Thant Myint-U is pushing hard for serious attention to the planning challenges facing Yangon. In this Myanmar Times article he makes the point that:
…Yangon is at inflection point. It could easily go the way of other Asian cities – heavily polluted, with terrible traffic congestion, big concrete towers and little or nothing to distinguish it from any other Asian city. Or we could plan properly and protect what we have – not just the Shwedagon [Pagoda] but the sublime views of Shwedagon from all around the city, the lakes and the many green spaces, the old homes and buildings, the historic tree-lined avenues and downtown areas, the university campus and so on and build a modern 21st century city around that. It would make Yangon the most liveable and beautiful city in the region.
A previous analysis of Yangon and its position in Myanmar society is available here. Thant Myint-U has organised a conference this week looking at Yangon’s future, and the best mechanisms for conserving its architectural and cultural heritage.
Highly romantic/ nostalgic/ elitist to preserve and maintain old world relics as treasure.
On the tax money of people who are currently on hungar strike for enough money to eat one meal a day for the family!
These Asian cities are no different to others where unbanization is worshipped for industrialization with unmeasurable loss of social cohesion and comaraderie, traditional culture and morality.
So long as people in power obey to the multinational financing and trading circles and destroy the rural way of peaceful, traditional and wonderful lives to make way for concrete blocks and smoke belching factiories for sucking out the life blood of the citizens, a well preserved Rangoon would be just a museum piece of value to people who buy a Van Gough for 53 millions dollars, only this time Than Myint-U will be using public purse or selling out public property- like minerals.
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Ohn,
Thant Myint-U is not advocating using public funds to preserve “old world relics”. The point is to come up with a private-sector led plan.
He also makes the point that this plan needs to be about more than preserving the large, colonial-era buildings and also has to be coupled with a modernisation plan for Yangon.
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It’s all public money, what are you taking about?
1. extracted from the Burmese people.
2. via the cronies extracted from the Burmese people.
3. US or other western nations taxpayers’ money.
– does not Thant Myint-U think about protecting the Burmese people, not just the physical spaces, which are important too, but less important than human beings.
Kyi May Kaung (Ph.D.)
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Kyi May Kaung,
I guess it’s not my job to defend Thant Myint-U but… he is also involved with LIFT, the livelihoods and food security trust fund. I think your criticism is a little unfair.
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What does TMU think about U Myint’s call for restoring Rangoon University to its former glory and rebuilding on its old site the students union blown up by Ne Win on 8 July 1962 ?
We know what the govt thinks.
Ne Win also had the Presidential Palace razed to the ground and had Maha Wizaya Pagoda built at the foot of the Shwedagon towards the end of the tyrant’s life to atone for his sins. His progeny built Naypyidaw where a captive population of civil servants inhabits.
TMU may be pissing in the wind for all they care. It’s time for speeding up the feeding frenzy. All are welcome to rape our country.
Free enterprise matters more than our freedom.
NM is curiously silent about the candlelight protests as well as U Myint’s little indiscretion.
OCCUPY RU!
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Tom,
Thanks. And also Daw Kyi May Kaung.
But, Tom, there really is no private money though, is there? It is like McDonald subsidising for promotion of “healthy eating”.
My main point is by all means get UNESCO to fund all the metropolis to their heart’s content, the fundamental issue remains this thoroughly misguided worldwide craze about urbanization.
Unfortunately the young, vocal, connected Burmese seem to share Thant Myint-U line of thinking in that shiny buildings and planned urbanization and for this instance saving the colonial relics are a good thing. Only if there is also parallel ample opportunity for the rural populace to feed themselves in comfort and their family and send their youngs to schools and give donation which are modest but vital for the Buddhists and practitioners of other religions alike.
There is currently very little covetousness and admiration of the fake theme parks and high buildings Thant Myint-U found so appealing in Yunan among the people of Burma.
With the New Burma, with land loot and cheap labour factories and conspired, contrived situation, which Norway and KNU are starting to put in practice, where average man is trapped for subsistence wage work with occasional breaks for strikes, the urbanization would indeed become inevitable along with usual urban ills of social indifference, crime, drug use and prostitution which are not part of the scene in current rural Burma at all.
For the good of Burma, the aim should be to put in real effort to make sure all boats are raised with the tide rather than current scene of the people sinking further with the rising tide.
