MYANMAR, FACTS, CYCLONE, RELIEF EFFORT

• Myanmar is pronounced 'Mee-an-mar'

• Myanmar is the original name of the country. In Marco Polo's writings he described visiting 'Myanmar. The British are the ones that called the land Burma.

• Yangon is the original name of it's famous city. Centuries ago when the Mons and the Bamars were fighting endlessly, they finally made peace with each other on the very spot where the city stands. They named the place "Yangon" which means "End of Strife." Again, the British changed the name of the city to Rangoon; in fact they changed the names of many cities and places in Myanmar. Finally, now the country has it's original names in place.

•Government: A new government (The State Peace and Development Council) has been in place since 1997 replacing the previous extremely brutal socialist government. Since that time the government has been rebuilding the country, as the previous government had basically ruined the economy and everything was in disrepair.

Since 1997, this new government has been rebuilding the country, and privitising the industries. They have been (and still are) operating under the British Constitution that the Brit's had set up in 1948. They have also been stopping the farming of opium poppies and putting the old drug warlords out of business. Note: I have personally seen (all over the country) government-provided centers where farmers learn to grow crops ( other than opium) and are given the new seedlings free of charge. They are now growing crops such as banana, papaya, betel leaf, areca palm, cashews, coffee, silk worms, fish farms, giant prawn farms, and much, much more.

•Paranoia? The history of Myanmar goes back millenia. They have always kept to themselves and felt no need for the outside world. Centuries of isolation breeds suspicion and naivete of the outside world. The Burmese love everything Burmese. They love their country. They love their way of dress. They love their food. They love each other. They love their festivals and pagodas. They love their elephants like family. They even love fermented fish paste. So when you see the government hesitant to let in help even in the face of such a horrible tragedy.... think about those centuries of isolation.

•Hotels: I always hear rumors that the government owns all the hotels. Wrong. The vast majority of the hotels are privately owned, some by private Myanmar citizens, many by foreign investors from such places as Singapore, France, Switzerland, China, etc. I have seen a few government hotels here and there, usually about one in a city.

• Population: There were an estimated 47+ million people in Myanmar in 1996. And there are an estimated 135 different ethnic groups.

• Religion: About 89% of the population are Buddhists (they practice Theravada Buddhism). But there are also Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Muslims.

•Women are treated equally. Men and women have the same legal rights including property ownership and they can hold any profession. In divorce they are entitled to half of the properties, and share equally in inheritances. You will notice while traveling around the country, that it's the women that run the majority of the businesses! Girls are educated side-by-side with the boys. In white collar professions, the women are given 6 weeks off prior to having a baby and up to 2 months off after the baby is born.

•The Poorest Country? Well, if you're only looking at per-capita income. Yes. However, the majority of the population are farmers and have little monetary income as they don't need much. Every family has their own livestock (an assortment of chickens, ducks, cattle, horses, fish farms,) They grow all their own vegies, or trade at the marketplaces. Same goes for fruit. Fish in the rivers are free for the taking. Same for the majority of fruits. papaya, mango, bananas, jack fruit, and more are everywhere bursting with fruit. They sew their own clothes. Does anyone remember when the USA used to be this way? So really the only income that gets reported are those holding jobs in the cities, which is very disproportionate when it's spread out over 47-something million people.

This is not a country where people go hungry.

•Myanmar is a land very rich in resources: oil, gas, precious gems, jade, iron, steel, lead, zinc, copper, tin, coal, gypsum, forests, agriculture, wild animals, and rivers teeming with fish. They have more forests than any other south or southeast Asian country. They hold three-fourths of the world's teak. Believe it or not, they work hard to protect those forests, as it is their most valuable resource. Thailand has desimated their teak forests.

• Bamboo: There are also immense forests of bamboo. One pure stand covers over 3000 square miles.

• Wildlife: The forests are home to abudant wildlife. It's home to over 10,000 elephants, two types of rhinoceros: the one-horned Javan rhino, and the two horned Sumatran rhino. There are also the largest amount of wild tigers in the world, in addition to leopards, black bears, red pandas, fishing cats, barking deer, Himalayan bears, Asiatic black bears, wild boar, sambar, mouse deer, flying squirrels, bats, tapirs, pangolin, gibbons, macaques, guar (a type of bison) and the takin (an extremely large goat that weighs up to 1000 lbs.

• Reptiles: There are many species of reptiles which includes 52 venemous snakes: cobra, King cobra, banded krait, Malayan pit viper, Russells vipers, bamboo vipers, and obviously many more. There are also crocodiles, sea turtles, dolphins and dugongs.

•Agriculture and crops: The country is rich in agriculture because of the different climates in different parts of the country. They literally can grow anything, and they do.

•One final question. Why are the Myanmar people so happy? I have been to countries with oppressed people. Like Cambodia. If you haven't been outside Siem Riep (site of Angkor Wat), you should, it is sad indeed. I have been in countries in South America where there are road blocks every half hour and the car and your belongings are searched each time. I have landed at airports where the plane is immediatley surrounded by AK-47-wielding soldiers. I have been in Africa and threatened by people with spears. Myanmar is the only country I've ever been in that I feel totally safe. Ask any tourist who has been there, they will tell you the same thing.


