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Instead, the bulk of the three-page letter argued in favor of giving more money to assist one of the most badly misruled countries in the world. The letter went on to talk about the fact that the Burmese junta, which is widely condemned by the international community, and UN agencies operating in Burma, have very limited access to Official Development Assistance (ODA). It also pointed out that ODA currently provided to Burma is only about US $1 per capita, compared to US $35 in Cambodia and US $68 for Laos (1997 figures). It is worth noting, however, that Laos and Cambodia, slow though they may be, have made advances towards meeting their donors halfway. Vientiane’s effort towards eradicating opium cultivation in the country is well noted, while Phnom Penh is looking for ways to bring former Khmer Rouge leaders to justice in such a way that the country won’t lose face. Rangoon, on the other hand, openly courts drug dealers and makes no real effort to curb the illicit activities of the drug armies and opium warlords. Instead, these drug armies have become instrumental in their dealings with Thailand. And Rangoon continues to ask why the world does not take their efforts to curb illicit drugs seriously. Year after year, the United Nations and the other international organizations have consistently blasted the Burmese regime for gross violations of human rights and demanded an end to the practice of forced labor. In spite of the fact that the regime is engaging in a dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, there is no indication that these atrocities are being curbed or coming to an end. People inside Burma are still being displaced by the junta’s vicious campaign aimed at cutting all forms of civilian support for the rebel armies. Those who could no longer stand the aggravation have decided to take their chances and headed towards the Thai border, where ragtag rebel armies are barely making ends meet. A stone’s throw away from the Thai border inside Burma, one can see hungry and displaced Shan and Karen people, as well as members of other ethnic groups, sitting helplessly as they cling to whatever meager belongings they could carry as they fled the war zone. It does not take a genius to see that the decision behind granting aid—development or humanitarian—has a political spin to it. There are no set benchmarks to determine the amount of aid a country should receive and at what point in a crisis aid should be handed out. Naturally, being a pariah state has its price. For the time being, the benchmarks for Burma, it seems, will remain higher than for others. Don Pathan is an assistant regional editor of the Nation newspaper in Thailand.