In short, urbanization itself is undesirable and in a country like Burma, where the rural populace have grown rice and plants to feed the whole country including their oppressors for centuries and are the true reservoir of religion and culture, it would illustrate ” Gone with the wind”.
Unfortunately you have not persuaded me to think of this fancy project anything different than Marie Antoinette’s cake.
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U Moe Aung,
Now that the Candlelight Protests are going to end peacefully every one will come out saying how tolerant and democratic New Burma is and Thein Sein is Great and all that in all sites.
But Hlaing Thar Yar is heading for tragedy and no one would talk about that for awhile., just like Kachin does not happen. The mammoth “Pipes” is true elephant in the room no one ever notices.
Laiza is likely to fall in two weeks. The reaction will depends entirely on how much video and pictures come out. Like those tragic Sarajevo Market bombs, only pictures and videos work in this modern imaginative enlightened world.
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Ohn’s concern for the Kachin of course is urgent and immediate as internal peace is something a country cannot possibly do without for any kind of progress including the implementation of the so-called democratic reforms.
Like Ohn it cannot have escaped the notice of anyone closely following recent events in Burma several currents of popular struggle which may converge in due course as both the govt and parliamentary opposition (should we call them loyal opposition now, protecting and defending the constitution?) are rather preoccupied with getting on with the business of, well, getting more business.
We have not only the ongoing candlelight protests (who by proxy are protesting against the Shwe Gas pipeline) but striking workers and farmers hundreds of acres of whose land are being confiscated by foreign and crony business concerns in collusion with or even disregarding the authorities.
With students and monks waiting in the wings each group harbouring resentment over unresolved issues, if addressing the grievances of the army rank and file also remains a low priority, the prophesy of the three sons may yet be fulfilled.
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Australia’s ABC TV has this interesting interview with Thant Myint Oo and others in their program titled “Burma fears loss of Colonial Heritage”.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3497521.htm
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Hla Oo’s Blog from Australia also has this provocative post called “Blackouts, Coal-fired Generators and Water Melons” about electricity shortages in Burma.
http://hlaoo1980.blogspot.com/2012/04/blackouts-coal-fired-generators-and.html
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Poor Ko Thant Myint-U, stigmatized again.
Nothing like daring to suggest any plausible infra structure preservation/improvement that will revitalize Yangon again, after the advent of Naypyidaw.
Never mind that Rangoon University, the product of Judson, an American Baptist, and its derivatives such as RIT, except for the Medical Colleges now, nothing but decaying empty shells of yesteryear, occupied by the military surround by relentless wild shrubberies.
Revitalizing RU and other structures. will not only stop the drift of power towards central Myanmar but might also reestablish the fragmented/almost useless post grad educational system.
Unlike Naypyidaw, or even Mandalay, Yangon is still and will be the central to the whole Myanmar with all its remaining established assets.
Anyone with 1/2 a brain will realize the potential positive ramifications of revitalization to the citizenry of Yangon and beyond that Ko Thant Myint-U advocacy entail.
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Yangon certainly remains the real political and economic hub so whoever controls Yangon will control the country. Make no mistake.
Naypyidaw, even with its secret underground tunnels, will ultimately be a bunker and foxhole at best as the generals’ infamous last stand. Let’s turn them into a grand incinerator.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
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Anyone who thinks the power shortages (I mean electric power, of course, not political power) and the labor protests and the land grabs will end anytime soon are living in la la land.
Check out RFA TV broadcasts and clips on a daily basis.
There you will see how angry people are.
I think Burma is headed for something like the French Revolution.
You can agree with me or not. It does not matter.
All that matters is what will happen if people do not speak up.
Actually, the Burmese people inside Burma are speaking up.
The “experts” are the cowards.
Zaykabar was just given the right to do tenant farming on the lands near Mingaladone it had forcibly taken.
K.M. Kaung.
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“All that matters is what will happen if people do not speak up.
Actually, the Burmese people inside Burma are speaking up.”
Burmese public has been studiously ignored. By the military which is thoroughly expected. By the “experts”, who cares?
But the unkindest cut is absolutely total disregard by Aung San Suu Kyi.
When she came out, she said quite rightly she wanted to listen to the people but it sounded like she was saying it so that she could have good excuse to move around the country.
Thein Sein (in fact Than Shwe) called her bluff and let her loose. And she went around the country TELLING people what is democracy and what to think and what to do. Never wanting to know what people has to say.
