Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the country's largest city, is home to bustling markets, numerous parks and lakes, and the towering, gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, which contains Buddhist relics and dates to the 6th century.[1]
Overview[]
Sad to say, Myanmar is a hole. In SE Asia, it is the 2nd poorest only behind Khmer Rouge Laos, simply because the SLORC doesn't wholesale slaughter the populace and send them to slave farms. However, it does oppress the hell out of them.
The SLORC (State Law & Order Restoration Council) has been running the show since 1988. At that time, the old government which had won independence from Britain was ejected because of widespread corruption, The Army took over in a military coup, created the SLORC, and 'promised new elections. When it looked like their pet Ne Win party might lose, they did everything from repainting Yangon to moving entire villages around to screw with the process. When SLORC lost, they arrested the winners and many of them "disappeared". The current atmosphere in the capital, Yangon, is just quiet desperation and resignation to fate.
As for culture, the Myanmar people are Theravada Buddhists to the core. The hill tribes are mainly Animists, and the communists are, well, Maoist Communists.[1]
Government[]
The SLORC and Army (Tatmadaw) run everything they can. This is a martial law state, Government workers risk getting fired or even arrested for talking politics with each other. Yangon has a 10 pm curfew, and terror tactics and/or torture are freely used. The media is Strictly controlled. Foreign medias and pirate broadcasters are messily executed. Bribes are required to get anything done. SLORC makes the Dixie governors look like Amnesty Int'I activists.
The only real opposition is from the Maoists on the Lam border, and the ex-KMT drug warlords and ethnic tribes in the north. See Myanmar map. These two groups control most of the remaining timber areas and gem mines. SLORC fights them for control of these resources so they can by more guns and tanks to control the people; the rebels sell the resources so they can buy more guns and rockets to fight the government. Khan Fa and his friends pay both to let him bring guns, drugs, whatever, through Myanmar, and down the Mekong river.
By the way, the SLORC gets their weapons at "friendship prices" from the Chinese. This keeps the Myanmar government from arming the Japanese, and keeps the Khmer Rouge busy with Myanmar rather than south China.[1]
Economy[]
In one word-screwed. SLORC controls the big monopolies: oil, rice, timber, and gems. Unfortunately they are corrupt and incompetent. When the world food crash hit. Myanmar exported all the rice it could at the higher prices, starving the populace. With the cash in hand, they restocked their armories with the latest Chinese and American weapons-the latter having been routed through Thailand. The commanders also bought new Japanese cars to be driven around in. However, outside of SLORC offices, there is a nationwide shortage of light bulbs? The government is so incompetent that they thought having everyone drive on the right would bring in foreign companies, never mind the fact that most of the surrounding Countries drive on the left.
The official currency is the Kyat (pronouned "chat"), and the government values it at K5 for one Eb. They also randomly change the designs of the large denominations, figuring that if you have a bunch of big kyat bills stuffed under the bed, you got it illegally, so it's your own fault if you lose everything.[1]
Yangon (Rangoon)[]
The only major city in Myanmar is a picture of desperate decay. Every couple of years, Tatmadaw gives it a paint job to make everyone feel better. It doesn't work. The city is full of wide, empty streets, and exhausted looking, crumbling buildings. Big rats take over at night.
The worst eyesores are hidden behind bright red banners with bilingual slogans (which few can read anymore) such as: "Only When There Is Discipline Will There Be Progress" and "Crush The Minions Of Colonialism."
The one bright spot in the city', literally, is the Shwedagon Pagoda. This Buddhist temple is on a hilltop site in Yangon, and is the most sacred in Myanmar. The pagoda is 100m high, covered with gold plates, 5000 small diamonds, and 2000 other gems. It is illuminated with spotlights at all times. And yes, its very heavily guarded.[1]