Phuket Vs Yangon (Myanmar) - Same Same .. But Different

[Garlic Breath]

How would the selling of land to Farang aid in the distribution of wealth exactly?

When you have an promising startup company which lacks certain skills, it's good for the company to hire external experts to work as board member and give them part of the shares. They will do the work to make the company more profitable and therefore also gain more money to themselves.

When there is more money on the company, it's more easy to also share this money to the workers.

This works on country level as well. Country can invite people with skills and resources to make it better. This does not mean that let these people to take over the control, but it means that these people and companies are willing to invest. When people or companies own something, they are likely to preserve their environment as long as they are not doing one season harvesting.

That still makes the people creaming off the top, Farang and the people on basic wages Thai, which ever way you spin it.

[Garlic Breath]

It might be hard for you to understand...but I'll cut it short.

That's jolly considerate of you mate.

The thing is all those things happen now. Farang spend money on all those things you mentioned already without Thais having to relinquish any power by allowing them to buy land.

This "it would benefit Thais, they just don't know it" argument is so old. It would benefit Farang and Farang alone and that's why it puts every bodies nose out of place. Because they want something they can't have. Tuff titties we call that where I come from.

[snamos]

It might be hard for you to understand...but I'll cut it short.

That's jolly considerate of you mate.

The thing is all those things happen now. Farang spend money on all those things you mentioned already without Thais having to relinquish any power by allowing them to buy land.

This "it would benefit Thais, they just don't know it" argument is so old. It would benefit Farang and Farang alone and that's why it puts every bodies nose out of place. Because they want something they can't have. Tuff titties we call that where I come from.

I would never in a million years buy land in Thailand, for one I earn money in my home country so thats where I can obtain credit, I can read and understand the paperwork, there are laws to protect me. And I actually quite like the Thais patriotism and protectionism....I was just stating a few of my thoughts...I thought you might have been a timeshare tout BTB, sorry..its just the way you come accross

[snamos]

How would the selling of land to Farang aid in the distribution of wealth exactly

That was your question Hongkongphoey....I just answered it in my own opinion....Didnt say whether it was right or wrong.

[Guest]

How would the selling of land to Farang aid in the distribution of wealth exactly?

When you have an promising startup company which lacks certain skills, it's good for the company to hire external experts to work as board member and give them part of the shares. They will do the work to make the company more profitable and therefore also gain more money to themselves.

When there is more money on the company, it's more easy to also share this money to the workers.

This works on country level as well. Country can invite people with skills and resources to make it better. This does not mean that let these people to take over the control, but it means that these people and companies are willing to invest. When people or companies own something, they are likely to preserve their environment as long as they are not doing one season harvesting.

That still makes the people creaming off the top, Farang and the people on basic wages Thai, which ever way you spin it.

Ah you again. Why don't you make an agreement with TV support stuff and just start over again. You know by now that the rules does not allow to use alternative names. Make an agreement, create an user account BTB-england and respect other views as well. We are old enough to understand youth and idealism.

Anyway. Once an country or any other entity has a strong middle class, it's the best way to stability. We all know that middle class people are pretty much boring, who just wants to be conservatives. Those masses are needed keep the country on a track to go forward.

Now for the first steps in Burma, there is only high class and low class. Middle class will grow once there is more possibilities. This will take one or two decades. Until that the country is a land of possibilities and anointments. After that it simply becomes same kind of boring place as any other westernized country has become.

[snamos]

Ah you again. Why don't you make an agreement with TV support stuff and just start over again. You know by now that the rules does not allow to use alternative names. Make an agreement, create an user account BTB-england and respect other views as well. We are old enough to understand youth and idealism.

Anyway. Once an country or any other entity has a strong middle class, it's the best way to stability. We all know that middle class people are pretty much boring, who just wants to be conservatives. Those masses are needed keep the country on a track to go forward.

Now for the first steps in Burma, there is only high class and low class. Middle class will grow once there is more possibilities. This will take one or two decades. Until that the country is a land of possibilities and anointments. After that it simply becomes same kind of boring place as any other westernized country has become.

Only 3 classes in Burma, the Army (drug dealers), the workers and the monks

[LivinginKata]

a number of off topic posts removed.

[NamKangMan]

Ah you again. Why don't you make an agreement with TV support stuff and just start over again. You know by now that the rules does not allow to use alternative names. Make an agreement, create an user account BTB-england and respect other views as well. We are old enough to understand youth and idealism.

Anyway. Once an country or any other entity has a strong middle class, it's the best way to stability. We all know that middle class people are pretty much boring, who just wants to be conservatives. Those masses are needed keep the country on a track to go forward.

Now for the first steps in Burma, there is only high class and low class. Middle class will grow once there is more possibilities. This will take one or two decades. Until that the country is a land of possibilities and anointments. After that it simply becomes same kind of boring place as any other westernized country has become.

Only 3 classes in Burma, the Army (drug dealers), the workers and the monks

I disagree. There is/was a 4th Class - "the survivors."

[NBD]

Garlic Breath

I don't believe anyone is going to take a chunk of land with them, so it would all still be here. Just like all the land in England, Japan and other countries who allow foreign ownership, is still there.

Sure some farangs already do that, but how many more would do it if the ownership laws were transparent, stable and allowed foreign ownership? How many more businesses would choose to locate here?

