Posted 2011-12-04 00:34:50
 bangkokburning, on 2011-11-28 07:12:54, said:
The nation is MYANMAR. Why do you insist on calling the country Burma?!
I still call it Burma for the same reason that I refer to Tibet as Tibet rather than the Chinese imposed name of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Neither Myanmar or the Tibetan Autonomous Region were names chosen by the people of those places but were names imposed by either an unelected dictatorial military regime or an agressive communist government that falsely claimed sovereignty over an existing country.
David
Edited by Genericnic, 2011-12-04 00:39:51.
Posted 2011-12-04 01:06:45
Genericnic, on 2011-12-04 00:34:50, said:
bangkokburning, on 2011-11-28 07:12:54, said:
The nation is MYANMAR. Why do you insist on calling the country Burma?!
I still call it Burma for the same reason that I refer to Tibet as Tibet rather than the Chinese imposed name of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Neither Myanmar or the Tibetan Autonomous Region were names chosen by the people of those places but were names imposed by either an unelected dictatorial military regime or an agressive communist government that falsely claimed sovereignty over an existing country. And yes, I realize that Burma was a name imposed by the British but as long as my Burmese friends call it Burma so will I. It is their call, not the current regimes.
David
Argh ... hit the reply rather than the edit button
Edited by Genericnic, 2011-12-04 01:07:38.
Posted 2011-12-04 08:36:27
Unless a person was willing to essentially 'go native' - I don't think they'd be content to reside long term in Burma. That cuts out 99% of prospects.
The exception would be if the Burmese allocated 'foreign enclaves,' similar to Benidorm Spain, or Pattaya and Phuket (without the blatant sex services). Where farang are essentially surrounded by farang things like fast food places, ATMs, malls, and English speaking support networks, etc.
I've been to Burma a hundred times, though usually for a day or two - longest was 2 weeks - in central region. I like to bicycle all over - there are always new and interesting things to discover.
A couple of the subtle differences between Burmese and Thais: Thais are more straight-laced than Burmese, who are more care-free. Thais tend to think and act alike, and respond similarly to things. In contrast, Burmese are more individualistic and not constricted by the required 1,000 structured ways to be polite. They're more real, in their actions and their words.
Posted 2011-12-04 17:25:37
Genericnic, on 2011-12-04 00:34:50, said:
bangkokburning, on 2011-11-28 07:12:54, said:
The nation is MYANMAR. Why do you insist on calling the country Burma?!
I still call it Burma for the same reason that I refer to Tibet as Tibet rather than the Chinese imposed name of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Neither Myanmar or the Tibetan Autonomous Region were names chosen by the people of those places but were names imposed by either an unelected dictatorial military regime or an agressive communist government that falsely claimed sovereignty over an existing country.
David
Neither was the name 'Burma'. Ditto for Thailand, Burkino Faso, and dozens of other country names around the world.
Myanmar is the original name of the country, that name never changed in the Burmese language. Only the English name was changed to conform with all official documents whether before, during or after colonial rule.
Posted 2011-12-10 16:49:02
When the Washington Post stops calling it Burma, I'll follow.
On the other hand, Saigon will always be Saigon ...
Posted 2011-12-11 15:42:25
definitely not true...Saigon is only used to refer to central areas in HCMC such as district one, the train station etc
the local people have decided for themselves what their city is called, it is not for some cyberpundit to decide
Jingthing, on 2011-12-10 16:49:02, said:
When the Washington Post stops calling it Burma, I'll follow.
On the other hand, Saigon will always be Saigon ...
Posted 2011-12-11 15:48:32
tailspin, on 2011-12-11 15:42:25, said:
definitely not true...Saigon is only used to refer to central areas in HCMC such as district one, the train station etc
the local people have decided for themselves what their city is called, it is not for some cyberpundit to decide
Jingthing, on 2011-12-10 16:49:02, said:
When the Washington Post stops calling it Burma, I'll follow.
On the other hand, Saigon will always be Saigon ...
I'll call it what I want. All the Vietnamese people I have ever met in the USA, often FROM Saigon, still call it Saigon. I'm with them.
Posted 2011-12-11 17:07:30
Posted 2011-12-30 12:22:09
I have been working with guys from Myanmar, here in Singapore, for the last 10 years. Most of them are really fed up with their own government and some of them have bitten the bullet and renounced their nationalities. The people from Myanmar I have met are very polite and friendly, generally honest and hard working.
I,ve never been there and don't plan on doing so-------yet.
Retiring there ----------------- not an option ( for me ), ( Pom rak Thai ).
Edited by soihok, 2011-12-30 12:22:40.
