On Refugees International’s recent visit to southeast Asia, we decided to visit Jakarta in advance of the upcoming ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit. A focus of ours is the struggles of the Rohinyga, and ASEAN was going to place the treatment of the Rohingya boat people on the agenda, so we decided to visit ASEAN headquarters.

As luck would have it, our mission to Jakarta coincided with the visit by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The headlines were filled with statements by Secretary Clinton on embracing multilateral solutions. And more importantly for our work in the region, her speeches suggested the possibility of a new paradigm in U.S. policy towards Burma, one that reassesses the question of providing humanitarian assistance inside the country. 

Nearly everyone we met with had questions for us about Secretary Clinton’s statements. This was most often manifested as a hopeful but cautious optimism. “Could it possibly be true?” The hopeful reaction of diplomats, aid workers and others to even the prospect of multilateralism and a reassessment of policy speaks strongly to the eagerness of members of the international community to begin a new era of cooperation with the United States, particularly on the more contentious areas of U.S. policy.

Specifically, Secretary Clinton’s comments laid the foundation for our visit inside of Burma. She spoke of a renewed analysis and review of the possibility and methodology by which humanitarian aid could be provided inside a closed country, one that is ruled by an illegitimate regime. While in Burma, we investigated the assistance programs that were implemented in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis with a critical eye towards the efficacy and propriety of such programs.

We saw firsthand the benefits of the international response in the Irrawaddy delta. A businessman in a small village outside Rangoon showed us his pottery production facility. He told us that his production was booming, as he was making water filtration pots that were being sold directly to aid agencies. These agencies in turn were distributing the pots to ensure that people throughout the delta were able to have access to clean water for drinking and cooking.

We visited villages where new schools have been built to replace structures that were destroyed by the storm. Driving down the road, we passed countless latrines and wells that were built using money and expertise provided by international aid agencies, funded by international government aid programs, and built using local labor and supplies. It became abundantly clear after speaking with aid agency representatives and after visiting the sites, that the humanitarian agencies that were operational throughout the delta were providing essential lifesaving health services, sanitation and shelter, and that the Burmese throughout the delta were grateful for the support. 

Thinking back to Secretary Clinton’s comments, I was struck by how important the humanitarian assistance programs have become. In a country where the civilians have been starved and oppressed by their own government, these programs  aren’t just providing the essential life saving support the people need. The assistance also demonstrates to those people that the international community has not forgotten or forsaken them. The United States now has a real opportunity to provide basic lifesaving support for Burmese in the delta and elsewhere in the country, where humanitarian emergencies exist. It is vital that the humanitarian assistance programs do not get caught up in political machinations, but rather are implemented for the most basic reason – to save lives.

In Burma, our aid dollars go a long way. Let’s make sure we take advantage of the opportunity and not let politics get in the way.

--Jake Kurtzer

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