On 15-16 March 2013 the Australian National University’s Department of Political and Social Change will, once again, host the Myanmar/Burma Update Conference. Through all of the long, hard years of Myanmar’s dictatorship and pro-democracy struggles the conference sought to explore issues relevant to the country’s society, politics and economy. It has always sought to present explicitly “current affairs” analysis. The Updates have also, over the years, led to a long list of edited publications.
With all of the changes, both good and ill, that have occurred in Myanmar since the last Update in 2011 this year’s event promises to be particularly notable. A range of Myanmar, international and Australian scholars have been invited to present their latest work on the process of democratisation, and wider political, economic and social changes. There will be Andrew Selth on the police, Sean Turnell on the economy and U Oo Hla Saw on problems in Rakhine State. And that’s just on the second day!
New Mandala readers wanting to keep up-to-date with the event should check out the conference website. You can register to attend here.
I’m doing a research project on mine ownership in Myanmar in the context of the ongoing legal reform. So far, I’ve largely been limited to secondary sources, but I would love to communicate with someone who has some knowledge on this topic — or even just an informed opinion.
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In that accursed let’s-unanimously-call-it-reform-and-rush-in-to-loot country, totally un-informed talk-of-the-street would take your topic as second most controversial and muddiest one following that of the world’s biggest narco-economy (which no one researches, by the way including UNODC. No one except Bertil Lintner).
Still good news,that “legal reform” surely would not get in your way or anyone’s way as it simply is smoke.
Funnily the owners of the mines are also easily visible starting with Than Shwe in his wife’s name (Kyaing Kyaing) and all the “Cronies” which in this funny land are easy to identify as owners of “Football clubs”, now even easier- Aung San Suu Kyi’s newest best friends by her own admission.
Just be careful. Some of them are not only close to the power and own everything, but also has well equipped standing armies of their own.
If you come across a company with funny English translated name like “Prosperity and Long Life Enterprise” or something pertaining to “Luck” in the name, that one belongs to Chinese recently in from the mainland renting out from those above.
Another easy clue: old “insurgents” of opium traders now leading enterprise owners living in Rangoon for decades and the new “Peace” groups of I-don’t-want-to-play-bad-guy-any-more armed ethnic nationalities.
Happy research!
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You should start talking to people like Tay Za. He brokered the deal between Ivanhoe, a Canadian mining and Wan Bao the Chinese mining company that owns the “infamous” Letpadaung copper mines in a joint venture with UMEHL the “holding company” of the tatmadaw. I don’t know a lot about the jade mines in Phakant but the wife of Wen Jiabao (the outgoing Premier of China) wife is an expert about jade and other gems! Zaw Zaw, Steven Law and other “friends of Singapore” know more about these things, I guess, but if you want to really know the whole story you will have to interview the ex-generals Than Shwe, Maung Aye, Khin Nyunt, THTRTAMO “Shitlone” etc.
But researcher beware: “Those who know won’t tell (or lie) and those who tell (or lie) don’t know” LOL
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