tudent Democratic
Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; Karen National Union
or KNU; National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB
consists of individuals legitimately elected to the
People's Assembly but not recognized by the military regime; the group
fled to a border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to
form a parallel government; several Shan factions; United Wa State
Army or UWSA

International organization participation: AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador TIN WINN
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 332-9044
FAX: (202) 332-9046
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Permanent Charge d'Affaires Priscilla A. CLAPP
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
telephone: (1) 282055, 282182
FAX: (1) 280409

Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side
corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a
cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14
administrative divisions

@Burma:Economy

Economy - overview: Burma has a mixed economy with private activity
dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with
substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy
industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the last 11 years,
1989-99, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of
tight central planning. Thus, private activity has markedly increased;
foreign investment has been encouraged, so far with moderate success.
State enterprises remain highly inefficient and privatization efforts
have stalled. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly
understated because of the volume of black-market trade. A major
ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal
stability. Burma remains a poor Asian country and living standards for
the majority have not improved over the past decade. The short-term
outlook is for continued sluggish growth because of poor government
planning, internal unrest, minimal foreign investment, and the large
trade deficit.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $59.4 billio