Burma invited foreign firms to invest in its mining sector in the latest step to open up its economy after decades of international isolation. “For investors who would like to do exploration to confirm the reserve of a deposit or to start with the grassroots exploration operations in a virgin land, they may apply accordingly clearly stating their intentions,” Ministry of Mining official Win Htein was quoted by AFP as telling a trade conference in Rangoon on Monday. Decades of military rule ended last year with the swearing-in of President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government.