I CALL IT UNETHICAL, IMMORAL AND SCARY

For quite a few years we have been hearing about the bird flu virus called H5N1.  It has caused much havoc in countries around the world.  Not only has it caused some 300+ deaths it has also caused many poor farmers who rely on the poultry industry for their living to find themselves without income. When the virus appears, then hundreds and thousands of birds are culled and the unfortunate farmer is left with nothing even though all of his birds might have been free of the virus.  Here in Cambodia we have also been affected and this year alone at least one child has died as a result of it and Vietnam is currently dealing with an outbreak there.

It has been suggested that the spread of the flu to so many various and different areas of the world is partly due to climate change, which in turn has caused a change in the migration habits and destinations of many birds some of whom may carry the virus.  There can be little control over that situation.  Birds will fly where they will.  You can't erect a notice saying "Attention Birds!.  You need a Visa to fly here".  It is just a situation with which we have to deal as and when it arises.

But it is the following that I find troubling and that I would deign to call at the same time unethical, immoral and scary.

Watching the CNN News two evenings ago, I saw a report about a hurriedly convened meeting of the World Health Organization in Geneva, I believe it was, though I am open to correction on that.  The meeting was called urgently to discuss a report of a deadly mutated version of the H5N1 virus that had been created by a laboratory  at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam.  The WHO is to have a further emergency meeting on the matter next month.

My interest having been peaked, I started to do some research on the subject and I was quite shocked with what I found.  I discovered that on November 25th 2011, the online news site - "DutchNews.nl" reported that Dutch scientists had created a flu virus which is so deadly there is doubt about whether the research report should be published.  The report on "DutchNews.nl" upset American experts who were worried detailed information about the virus could fall into the wrong hands.  They thought terrorists could recreate the virus as a weapon.  Well, of course they could.  Nothing stays a secret for long these days and something like this is a big money-maker.  The right amount of dollars will unlock almost any secret these days.

The interesting and completely shocking thing about this is that the research was carried out on behalf of and funded by the National Institute of Health in the United States!!  The very people who are upset and now also scared, it seems!!!!

Professor Ron Fouchier, Professor of Virology at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam lead the research team which was able to create a highly infectious variant of the bird flu virus H5N1.  Professor Fouchier had been asked to see if H5N1 could lead to a pandemic.  He and his team were able to show that a couple of mutations of the virus DNA changed it into an extremely virulent form.

The Professor - who himself said it was the most dangerous virus ever created - later offered to give to the scientific journal "Science" an article on his findings.   However the journal in turn apparently asked a scientific institute in the United States for bio-security to examine the result.  That institute in turn told the U.S Government that the research could be threatening to both public health and security.  Did this not occur to them before the research began?  Seems to me a very obvious thing but then I am not a scientist and our brains probably work differently.

However, for me there are some serious questions that arise from all of this.

In the first place why has the United States kept so quiet about this even though it has been "out" since last November?  The Department of Health has made no comment that I have been able to find.

Why did the National Institute of Health in the United States fund such research if it was likely to cause a security problem and a health problem?  It seems like some of the "powers-that-be" there do not do much thinking.

Why did the Institute "out-source" the research to Rotterdam in the first place and not have the work done in the United States that so often boasts about its scientists? Is it because they decided that if there should be a leak of the information or the virus managed to escape, then they could blame the Dutch and get away with no blame on themselves?  The mind boggles.

Is such research either ethical or moral?  In my opinion it is neither, and it is certainly scary.

I have no idea how many people saw that CNN report the other day but I hope many will speak out.  Certainly the politicians ought to - unless they hope to make money by it somehow and then of course they will keep very quiet.  Definitely the Church leaders of all faiths should speak out against it but I am not sure they will.   

I believe there are limits to which scientists should be allowed to go when it comes to research, and that limit should not allow them to develop something that has the possibility of leading to the eradication of an entire community.  Questions should also be asked of the Institute of National Health exactly why they fund such programmes and especially in foreign countries.

Maybe you will not agree with me and that is alright.  Everyone to his/her own opinion, but I have to ask is there much difference between the U.S. and Dutch scientists developing this extremely dangerous virus, and Iran or North Korea developing a nuclear weapon.   Both are dangerous to society the world over and can kill a lot of people.   Is it not a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?

---------- AND TIME STOOD STILL

One of the great advantages of living in Cambodia is that almost every where else in South East Asia is only about one or two hours away by plane.  Add to that the fact that airfares are reasonably cheap here, plus the added attractions that the airlines here are excellent and frequent, and you find yourself in a situation where it is possible to have a short "get-away" holiday fairly often.

My partner and i decided that it was time that we had a "get-away" holiday for a few days and decided we would head to Yangon in Myanmar.  We only had four or five days available, but as Myanmar Airlines International now fly into Phnom Penh from Yangon (formerly Rangoon) we decided that Yangon would be our destination.

People in the West - and indeed even in other parts of Asia, do not know too much about Myanmar except that it was ruled by a military dictatorship, was once called Burma, and the military "powers-that-be" kept the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for 20+ years.  People were probably also aware that serious sanctions were imposed on the country by most other countries except China which is its biggest trading partner.   This was also about all we knew of the country when we stepped on the Myanmar Airlines plane at Phnom Penh Airport.  I have to say at this point that time did not allow us to travel more than a few kilometers outside Yangon City, so any observations we make or have made, are only based on what we saw, heard and found within the city limits.