Now the sanctions are dropped. Kachin are daily killed. Deputy Foreign minister of Norway, for god’s sake, is in Burma to bring back the Karen from Thailand. No one knows what in store for them. Everyone knows the military is getting stronger like an ogre feasting on rotten meat and are more menacing than ever.
People are squeezed off their life blood by these garment and other labour intensive factories who the anti- sanction groups used to say are what the Burmes should be grateful to have, and every one wants to get rid off the overbearing, rude, inconsiderate, greedy, ruthless Chinese destroying the country not knowing how to do it and they have no one to turn to.
The one they felt they can turn to has effectively sold them off.
Aung San Suu Kyi made all the decisions without talking to even the long time fellow activists who are simply ignored as the ones in Thailand as we speak. The people she meets are all different agents of multinational conglomerates.
Left to their own devices with no recourse and starving with no end in sight, these peaceful protests are soon going to loose that particular adjective.
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What a PESSIMIST bunch of hopeless people here on New Mandala?
What is happening right now in the newly-capitalist Burma only this year alone is a million times better than Aung San/U Nu/Ne Win’s long dormant Socialist era since 1946.
You guys either put up with this or just shut up …..
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Rangoon University
Once the envy of other SEA countries has now been reduces to residences of the affluent, especially around the Inya Lake.
Incredibly the existence of a yacht club, signify how far behind the well being of common citizenry has fallen paralleling the demise of RU campus, partly due to the West policy.
Near 3 decades allowed the cronies as well as the rank and files to enjoy a life of a Raj while the rest suffer.
Ko Thant Myint-U is correct to propose revitalization of Rangoon University and its affiliates 2º to:
1) Re centralized the post grad education system that is sorely needed to produce the next generation thinkers and leaders.
As opposed to present dispersed fragmented campuses, a brain child of SPDC to discourage activism.
2) Preventing further decimation/encroachment of RU campuses from foreign, cronies and military land grab of this best remaining real estate within Yangon.
Will the West with all the protagonists, expat and wannabes see this wisdom of killing at least 2 birds with one stone instead of bemoaning the continuing degradation of a citizenry well being?
A degradation that is still ongoing from the mere inertia of last 3 decades of useless careless policy.
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It is highly doubtful even George Soros is so keen on rampant free market now as the poor man has been been cutting down his staff big time and his plan for unlimited credit facilities to bail out Greece seem to have few backers.
Markel may feel the same. Definitely the Socialist voters in France, not that they new government is going to stop promoting the capitalists but it will still keep some semblance of social welfare, starting with the their own salary cuts.
The old pensioner of “famed” suicide in Sytagma square and ongoing national problem
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/analysis-greeks-count-mental-health-cost-of-a-country-in-crisis
may not augur well for a wannabe rich country with dereliction of duty towards the masses.
As for the current direction Burma is on, it is like letting 5 year old to drive a car.
Not only the purported model is for “Free Market”, the policy to get there is “Free Buffet” as well.
Thein Sein with no knowledge and advise solely from self-promoters on ASEAN and the “West” and the unconditionally ever supportive sidekick Aung San Suu Kyi with even less wisdom are opening up and asking the would be rapists to be gentle!!! Sure they will be.
Contrary to being pessimistic, these are brave honest assessments and call for action and policies for the good of the masses which starts with PROMOTION of the welfare of the masses rather than inviting to get the subsistence wage jobs for them where they will forever be trapped.
It certainly would be of utmost importance to ask the people what they want and make that happens rather than shove down their throats what the Chinese, ASEAN, that fake democracy India and the “West” want.
At least Hlaing Thar Yar crowd seems not so keen on starvation and deprivation. Multiply that by a thousand and even the Sit-tut would not know where to hide.
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Restoring the Yangon and Mandalay trams would be a good place to start.
Urban historical preservation and restoration coupled with tourism promotion certainly can contribute to poverty alleviation.
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Dignifying Ko Thant Myint-U proposal of revitalizing Yangon further:
If Australian National University or any western higher institute of learning will establish extension campuses on available Rangoon University ground or any hundred of abandoned colonial building between Canal and Mahabundula street.
The possibilities will be infinitely more positive than exchanges of scholars toward the well being of Myanmar Citizenry Future.
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Thanks to Aung Moe for the links. One cannot help but be struck by the irony that these marvelous colonial buildings now seem to be in danger of the white man’s entrepreneurial and development zeal the second time round when we are engaged in the second struggle for independence as a certain lady has characterised it.
