Shrinking Burma

IN our old historic days, our country's map is look like a shape of rectangle stretching from today eastern part of Bangladesh to western provinces of Thailand. In top, some parts of India & China are under our territory. As the quality of younger generation decline, our mother land has been stolen by neighboring countries until today map which is resemble to a shape of cradling mother. I always thought lucky to see Myanmar is not involved in the claimant states of current hotshot south east china sea sea claim dispute in which several ASEAN countries are against big boy China. I am relief to see our country's geographical location.

However, there are sign of modern colonizations by neighbor countries in term of economic especially by China. A lot of Chinese business men had dominated our big cities major business districts. Besides they have illegally acquired national identification card through bribe to local authority. Anything can happen in poverty country like Burma. Due to insufficiency of income, there are widely spread corruption throughout the nation. It's just money matter if corruption happen in central divisions. But it's different when the frontline immigration and custom officers take bribe toward incoming foreigners. Chinese business men try to get Myanmar IC to take advantage of being citizen in trading. There are sizeable population of Chinese who cannot speak Burmese language but they have Myanmar IC. Such kind of trend could be labelled modern colonization, I think.

Our Junta leaders always said how important is the army is at all time by citing the danger of world's biggest populous nations which are at our doorsteps. Also they always pointed out decade long ethnic fighters on the separation from the union. Regardless, it's all army's duty to protect their nations and its fellow citizens. There is even army song saying "they don't allow anybody to intrude our nation even an inch". What a good song to listen is it? In fact, our army is much attention to demolition of our own brothers who are ethnic minority. I believe much of our army's energy were used on fighting each other.

Currently, the verdict of Myanmar-Bangladesh sea claim dispute by ITLOS is hot among the local media. The international media mentioned that the verdict was favor to Bangladesh's side. However, Myanmar's media fail to say such situation. The dispute started a decade ago and it reached the peak on 2008 by two world's poorest nations. Following block by Bangladesh navy to the offshore rig mobilisation conducted by Daewoo International, both nations sent their navy to the sea front line to get ready for war. Later the case is taken to the table of international court. Myanmar hired foreign lawyer to defend its claim while Bangladesh delegate was lead by its foreign minister. Eventually, the ITLOS decided to draw a sea boarder which favor Bangladesh's way. In the new line, Myanmar also lost one island named St. Martin to its neighbor. It's not an inch lost, it's by several thousand nautical miles. Our leaders seems inactive with the verdict and people are less exposed with the case to fully understand what had gone with the matter. With the help of local private media, we were able to taste a bit part of full story. Myanmar's delegates in court

In general, Myanmar is losing its resource rich sea area to neighboring countries. China is developing our sea port at Kyauk Phyu, India is developing another sea port at Sittway, Thailand is taking Tavoy special economic zone to fully develop, Thilawa sea port is supposed to be done by multi-national companies especially from South-Korea and Japan. Even those we could see the latter development as a part of nation's building, why not we could alternatively see them as a modern colonization. Less or more, Myanmar is going to be victim in the transition of its democratic reforms, I think. Amid turbulent world's economy, hopefully our opposition leader Daw Aung San Su Kyi able to win upcoming by-election and make things in order to save our country just like her father did. May our leaders in power able to halt any movement against our national interests as well as people's benefit.