Those at the top still can sell land to foreigners, they just do it through BOI or other arrangements.

[simon43]

I mentioned that I'd add some photos...

To keep this post on-topic, (because I know that it is wandering off the subject of Phuket vs Yangon), I will try to compare my experiences of schools in Phuket with a particular school on the outskirts of Yangon.

I have not taught in Phuket schools, but have visited several, ranging from the international schools (British School), then English Programme schools (Kaj), then government schools (Nai Yang). Of course, the level of facilities at each of these types of school varies, but let me describe a visit that I made today to a poor Burmese school.

Today being Monday, I had arranged to teach for the first time at the monastery school in Dala Township, which is located just across the river from south Yangon, but which is very isolated and rural, since there is no connecting bridge.

I walked about 20 minutes from my condo to the passenger ferry terminal, and boarded the rusty old ferry for the short trip across the river.

Many people use this ferry to travel to and from Dala Township, especially to go to work in Yangon, or to bring produce to sell in the street markets. On board the ferry I bought a snack for just 3.5 baht, which consisted of a large bread bun, spread with butter, then sprinkled with sugar and condensed milk.

When the ferry arrived in Dala, I slowly walked the 2km to the monastery where I was teaching. This is not my paid teaching job, but an unpaid role that I had offered to do on my day off. Why? Because although I had never been totally poor, my financial situation over the past couple of decades had swung from $ millionaire down to almost sh*t poor, then back up to very well off, then down to not a lot again, then up, then down, then up etc etc etc. I appreciated how a little money or a little help from another person can make a huge difference when you really do have totally b*gger all... Call it Karma, stupidity, whatever you like

In Dala Township, there is no government school, so the local monastery is used as a base for a primary school, which offers basic Burmese language education from about 5-10 years. After that age, the children receive no more schooling, because there is nothing available. (I met some of the older kids on the ferry who were 12 years old and selling cigarettes and chewing gum. Their knowledge of English was quite good - from chatting with tourists - and their work is really the best option in the circumstances.

My 2km walk to the monastery was taken slowly. Bear in mind that it was pouring down with rain (monsoon season), very very humid, the road was unpaved and flooded, and I was wearing smart trousers, shirt and tie. (It would not be acceptable for a respected profession such as a teacher to go to work in jeans etc). I had to resort to taking off my shoes and socks and rolling up my trousers!

Finally I reached the monastery, where a sign explains the purpose of the primary school.

The classrooms themselves have concrete floors and open windows. There is no fan.... there was a blackboard and a whiteboard (the adjoining rooms only had black boards). In the corner was a clay jar with drinking water. There were no chairs - the kids squat on the floor. Apart from the kids' exercise books, there were no teachers' books, no library books, no reading or maths books, no wall posters - absolutely nothing.

I met a couple of the kids outside, waiting for the class to begin. The kids were able to say 'hello' in English, but even the older girl - about 11 years old - didn't know any other English words. Like most of the kids and women in this community, they all wore Tanakha on their faces. Tanakha is a yellowish paste made from a tree bark which is applied to the face as both a sunscreen and as decoration. Many of the girls sport Tanakha 'Mickey Mouse' noses

These particular kids were too poor to afford the school uniform of white shirt and green shorts or skirt.

So finally I got to teach! I had agreed to teach for about 2.5 hours every Monday. This was my first day, and whilst I had visited the school the previous week to get a feel for everything, this was my first chance to see what I could do as a volunteer teacher.

Since I was the first ever foreign teacher that the school had had, the Burmese teachers ushered the complete school population into the room where I was. There were maybe 100 kids all squashed into that room, sitting on the floor and ranging in age from 5 to about 10 years old.

How do you think it was trying to teach 100 kids of different ages, all squashed into one room, with no fan, the rain coming through the open windows...?

I can only say that I was gobsmacked by the eagerness of these kids to learn some English. I had brought a few educational posters with me, (alphabet, animal flash cards etc), and so I worked through these, encouraging the kids to say and spell out the English letters and words. These kids hung onto my every word, chanting out the spelling of everything that I said and wrote. (I was almost hoarse from having to speak loudly so that all the kids could here me). The younger kids did their best to understand, but I will have to provide different levels of teaching for these younger ones, so that they get some value out of the class.

The noisy scene was made even more crazy when I spotted 2 very large American tourists just outside the classroom - brought there by a tour guide to see 'the poor kids', and snapping away with their telephoto lens cameras and videoing my performance.. (so watch out on You Tube for 'The Adventures of Teacher Simon').

Anyway, a great time was had by all, despite the bad weather and the rotting dog that lay only metres from the classroom. I'm back to my paid teaching tomorrow, but I will definitely be back in Dala next week to do my little bit to help these great kids!

And what a stark contrast to '5-star' Phuket

Simon

[Somtamnication]

Humbling experience!

[IsaanUSA]

Interesting thread, thanks

[NamKangMan]

Just a quick update to this thread.

It was reported today in a news source that can not be named on this forum that new laws adopted last Friday by the Myanmar parliment allows foreign investors to lease land for an initial period of 50 years with an option to renew.

So, Myanmar, Same Same but - 20 years more and with an option - Different.

Edited September 10, 2012 by NamKangMan