UK opens trade office as Western firms eye Burma riches The trip came just weeks after Britain and the European Union suspended all sanctions apart from arms sales in response to democratic reforms by Burma's military-dominated government. Though the Government stresses the importance of "ethical and sustainable investment," campaigners warned of an "unseemly rush" for Burma's resources even as the country's military continued to commit human rights abuses. Despite the political spring in major cities, which has seen the veteran opposition leader Ms Suu Kyi enter parliament, the military continues to persecute and kill members of minority groups in border areas. "Everyone is competing to get into Burma, which means they are talking down human rights abuses and talking up positive changes in order to justify their policy," said Mark Farmaner of the Burma Campaign UK. British-owned WPP, one of the world's largest advertising firms, has already bought a stake in the leading advertising company in Rangoon. Martin Sorrell, WPP chief executive, said the southeast Asian country presented a "massive opportunity." Given the changes in UK and US policy, we think the time is right. There are 66 million people and it's not often that a market of this size opens up. There is an incredible amount of interest from multi-nationals," he told the Daily Telegraph. Hoping for the sort of boom seen in neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, a major US business delegation will visit Burma next month. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, will meanwhile today meet President Thein Sein in Cambodia to discuss the decision by her administration to allow the first US investments in Burma for 15 years. In doing so, Mr Obama saluted the country's "significant progress along the path to democracy." But he was taken to task by activists for ignoring Ms Suu Kyi's clear request not to deal with the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, the state controlled entity that runs the energy sector. Mr Obama's decision was influenced by his desire to counter Chinese influence in the region, said Rachel Shoemaker, head of Asia forecasting at Exclusive Analysis. Beijing has exploited the West's two-decade absence to gain a strong foothold in Burma. Though Washington still bans business with the Burmese military, it would be almost impossible to avoid doing so, she said, given the extent of the army's influence and power having run the country for 50 years. "There will be a lot of front companies with links to the military," she said. The connections will be hard to spot.