I heartily agree with Thant Myint-U and the Burmese architects’ spokesperson Chaw Kalyar that we must try and keep this very important part of our history the evidence of which remains wonderfully evocative in these structures to posterity, in the flesh as it were with no need for recourse to old photos in historical documents.
Converts to the rampant capitalist ideology of the free market style development such as Aung Moe and Hla Oo are today however ten a penny as it itself becomes an ossified orthodoxy fundamentally pushing profits before people whose priorities can’t always be arbitrated by the money nexus. Why don’t we privatise the ruddy (some would say rudderless) state, not just the utilities and the infrastructure?
Let me give you a public forum discussion on the Australian example of electricity privatisation for instance. You may be interested also in this ILO monograph published in 1997 of a study in labour and social dimensions prior to it. And the bogeyman Left’s overview of the global picture. Please feel free to skip if it’s too much for right wing and liberal sensibilities.
Our own generals have been handing both land and other assets over to the USDP, their own families and cronies, in partnership with international capitalists anyway; taking Hla Oo’s enlightened advice would only be a logical extension of what’s been going on.
Unless there can be a good incentive ($$$$$…ker-ching!) to these ‘developers’ along with the requisite political will on the part of Yangon’s municipal authorities, we are bound to see this kind of upper class vandalism by money mad philistines of the world united in their single-minded pursuit for filthy lucre. Will this govt rise up to the challenge? No prizes for guessing the answer. Perhaps Rangoon University is going to be the flag-ship development new RUM style.
And while RU will likely prove to be a test case for their development strategy, I agree with Ohn and Kyi May Kaung it is nowhere near as important as the pressing issues of workers fighting for a living wage, health & safety and decent working conditions as well as farmers fighting against relentless land confiscations, not least a genuine political settlement (not lucrative business incentives for the leadership – arms for dollars in democracy) of the civil war.
Yes, they seem to be natural followers of Marie Antoinette. Let them eat frog in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, and now let them use candles.
So I expect students past and present of Rangoon University (let them learn nowt and stay out of town) may take a cue from U Myint and OCCUPY RU before the developers’ bulldozers move in. And it won’t be a moment too soon.
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I agree with Thant Myint U. We should preserve all our historical heritage. As a Mandalayan I still miss our Mandalay Zegyo and condemn Bogyoke Tun Kyi for being leader of the pack. They were there to make money only, ignoring the fact about the beauty and historical importance of our city.
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U Moe Aung,
Thanks for your links.
The electricity issue is a clear example of failings of both systems. Public ownership tends to be bloated and wasteful and private ownership gives cartel-ization.
State monopoly capitalism is simply an off-shoot of this phenomenon even though the UK economic analysis was too hard to follow. There is somewhat friendlier explanation of it here. http://mises.org/journals/jls/15_3/15_3_3.pdf
Borrowing some of your words, in some sense the whole philosophy of state monopoly capitalism is intellectual laziness with the masses being ignored until Daw Kyi May Kaung’s French Revolution happens. And a renewed attempt of controlling the masses happens again.
Again here one must be conscious that Robespierre himself being guillotined. But not because the fundamental driving forces were wrong, but because of the dictatorial ship, selfishness, and secrecy of his own machinations going back to Farmer Jone’s pigs again.
Coming back to earth, it is remarkable that notwithstanding much vaulted the organizational chaos of Aung San Suu Kyi and a supposedly vexed Thein Sein, the ILO with rose coloured labour report, Aung San Suu Kyi’s “we want all jobs” rhetoric and Than Htay’s sneaking outing of opening of the SEZ’s, the current Thein Sein/ Aung San Suu Kyi plan for the benefit of the masses of Burma becomes established.
Labour intensive, lowest wage ( Hlaing Thar Yar are striking for 1.2 US dollars a day) less than subsistence wage jobs for the masses. That is what the people’s leader S strived to achieve for the “Time-bombs”. Lowest wage jobs. Hooray!!!! Derek Tonkin would say these Burmese should be grateful. Millions of slave jobs.
While it is understandable for Thein Sein’s part, it is very hard to swallow that half a century of misery, murders, tortures, incarceration and displacement are for simply the people to have themselves inhumanely exploited right at home rather than having to go to foreign countries. It is the unkindest cut on the people’s own champion’s part. Unfortunately it may not be accepted even by the multitude who clamoured for her.
