New Mandala

On November 9, Mr. Najib Razak, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister, announced at the Multimedia Super Corridor implementation council meeting that Malaysia was aiming for 9 per cent average annual GDP growth rate until 2020. Realising later that the numbers were absurd, the government went into damage control mode. Immediately, the local media edited [...]

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When I am asked I sometimes make the idle observation that many of the Burmese I know are, in general terms, very bookish, curious, intellectual types.  Burma, to take the generalisation further, is a society where knowledge is valued, and the average citizen demonstrates a passion for learning.  Of course, any stereotype of this sort [...]

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David Scott Mathieson, the Human Rights Watch “Burma-watcher”, has written an essay on Australian approaches to Burma.  From certain perspectives I expect this would be considered a parochial matter. But my sense is that the current debate here in Australia around, crudely, “sanctions” and “engagement” is one that speaks to the wider yearning for a [...]

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The capital’s labour force is still busy constructing the capital’s future – an impressive parliament complex and a presidential house are emerging in anticipation of the 2010 general elections. The total cost of building Naypyidaw remains a mystery, although a local businessman points out that about $2 million has been spent for each high-ranking official’s [...]

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£876.65? The highlands meet high fashion?  Any takers?

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According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, a big Australian fashion company that owns iconic brands including Millers and Katies has stopped sourcing products from Burma in response to Australian Council of Trade Unions/Burma Campaign Australia pressure.  The relevant press release is available here.  Trumpeting this success, Burma Campaign Australia spokesperson, Zetty Brake, argued that, “Corporate Australia [...]

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At The Sydney Morning Herald Mic Looby, who co-authored the 2001 Lonely Planet guide to Burma, has weighed into the ongoing debate about Burma sanctions.  It is well worth reading in full.  One of the key paragraphs launches a broad attack:
If a handful of Australian-based companies are guilty of indirectly supporting an oppressive military regime, [...]

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Long-term readers may recall that I have something of a sideline interest in the unevenness of Western fast food proliferation across mainland Southeast Asia.  Indeed two of my very early New Mandala posts were on this topic (back in the first months: 30 June 2006 and 4 August 2006).  In May 2008 I even put out an endorsement for KFC’s decision [...]

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Myanmar government figures for the latest financial year have been released and essentially it’s more of the same.
Gas sales to Thailand amounted to about US$2.38 billion, a slight drop on last year’s $2.53 billion, and continued to be by far the largest export earner. However, the volume exported dropped sharply from 516 billion cubic feet [...]

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