What Our Readers Say
By The Irrawaddy 21 July 2012
US Investment Could Fuel Problems, Say Burma Activists
Economic development can help internal transitions better than otherwise. With it, the country will have more capacity to promote important social sectors. A better educated and healthier population provide a better work force in building essential infrastructure for this nation. Thus investment should be welcomed while the government and people are working to solve these decades-old problems. While having this opportunity, everyone involved should work towards the long-term solutions, as education in ethnic areas among them. Of course, the government will have to make sure that the incoming investment is responsible and has a sustainable positive impact on either the infrastructure or human resources of the nation.
—PhoeZ
Siamese King’s Tomb to be Destroyed
In 50 years or less, Burma will have no identity. It will look like
Hong Kong or Bangkok, wall to wall shopping malls, McDonald’s, Pizza Huts, etc. No sense of history except for a few token pagodas. A real pity. I lived in Burma for 3 years in the early 70s; and while Ne Win was in charge, it was still Burma. It will always be a state of mind.
—John Eichler
Protesting Farmers Charged with Trespassing
Organize and fight for your rights. Saya San would have been proud of these farmers. Our people certainly waste no time in seizing the opportunity to air their grievances and stand up for themselves in this newly permissive climate that came into being in order to suit the military-crony ruling class’s own agenda touting for more business. Kudos to those activists and lawyers who get involved on the side of the toilers of the land who after all provide our staple diet. A nationwide farmers’ union needs to evolve from these humble beginnings.
—Moe Aung
Rohingya Plight Highlighted in London
What do they expect? The Rohingyas get treated by Bangladesh and Myanmar the same way the Kachins get treated by China. Myanmar, Bangladesh and China are different from the US. Please send the Rohingyas to Indonesia or Saudi Arabia where they can stay forever. Arakan is not a place where they belong. Sheep and lions cannot be kept in one den.
—Mualcin
Rohingya Plight Highlighted in London
Suu_Kyi must address the ramifications of the 1982 Citizenship Law. It was arbitrarily introduced by the dictator Ne Win and disenfranchised thousands of legal citizens of Burma. People who were born in Burma have no less rights than the thousands of Burmese who currently enjoy rights in America, Europe and Thailand. We have to go back to the constitution we had before Ne Win usurped power.
—Dan Nai Doo
Suu Kyi Plans US Trip in September
It is a pity that she does not bother to come to Australia, which has the largest Burmese population outside of Burma. And most of the Burmese people in Australia are from ethnic groups. I wonder if that has anything to do with her snub to Australia?
—Dave
Key Players Holding Asean Hostage
While ASEAN’s desire for unity is more desire than accomplishment, China was able to destroy, with the greatest of ease, ASEAN’s potential unity over the South China Sea issue. Hillary Clinton wouldn’t have much worth saying unless there were stronger US forces in the area. The quick solution for this is to bring in some aircraft carriers. But China is supposed to have developed a weapon to destroy aircraft carriers, and the US is in no hurry to find out how good it is.
If ASEAN can’t even decide what to say after the meeting, how can China, the US, or anybody else, take them seriously? China is pulling the strings, and wants to turn them all into puppets. The US will only interact to the extent that it perceives itself as being seriously invited.
—Fred
Siamese King’s Tomb to be Destroyed
“These old buildings do not belong to us only, they belong to our forefathers and they will belong to our descendants unless we play them false. They are not in any sense our own property to do with as we like with them. We are only trustees for those that come after us.” (William Morris)
—Ayutthaya Historical Research
Burma to Import 3,000 New Buses from Japan
Light Rail would be fantastic, no doubt about it, but that would be putting the cart before the horse. Import the buses, and yes I agree that they should be “new” buses, not “newly imported”. The buses will (or should) have a limited life, hopefully before that life expires there will be a Light Rail system in place. CNG buses run pretty clean, far better than the Dyna’s that we have to put up with now.
Personally I’d like to see something along the lines of what they have in Bangkok with the elevated railway. But where’s the money going to come from? It would have to be private; the government still needs to be building basic roads in many parts of the country, they can’t be pouring money into Yangon all the time.
—A. N. Observer
‘Federalism’ No Longer a Dirty Word
It is not a bad thing to let all seven states and seven divisions have self determination on their respective lands—but it is the best thing. Let them decide for their own good and let them build their own cities and towns, and work their own lands. They know best for their own people.
—Minthu