On another matter,it is heart warming to see that some of the people of Mae Hla camp came to see her (and missed her) not for themselves but for the Kachin. People are puzzled why she can ignore the most horrible plight. http://moemaka.com/2012/06/24006/
Sad news: https://www.facebook.com/ygnpress?ref=tn_tnmn
There may be a making of a beginning of racial violence. Yesterday in Taung Kok and at this very minute in Sit-twe.
The Arakenese are not likely to have more hatred for the other just this week compared to the last century but the background social injustice and economic difficulties are finding their ugly way out. Narinjara (Arakenese) news describes the Taung kok killings as accident. It may makes things worse.
http://www.narinjara.com/main/index.php/8-people-killed-in-bus-accident-in-arakan/
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Here’s some more from The Myanmar Times about the June 1 conference. Not sure if it’s been covered elsewhere but if so please share the links.
http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/629/news62905.html
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Thank you Tom for the link, and the best bit is most definitely the conclusion: Dr Thant Myint-U said it was crucial that local communities benefited from preservation efforts.
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Those who profess to care for one of the most vulnerable among Myanmar Citizenry, “the laborers” must first cover their shameless slip of supporting the useless careless yesterday policy.
After all it is the rabid support from contributors here at New Mandala like Kyi May Kaung (PhD), Ohn and very Ko Moe Aung that has now presented these Citizenry with the ongoing quagmire in every respect.
Never mind that the wisdom of Ko Thant Myint-U advocacy of revitalizing the heritage entail a larger picture of opportunities.
Opportunities that will lead to conversations and solving of parallel problems of decrepit infrastructure.
Electricity, Water, Sewage and Roads problems that must be addressed and rectify in order to even begin with the revitalization process.
As I recall an average salary was US $ 1/day with very few opportunity of employment.
Is it wise or even logical to use this as a base to address the Citizenry’s plight?
The future of a Citizenry Plight will always be the resulting availability of Education, Healthcare and Economic well being.
Ko Thant Myint-U advocacy entail the dire improvement of all 3.
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“….crucial that local communities benefited from preservation efforts.”
This is similar to Aung San Suu Kyi saying she will change the Nargis constitution.
File it under Father Christmas and Fairy Godmother.
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@#22
Trying hard as you might to detract from the topic at hand:
1) The ongoing campaign against the Kachin by this regime reflect the historical failure of the Kachin to grasp the opportunity as the WA did brilliantly and other ethnic groups to a certain extend, opportunities that were orchestrated by Khin Nyunt on behalf of SPDC during it weakest moment.
Presently bemoaning the consequences of that very failure at best express ‘buyer’s regrets’ at worst unacceptable equating ‘a segment of continuing Myanmar shameful legacy’ as the overall plight of the Citizenry.
2) So called racism 2º to ‘diminished economic opportunity’, validate your very original ‘what the use attitude’ that will revamp another cycle of “useless careless policy” within Myanmar this time initiated not by he West but rather by so called caring expats !
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Thanks Plan B.
Kachin did fall for the devious mechinations of that snake you mentioned with some of the leaders getting rich and a lot of the nature razed. Still being razed of course.
But currently the issue of flooding their heartland and putting pipes across their ancestral land is such hurtful thing for a nation, even if the KIA leadership wants to do business deal like the KNU now, the public are not likely to give up killing or dying for the protection of their land with or without any help by any body.
The “others” either simply fall for easy business deals or their leaders somehow compromised par the specialty of this devious Bamar Sit-tut.
Please bear in mind that none of the armed groups are democratic and some do not care about the people they are supposed to represent.
Wa are simply drug dealers. BCP died of refusal to deal drug.
The Kachin environmental network in recent Irrawaddy article even specifically mentioned KNU for their awaiting future devastation which is likely to be even worse as this times round not just the environment and nature but the most precious resource, the human, are also going to be used/ abused/ squeezed of life/ demoralized and de- spiritualized in these low wage work forces with incessant bombardment of cheap consumer products permanently trapping their lives which will be dictated by the multinational businessmen who can at an instant drop them and move out to Brazil with no qualms. Look Detroit.
The Burmese are fighting Kachin because of Chinese money already and when there are more money from more nations, more peope will be fought upon including Burman themselves. Happens in Camboda, happens in Malaysia, Thailand.
