22: Myanmar (or Burma?)…choose your political statement…

Colonial building in Yangon city center.

Again, we were very fortunate to have Bob Brigham on faculty as we prepared to visit Burma. Though much of Bob’s expertise is on post war Vietnam, his more recent work is focused on International Relations and Human Rights. Many of us know some few facts about Burma because of the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, who received the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for leading the campaign for democratic change. His view is that Burma is on the edge of great change, and we were extremely fortunate to be visiting the country at this pivotal time.

Our approach to Yangon foreshadowed what we would see everywhere in Burma: gilded stupas in every town.

A line of Toyotas and piles of teak (destined for furniture manufacture, decorative carving and export), covered the dock area.  Because the duty on foreign cars was recently lowered, these cars, which were imported before the drop, will sit here until the importers can recoup their costs.

After having just left Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong, it was interesting to compare and contrast the way in which South Asian countries, all with colonial pasts, have grown and developed differently. In 1885, after waging three separate wars, the British took control. Anti-colonial sentiment continued to simmer, but it was not until the 1940’s that the Nationalists, led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, General Aung San, successfully pushed for independence and Burma became a free country in 1948, with a benign civilian government taking power. This government was subsequently overthrown in a military coup in 1962, and since then, the military has run the show…until very recently, this year.

The military has taken off its uniforms (again) and as of last month, quotas have been done away with in Parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi cannot run for President because she has children born outside of Burma, but there is some speculation that that requirement will be abolished. That is all good. Burma is rich in physical resources, so India, Bangladesh, China and Thailand, all interested neighbors sit waiting to see how things will play out. The US position is that only limited investment in Burma will be supported because of ongoing Human Rights violations, in particular, the disturbing disenfranchisement and violence towards the Rohingya. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority who have lived in Burma for generations, having immigrating from India during colonial times.

It was interesting that our pre-port preparations for Burma included many warnings that our email would be censored, and that we should not put local residents on the spot by engaging in political conversations. In general we needed to keep low profile because even gathering in groups was illegal (well, with 650 of us descending into Yangon, we were already in trouble….). While all the warnings were a necessary prelude, in reality, we found the Burmese we encountered to be open and helpful, and easy to communicate with, even if they knew very little English. If nothing else, a cheery “Min-gala-ba” (hello!) would always bring an immediate response.

Our welcome party.
At the center is Moustache Man, a comic figure who is always on the losing end of the boy - girl flirtation.

Students waiting for the shuttle bus to Yangon from the dock find ways to pass the time...

From where we were docked, Yangon was an hour and half away by bus. Gary and I were also scheduled for a four day trip to Mandalay and then down the Irrawaddy (Ayeryarwady) River to Bagan, so our time (and photos) of Yangon are limited to the area between the dock and Yangon, the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Markets, which I visited on my own without Gary.

Along the way to Shwedagon Pagoda.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most holy of Buddhist stupas in Burma, as it is said to house the relics of four past Buddhas, including eight strands of hair from the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.
At 325 feet in height, it is also the tallest stupa in Burma and dominates the skyline of Yangon.

The Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset is a busy place, reminiscent in some ways to me of Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, Nepal

Unusual medicinal items for sale along the road to Scott Market.

A sewing station in Scott Market, just waiting to be of use.

Pharmaceuticals seem to be just as important a commodity in Scott Market as the custom-made clothing.

I had the opportunity to practice my Hindi with this friendly shop owner. He was 3rd generation, of Indian origin. Needless to say, his Hindi was much better than mine. But it was an enjoyable conversation.