	MYANMAR 101 (or what the media will never tell you) • Myanmar is pronounced 'Mee-an-mar' • Myanmar is the original name of the country. In Marco Polo's writings he described visiting 'Myanmar. The British are the ones that called the land Burma. • Yangon is the original name of it's famous city. Centuries ago when the Mons and the Bamars were fighting endlessly, they finally made peace with each other on the very spot where the city stands. They named the place "Yangon" which means "End of Strife." Again, the British changed the name of the city to Rangoon; in fact they changed the names of many cities and places in Myanmar. Finally, now the country has it's original names in place. •Government: A new government (The State Peace and Development Council) has been in place since 1997 replacing the previous extremely brutal socialist government. Since that time the government has been rebuilding the country, as the previous government had basically ruined the economy and everything was in disrepair. Since 1997, this new government has been rebuilding the country, and privitising the industries. They have been (and still are) operating under the British Constitution that the Brit's had set up in 1948. They have also been stopping the farming of opium poppies and putting the old drug warlords out of business. Note: I have personally seen (all over the country) government-provided centers where farmers learn to grow crops ( other than opium) and are given the new seedlings free of charge. They are now growing crops such as banana, papaya, betel leaf, areca palm, cashews, coffee, silk worms, fish farms, giant prawn farms, and much, much more. •Paranoia? The history of Myanmar goes back millenia. They have always kept to themselves and felt no need for the outside world. Centuries of isolation breeds suspicion and naivete of the outside world. The Burmese love everything Burmese. They love their country. They love their way of dress. They love their food. They love each other. They love their festivals and pagodas. They love their elephants like family. They even love fermented fish paste. So when you see the government hesitant to let in help even in the face of such a horrible tragedy.... think about those centuries of isolation. •Hotels: I always hear rumors that the government owns all the hotels. Wrong. The vast majority of the hotels are privately owned, some by private Myanmar citizens, many by foreign investors from such places as Singapore, France, Switzerland, China, etc. I have seen a few government hotels here and there, usually about one in a city. • Population: There were an estimated 47+ million people in Myanmar in 1996. And there are an estimated 135 different ethnic groups. • Religion: About 89% of the population are Buddhists (they practice Theravada Buddhism). But there are also Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Muslims. •Women are treated equally. Men and women have the same legal rights including property ownership and they can hold any profession. In divorce they are entitled to half of the properties, and share equally in inheritances. You will notice while traveling around the country, that it's the women that run the majority of the businesses! Girls are educated side-by-side with the boys. In white collar professions, the women are given 6 weeks off prior to having a baby and up to 2 months off after the baby is born. •The Poorest Country? Well, if you're only looking at per-capita income. Yes. However, the majority of the population are farmers and have little monetary income as they don't need much. Every family has their own livestock (an assortment of chickens, ducks, cattle, horses, fish farms,) They grow all their own vegies, or trade at the marketplaces. Same goes for fruit. Fish in the rivers are free for the taking. Same for the majority of fruits. papaya, mango, bananas, jack fruit, and more are everywhere bursting with fruit. They sew their own clothes. Does anyone remember when the USA used to be this way? So really the only income that gets reported are those holding jobs in the cities, which is very disproportionate when it's spread out over 47-something million people. This is not a country where people go hungry. •Myanmar is a land very rich in resources: oil, gas, precious gems, jade, iron, steel, lead, zinc, copper, tin, coal, gypsum, forests, agriculture, wild animals, and rivers teeming with fish. They have more forests than any other south or southeast Asian country. They hold three-fourths of the world's teak. Believe it or not, they work hard to protect those forests, as it is their most valuable resource. Thailand has desimated their teak forests. • Bamboo: There are also immense forests of bamboo. One pure stand covers over 3000 square miles. • Wildlife: The forests are home to abudant wildlife. It's home to over 10,000 elephants, two types of rhinoceros: the one-horned Javan rhino, and the two horned Sumatran rhino. There are also the largest amount of wild tigers in the world, in addition to leopards, black bears, red pandas, fishing cats, barking deer, Himalayan bears, Asiatic black bears, wild boar, sambar, mouse deer, flying squirrels, bats, tapirs, pangolin, gibbons, macaques, guar (a type of bison) and the takin (an extremely large goat that weighs up to 1000 lbs. • Reptiles: There are many species of reptiles which includes 52 venemous snakes: cobra, King cobra, banded krait, Malayan pit viper, Russells vipers, bamboo vipers, and obviously many more. There are also crocodiles, sea turtles, dolphins and dugongs. •Agriculture and crops: The country is rich in agriculture because of the different climates in different parts of the country. They literally can grow anything, and they do. •One final question. Why are the Myanmar people so happy? I have been to countries with oppressed people. Like Cambodia. If you haven't been outside Siem Riep (site of Angkor Wat), you should, it is sad indeed. I have been in countries in South America where there are road blocks every half hour and the car and your belongings are searched each time. I have landed at airports where the plane is immediatley surrounded by AK-47-wielding soldiers. I have been in Africa and threatened by people with spears. Myanmar is the only country I've ever been in that I feel totally safe. Ask any tourist who has been there, they will tell you the same thing.