The racial issue is real. But still the underlying tension is due to social and financial difficulties and of course the worst, lack of hope, lack of the sight of the end of suffering, in short not having faith in the direction the country is going.
Did you hear any one imprisoned in Mae la camp say they want to come back even when the Norwagians are trying to gang-press them Directly and indirectly with Aung San Suu Kyi’s knowledge at least if not urging?
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Another update. Australian FM Bob Carr has announced funding for the Yangon Heritage Trust:
http://www.skynews.com.au/national/article.aspx?id=758430&vId=
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Tom,
Zoe Daniels filing the first report was a clue.
Again it does go under the filing of Healthy Eating Promotion fund from McDonald.
If hypothetically, the Burmese government excludes the Australian extractive, financial and service companies from Burmese commerce, this offering is not going to be there.
For Burma, money may have been better spent for 300 primary schools. But presumably Than Myint-U or any other elites do not own a primary school age child needing schooling in Rangoon.
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@Ohn #22:
I share your concerns about violence in Arakan State.
And I had the same concern when I saw that Narinjara article. But, as I’m not knowledgeable enough about issues in Arakan to draw any conclusions, I asked a colleague that works mostly with Rohingya communities. This is what she said:
“This [the accident referenced in the Narinjara article linked by Ohn] is an accident that occurred near Thandwe on 2 June and not related to the attack on a bus just outside Toungup on 3 June afternoon. I did notice some other media outlets used that picture from Narinjara to illustrate their piece on the Toungup attack which is misleading.
Narinjara only wrote about the Toungup incident today – http://www.narinjara.com/main/index.php/murder-of-muslims-in-taungup-due-to-lack-of-legal-protection/ ”
In any case, hope that helps clarify.
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Matt,
Thanks. The composition of the victims were very different. And the coincidence is uncanny.
Narinjara of course should be a leader in humanity above all. We are so short of leader in humanity, unadulterated.
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#30
As much as we all here @ New Mandala will like to see the resolution of current Kachin-Bamar armed conflicts, using McDonald ® will diminish this tragic event with it beginning rooted as far back as b/f WWII.
A quick and lasting resolution will entail grasping the etiology of nearly every ethnic conflicts within Myanmar.
The SOS etiology of ‘control’.
Until such time as negotiations are favored over arms to resolve issues regarding ‘control’, bemoaning the results of ongoing conflict with some dubious links on behalf of only one side serve only to obscure the more important problems faced by the entire Citizenry of Myanmar.
Not until Myanmar has a Citizenry that is beyond ‘barely surviving’ how this government in using, such atrocious mean as ’4 cuts strategy’ achieving ‘control’ will be another moot concern.
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Sorry Plan B.
“McDonald” was not explained well.
Roughly, McDonald revenue was 27 billions in 2011, with around 5 billions in distributed profit. From easily available data, They spent around 40 million dollars in UK alone for advertising in 2004 with one million dedicated for Healthy Eating Promotion for children.
I would calculate the Australian business turnover might spell about the same in monetary terms over the years with Burma with- say- a few millions put in for a look good popular project fronted by a best selling author and fully backed by the government aiming for the same audience.
This was nothing to do whatsoever with the Kachin issue which is far, far more important currently and forever.
Again the money would have been better spent on 300 primary schools for the children of the public.
One day the Australians may wonder, the money they spent (they earned from Burma and spent some back) on well maintained “The Secretariat” so that there is no one qualified to sit in the place just like now.
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Matt,
The link was not working earlier may be due to heavy traffic. Now it does with chilling description.
The report is in truly respectable form.
Apologies Narinjara, it was an honest mistake because of the co-incidence.
This report is also very important as the government report will be totally different account. Now they have recruited Aung Zaw as well.
It is really chilling, The Irrawaddy’s link
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22049
is now broken.
The heading reads, “The Rise of Burma’s Most Undiplomatic Diplomat” dated 89th September 2011, well into the most celebrated Herr President’s era.
From memory, it reported that Ye Myint Aung who described the Rohingya as ogres as a General Consul in Hong Kong was punished by being sent to Geneva.
This is Burma at the new age of Winston’s Ministry of Truth at work, earnestly. For the uninitiated, http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt
Like the Nay-Pyi- Daw they have spent months on land loot and killings for the place was totally forgotten when Aung Zaw was pampered there, Aung Zaw or the article writer Yan Pai did not describe this incident any more.
