Famine in Burma?

Whenever you read that the World Food Program is calling a situation a “food crisis” or “food shortage,” bear in mind that this is how they described the North Korean famine while millions were starving, out of a fear of offending the “host” nation. The reasons for this food shortage, incipient famine, whatever, are also analogous:

Mr Morris said the government’s policy of trying to control the economy and the movement of people was to blame for the fact that so much of the population cannot feed itself, despite Burma producing a surplus of rice last year.

“I’m suggesting that the government would be well-advised to make it easier for people to move about, to buy and sell agricultural commodities, without so many check-points, without economic interference from the government,” he said.

Like other humanitarian agencies in Burma, the WFP is careful to avoid calling for political reform. But Mr Morris did appeal for fewer restrictions on the activities of his staff there.

Food aid bought by the WFP is being taxed by the government and the convoluted system of authorisation by local military commanders makes it almost impossible to move food supplies from one part of the country to another.

A third of the kids are now malnourished as a result.