We had heard about Yangon being called "The Golden City" and indeed it was described as such in the one brochure available at the Myanmar Embassy here in Phnom Penh, but our initial reaction was that it was a far cry from reality to describe it as such.  Having said that - and not meaning it in a negative way I hastily add - when we thought about it and discussed the situation that has been there over the past almost 30 years we took a different view.  We had jumped to a conclusion hastily, which was wrong.

As you go around the city - which we did on foot until we were almost totally exhausted - we realized what a beautiful place it must have been some 30 years ago.  The buildings - office, governmental and apartment buildings are all beautiful colonial style.  However you get the impression that time has stood still and for the past almost 30-years totally nothing has been done to keep up the infrastructure.  As a result buildings have been and are decaying. The Government spent millions and millions of dollars it didn't have in building a brand new capital city further north and transferring all Government offices there, just abandoning the old buildings in Yangon and allowing them to go to ruins.  Roads and pavements are in a disastrous state and you have to watch your step carefully so as not to trip or fall into a hole - especially when walking at night in the dark.  Motor bikes don't seem to exist as we never saw one the whole time we were there, which is quite a change from here in Cambodia where the motor bike is the main means of transport.  Taxis are in abundance and cheap. 99% of them are Toyota's from the 1970's and 80's and when riding in them are bumping and thumping along, so you often wonder if the car will make it as far as your destination but somehow they do.  The many buses seem to be older even but somehow they too do their best and keep going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny.

All of the above is due to the sanctions slapped on the country over the years.  As the country now seems to be quickly moving towards what people call democracy, one has to wonder if sanctions are good and I am not voting here either in favour or against them.  This is the first time I have visited a country that has been so heavily hit with sanctions and travel restrictions. I have to believe that it is due to those sanctions and restrictions that the country is no longer actually ruled by the military, even though they still hold a lot of sway in things.  I have to believe that opening up the country to outsiders, reducing restrictions on granting visas, holding Parliamentary elections in April, allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to contest freely a seat in the elections and releasing unconditionally thousands of former political prisoners is all due to the pressures caused by the sanctions.

Having said all of the above there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the sanctions really hurt the ordinary people.  They don't have the access to outside help that is always a "must" in providing employment.  They cannot afford to buy many of the things that people in other countries regard as being just ordinary necessary items for living - even repairing and improving their homes.   The import of most goods - apart from things like clothes and such which were brought in from China - has been banned under the sanctions.  The ordinary people cannot afford to buy a car - something that other countries regard as both a must and the norm.  Food is mostly just what can be grown within the country.  Sanctions hit the ordinary people very hard, and it must be very difficult for those who make these decisions, to decide to slap on sanctions knowing that it is the innocent people who will suffer most - not those in power.  To illustrate that point, the military dictator there like all the army officers, took what they could for themselves, and he was able to spend $6-million on his daughter's wedding two years ago while the people had nothing. No comment necessary on that!

Now because of progress there in the last couple of months, sanctions are slowly being lifted. The United States is beginning talks to re-open full diplomatic relations.  The European Union has lifted the travel ban on the President of the country as well as that on Cabinet members and other Government members and officials, and the EU Commissioner for Development - Mr. Andreas Pielbaigs - said just a couple of days ago that the European Union will give a $200-million aid package to Myanmar for health, education and infrastructure improvement and more will follow.  This is very good news, but one has to realize that although this package and others similar have been announced, it could be a little while before they are actually delivered.

In the meantime, the people smile and like Cambodians are the friendliest one could meet.  There is a lot to be done before it once more becomes a tourist haven.  ATM machines do not exist. Foreign money such as dollars, pounds sterling or euro cannot be used and will not be changed into the local Kyat (pronounced "chiat") unless each note is squeaky clean without a wrinkle or crease in it.  Credit cards are being accepted in a few places but not many although we did not use them anywhere.  Some people who can scrape up a little money are giving their premises a coat of paint and here and there the odd modern coffee shop is opening.  Again it will take time, but as long as time is on their side and the sanctions are lifted, then all will be well. I just hope that the flocks of westerners who came to places like Cambodia to start up businesses and take advantage of the local people so they can get all for themselves and give nothing back to the country are prevented from doing that in Myanmar.

One cannot write anything about Myanmar without mentioning the magnificent Pagodas which are literally unbelievable - especially the wonderful Shwedagon Pagoda.  I have never see anything like it. We spent some three hours there looking at the gold Buddhas and the Pagoda itself that contains some 3,154 gold bells that tinkle when the breeze blows and 79,569 diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones at the top of the "umbrella" or "Hti".  Quite spectacular.

There were very few tourists there, but at the same time, due to the situation in which the country found itself, it has a long way to go to improve its tourist industry, but I really believe it will get there.  We are glad we went. It might not have been what we expected, but it was a most interesting trip and we learned a lot.    

One last word.  Many people who knew we were going there queried why we chose to fly on Myanmar Airlines rather than the better known airlines via Bangkok like Thai Airways or Bangkok Airways.  "No-one has ever heard of Myanmar Airlines" they would say.  Our reply to that is it is an excellent airline, the service is unbeatable like most Asian airlines and their planes are the latest Airbus 320.  Could not ask for better.

I wish all the people of Myanmar every success in their future as their country opens up, but it will take time for it all to happen.  As the saying goes - "Rome wasn't built in a day!"