Unfortunately, people already knows what Thein sein and his ilks are in spite of the spin maestros.
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Sorry to report.
Sad and bad news thick and fast.
For Burmese language readers,
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=welcome#!/ygnpress
Shoot to kill order in Maung Daw!
There now is a desperate need for fair and wise authoritative figure. No one really around!
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#35
“Again the money would have been better spent on 300 primary schools for the children of the public.”
Sure sounds like an after thought, mentioned to legitimize one’s ranting on distantly related Kachin-Bamar conflicts, Bamar chauvinism and other myriad of issues yet need to be addressed.
Due to unconscionable willful neglect in every respect, by both the Myanmar government made worst by the absolute absent of inputs from the West yesterday policy of prohibition.
1º and 2º ed system are thoroughly broken in all it tripartite manifestation of: the Parents, the Teachers and the Students.
Yet the unabashed zeal to have a good education within Myanmar is well described here @ New Mandala.
The only real constraints to the potentials of the tripartite to the ed. system are lack of opportunity to Economic well being and Healthcare.
At present Investment by McDonald in any respect will bode well to the overall economy.
Even better will be the Australian Government and similarly directed investments in specific projects that will improve a Citizenry through economic opportunities locally, in Yangon, thus partially negating the constraints to the ed. system.
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For the curious Hla Oo’s blog from Australia has this post on recent disturbing events in Arrakan. There is a warning that the story and photos are extremely graphic.
http://hlaoo1980.blogspot.com/2012/06/arrakan-boiling-with-anti-islamic-fever.html
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While the US wasted no time in seeking military ties, at least the Australians to their credit have pledged funding of TMU’s Yangon Heritage Trust and education.
In fairness, The Irrawaddy‘s Lawi Weng continues to report on the KIO and
the ongoing war.
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Whichever way one spins or beautifies, the act of support of the military as they allow Australia to rape and pillage is deplorable. Even Herald Sun feels enlightened enough to say that.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/lifting-of-burma-sanctions-premature-say-human-rights-activists/story-e6frf7lf-1226389967627
Again like the Healthy Eating Fund is but small change to buy out a good name for business survival for McDonald, ..
But,
Many a times these lines have been written before in different context.
Burma is not like any other land . Neither are the Burmese (all ethnicities).
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U Moe Aung,
It is simply impossible to differentiate the United Sates and Australia come to defence or more correctly aggressive trade route protection and resource and business territorial security.
See Stephen Smith with his inane grin moving like a tail behind Panetta in all pictures. One has to remember Australia wants to be the United States of Asia and are proud to host the US marines on their soils .
Johnny’s Deputy Sheriff mentality runs deep in the Lucky Land.
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I’m sorry, but let’s be fair. Ohn talks about “the rural way of peaceful, traditional and wonderful lives”. Who’s being elitist and nostalgic? Is sounds like picturesque poverty to me, best viewed from a distance. Most people in the rural areas are oppressively poor and desperate to send their children to schools and cities to improve their lives. Urbanisation will come — unless military rule returns. The point is to make it as productive, equitable and human as possible. The choice is not cities or rural life. The choice is between going “the way of other Asian cities – heavily polluted, with terrible traffic congestion, big concrete towers and little or nothing to distinguish it from any other Asian city” or aspiring to something better. This won’t solve all the problems and shouldn’t be at the expense of social and economic goals. But it is addressing one challenge, and if done right will more than pay for itself in the medium term. It’s up to others to have the foresight to address the many other serious challenges the country will face as it opens up.
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No need to be sorry of course. Thanks for this important topic.
Some contemptuousness for being elitist for “romanticising poverty” may still be too mild an epitaph compared to the regime’s line, which Thant Myint-U has himself repeated, of being “Radical, Agitator and (that perpetually recycled word) Communist”. Unfortunately one will see repeated description of these words “Radicals, Agitators and Communists” in comments from the Bamar Government , its protectors and apologists.
Back to your argument, which is totally main stream. For example this website itself is meeting point for and maintained by mainstream thinkers. That itself is a worry for the future.
There are general points and points specific to Burma.
For the world, there should at least be no dispute that current system, which cannot even be called a “Capitalist System” but “Total Exploitation System” is increasing the have’s and havenot’s difference to record gap and accelerating. That does make it unstable like walking on stilts at greater and greater heights.
