FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — The United States has begun easing sanctions on Burma, allowing it improved access to institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in response to a raft of reforms announced by the country’s President Thein Sein and his military-backed government.

Effectively, the U.S. State Department will lift opposition to assessments of Burma, saying this was in response to the release of political prisoners and democratic reforms including allowing the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to run in upcoming elections.

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