Aung San Suu Kyi: Our people want work, not charity

[Mook23]

without a doubt, the expat types i have met whether hmong or karen are full of hate for the regime they see as oppressive to their people.

i truly hope their land is safe and they get a fair share of the royalties their land has.

the dyed in the wool fighters, are of course the never forget never surrender mind set, but someone has to be prepared to stand up if it turns to custard again.

i can speak for karen land only. their land won't be safe in the next ???? years because it's infested with mines. even just accross the thai border, and i'm not talking the battlefields around tak/dooplaya/hpapun on which most people focus when talking karen resistance, but ratburi, petburi, prachuap and southwards, mines are all over the place. nobody (both sides that is) remembers who laid what where and how long they will be operational. nobody has started cleaning them up.

[waldroj]

Maybe, some of you Myanmar-experts would care to comment on this link http://ab.co/292jr9w?

[Mook23]

http://karennews.org/2016/06/prosthetic-workshop-center-opens-in-hlaingbwe-township.html/

[Mook23]

Maybe, some of you Myanmar-experts would care to comment on this link http://ab.co/292jr9w?

too complicated to comment on the case in general. i was up twice in rakhine state BEFORE the incidents/violence of some years ago. overland and boat from prome/pyay to sittwe and then to mrauk u by boat too... please specify what type of comment u are looking for.

[waldroj]

Mook23

Sure is complicated, but I suspect that the rest of the world will judge Suu Kyi (as Minister of Foreign Affairs) and the rest of the NLD Government that she is a part of, by their failure to resolve the Rohingya-issue, not by how they wax lyrical about fostering closer relations with Thailand.

[Mudcrab]

There are no states in Myanmar....only provinces.

[Mudcrab]

“… new hope of better working conditions and living standards for Myanmar workers in Thailand …”

A lot of superfluous rhetoric! And, yet again any questions about the Rohingya issue was “barred”.

Burmese living in Thailand can take little solace from Suu Kyi’s words, as there is unlikely to be the precious “work” in their own country that this report says they so desperately want.

There is also unlikely to be any improvement in their current working (and living) conditions here in Thailand – in their current situation, they are just too valuable as an important source of cheap labour for Thai employers to exploit.

OK let's here from someone who actually knows something about Myanmar.

As that country has opened up and stability and peace has come to many areas, so have foreign investors and jobs. While it is a process that will take time, for the first time in decades, Myanmar has a real chance of making something of itself and in turn, this means jobs for it's people.

Its not all hugs and kisses here just yet. Some projects that a Thai friend of mine has been involved with have been cancelled or suspended. Could be a bit of xenophobia creeping in.

Its getting harder(as in more time consuming) to get certain documents needed for in country travel as well.

Yes Thai Bashers you can't just travel anywhere in Myanmar there are restricted areas to foreigners.

It's my opinion, and mine only, that there is a backlash between the newly formed government and the entrenched public service.

I think many of the senior public servants have been on easy street too long under military rule and would like to see democracy fail as a 'told you so' exercise.

We should not forget that 25% of the parliamentary seats are allocated to military as are the most important cabinet posts. its a democracy...but not the kind the western mind thinks it is.

I have been dealing with Myanmar for a number of years now for our business. Know the country quite well and have been to many corners of it. I am probably the ultimate authority here on TV about travel in Myanmar and open/restricted areas for foreigners. The country is definitely much more open than it's ever been, especially since Aug 28, 2013 when 4 Thai-Myanmar land borders opened. Before this time, foreigners could only fly into the country, not travel overland.

Most in-country travel is fine EXCEPT travel to restricted areas, some of which have become more sensitive due to fighting (notably Kokang region, though who in their right mind would want to go there?) Having said that, my former Chinese boss managed to go there on a day trip from the Chinese side just a few weeks ago (illegally) though I don't admire her courage! Instead, I ask myself, what was she doing there?

Travel across the "Shan" from Kengtung to Taunggyi is fine provided you travel with your own car on a tour (along with government liaison officer and travel agency guide) or with car and driver after having seeked a permit. The latter option is much more expensive than flying so is of little interest to most travelers.

However, getting permits to cross the sole Indian/Chinese border crossings has recently been put on hold; it's an internal issue which may have something to do with opening up these borders as international crossings. Time will tell what happens.

Getting approval for permits to start certain projects is not an easy process, I am well aware of that having been involved in one major project myself. However, at this stage, without going into too much detail, it's not the permit which is the problem (we haven't even gotten to that stage yet) but the willingness of our local partner(s) to co-operate and financing issues. Investing in Myanmar is certainly not without it's risks. But there's a greater chance of success than at anytime since independence from Britain in 1948.

It is the restricted area north of Mo Gok that I was referring too. Used to be easy to get the land travel documents...bit more involved now.

[Redline]

Give her some credit, she can not reverse 60 years of discrimination in a few months

She could speak out about the plight of the Rohingya's in Burma though.

Not a peep out of her, very disappointing.

I think she is wise not to dive head first into shallow water. She can't take on every issue until there is more control. She needs the backing of the population, and the military still has a strong hold. She is not a guaranteed leader. Laws and thinking need to be changed and influenced. She knows what's going on. She is not going to throw away everything she has worked for by making comments that will damage long term goals.