The technological advances enable a CEO to micro-manage every single employee for single aim- return for the share holders. But it does not make the worker’s life better or more enjoyable or hopeful. (Minimum wage is now less than in the 80’s.) By nature, all CEO’s would do that (increase return) “externalizing” their own personal beliefs or concern. It then creates an angry, explosive underclass biding the time, all over the world. And fear is now palpable across the board- hoarding, collecting guns and ammunition, fortresses, and so on.
That system is not only unsustainable but unconscionable. For example a lot of deaths, rapes and poisoning of the earth are required in the current selfish, uncaring system for the Col-tan for each cell phone and computer, the very one you are using now. Even by the act of justifying the wonderful humanitarian use of these computers containing blood stained Col-tan, people become sub-human of insecure and unworthy nature.
Besides, for all the apparent opulence and education, the “free” people, a proportion of whom on various psychotropic drugs of prescription and non-prescription in nature, are so deliciously imprisoned in the ever tightening circle of Supermarkets, TV ads, Hollywood productions and Justin Bieber. And more importantly people are finding more and more solace in obeying the “authority”. Like synchronized panicking for totally non-existent “pandemic flu” , for example. Or taking pride in “Democracy” of free choice between one of the two Rothschilds candidates by the most educated and “free” populace in the world in the United States. Or totally void of opinion regarding blatant unjust acts like fomenting civil war in Syria. Main difference between the war on Iraq and Syria is that there was a need for the government and the loyal media to invent a WMD story to start the former along with Trade centre attacks to justify it while the latter requires no reason or excuse at all. First one was supposed to fight the nebulous “Al Qaeda” while the second and current one is to support that very so-called “Al Qaeda”. Even Orwell would get dizzy. If one is keen for the Australian perspective, they simply follow the Yanks hoping to be real Deputy Sheriff in Asia and feel envious of the Pom’s who are the favourite “Children”.
To feel delighted to be somehow connected to such system and call it “Development” is a bit of a shame. Even for that electricity and jobs. Electricity and jobs. Electricity and jobs. Electricity and jobs. Easy sale. Pretty familiar refrain. And will be repeated a billion times.
Specifically for Burma at the moment, it is getting harder for the players to explain the current schizophrenic arrangement of all the seemingly good things are done by the “new” reformed “Good Guy Thein Sein” government ( here Thein Sein’s status change from “them” to “us” took only split second) and all the bad things are either by the bogey man “Old or previous government” or the “hardliners” in the military and yes! the Radicals, Agitators and the Communists. While it is patently clear Thein Sein is simply a pantomime actor with written (liberal sounding catchword full) scripts acting in the very same system to make it look palatable for the share holders in the home countries for their little conscience before rape and pillage of the yet another (may be last) virgin land to be destroyed soon.
Even though Chinese have literally driven the Burma animal in the path of the American ( loose term for the “west”) gun men ( for the loot to be shared), the very desirability of Burma with its mostly uniform uniformed deliciously totalitarian administration whole hearted supported by the “People’s Champion” is a too good a prize for the American Military to let pass. It would now want to get really together in preference to that fractious Thai’s. Hence that thorough on the ground work by the Americans in all contentious internal issues of Burma and their easy right at home movements in previously hostile land. This can only lead to disaster on both sides.
In short though, it is far, far preferable to stay peaceful and cohesive in the dark rather than destroy the millennia old society, poison the land, destroy the rivers and all for one dollar a day jobs in Chinese, Korean, Japanese run factories making soap and socks enduring work/ strike cycles while living in disease, crime infested ghettoes mindlessly “enjoying” reruns of Friends and Simon Cowell on flat screen TV and texting on iPAD’s.
Real need for the man is nice, quiet, peaceful lives with enough food, shelter and clothing. How many percentage of people in the “advanced rich” countries enjoy those?
To make Burmese rich, what is required is to get the military budget diverted for the people’s benefit and stop the destructive wars. Not to make more wars and spend more on the killing implements as this new prosperity plans of Thein Sein/ Aung San suu Kyi crowd is working on. Incidentally same goes for the Great United States of biggest debt in the world.
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Amen to that, Ohn, though you sound like the chief doomsayer. Sad but true the world over, it’s gone viral as they say everyone rushing to join the New World Order with the IMF as its chief chettyar moneylender. The Burmese military regime after its democratic makeover, now aided and abetted by the chief poacher turned gamekeeper, can hardly wait.
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