma . Contact: Suite 206, 145 Spruce St., Ottawa, K1R 6P1; Tel: 613.237.8056; Email: cfob@cfob.org; Web: www.cfob.org