Posted 2011-12-30 12:36:16
When Aung San Suu Kyi gives me a visa, I'll go.
Posted 2012-01-03 19:51:36
I think Sudan and Afghanistan have even lower cost of living..... Check it out
Posted 2012-01-10 18:46:25
Jingthing, on 2011-12-11 15:48:32, said:
tailspin, on 2011-12-11 15:42:25, said:
definitely not true...Saigon is only used to refer to central areas in HCMC such as district one, the train station etc
the local people have decided for themselves what their city is called, it is not for some cyberpundit to decide
Jingthing, on 2011-12-10 16:49:02, said:
When the Washington Post stops calling it Burma, I'll follow.
On the other hand, Saigon will always be Saigon ...
I'll call it what I want. All the Vietnamese people I have ever met in the USA, often FROM Saigon, still call it Saigon. I'm with them.
i lived in Vietnam for a while and most people there call it Saigon - at least in the South.
Posted 2012-01-10 18:51:30
This is interesting.
The New York Times has published a list of the top 45 places to go in 2012.
Burma (or Myanmar as they quaintly call it) is NUMBER THREE in the world. Cool. Here come the tourists. That's the first step. Just backpackers? No way!
http://travel.nytime...ml?pagewanted=1
Quote Since November 2010, when Myanmar’s rulers held nominally free elections and released Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi after 15 years of house arrest, the boycott has been lifted and Myanmar is set for an influx of visitors.
Posted 2012-01-17 17:23:26
nice dream Jingthing , but current reality is there are no ATMs in Burma and that combined with the official exchange rate over 100 times higher to the real one is enough to keep me away even from visiting the place on a visa run.
I don't like to walk with all my cash on myself all the time because there's no ATM and no bank to swift my money from abroad without being robbed by the fake official exchange rate.
First step should be liberalizing the forex , then we can start thinking about it.
Edited by Penefattore, 2012-01-17 17:36:07.
Posted 2012-01-17 17:26:29
tailspin, on 2011-12-11 15:42:25, said:
definitely not true...Saigon is only used to refer to central areas in HCMC such as district one, the train station etc
the local people have decided for themselves what their city is called, it is not for some cyberpundit to decide
Of course the decision is up to North Vietnam tanks
Posted 2012-01-17 17:29:04
Penefattore, on 2012-01-17 17:23:26, said:
nice dream Jingthing , but current reality is there are no ATMs in Burma and that combined with the official exchange rate over 100 times higher to the real one is enough to keep me away even from visiting the place on a visa run.
I don't like to walk with all my cash on myself all the time because there's no ATM and no bank to swift my money from abroad without being robbed by the fake official exchange rate.
First step should be liberalizing the forex , then we can thinking about it.
I agree -- certainly not yet. Talking of course about the potential for the future.
Posted 2012-01-19 16:35:28
There is no infrastructure like Thailand. Poor health care. No western food franchises. Depends on how you want to live.
Posted 2012-02-02 03:17:56
smiling mantis, on 2011-11-18 17:33:11, said:
New frontiers are always tempting, but I'm learning that with it comes heartbreak when you see a place you love turn to crap as the path there becomes well traveled.
And Thailand is not super well traveled?
Posted 2012-03-26 18:20:58
Well I'm happy to give it a go! I've about completed the build of my 2 small hotels in Phuket (meaning that they are open and profitable), and so onto the next project. I've been back and forth from Kawthaung (the town opposite Ranong) many times over the past months and having done the research, I've made the firm decision with my wife to construct a small hotel in that region. Lord knows that there are enough visa-runners and tourists who would stay overnight, were there a decent, Western-managed hotel with a swimming pool.
I've already put out feelers for investors 
Bear in mind that Myanmar is about 2,000 km from top to bottom, and there are wide variations in climate, language, infrastructure etc. I'm sure many areas of the country are total s**tholes, but Kawthaung is not one of them. Pleasant streets, reasonable electricity supply, nice beaches, friendly people, not a landmine or opium dealer to be found ...
Simon
Posted 2012-03-26 19:09:04
endure, on 2011-11-18 17:08:58, said:
Bad move. Section 377 of the Myanmar penal code prohibits homosexuality. Along with fines, the punishment is ten years to life.
Only a bad move for some - I would support increasing the fines and change the punishment from 20 years to life !!!
Posted 2012-03-26 19:11:00
simon43, on 2012-03-26 18:20:58, said:
Well I'm happy to give it a go! I've about completed the build of my 2 small hotels in Phuket (meaning that they are open and profitable), and so onto the next project. I've been back and forth from Kawthaung (the town opposite Ranong) many times over the past months and having done the research, I've made the firm decision with my wife to construct a small hotel in that region. Lord knows that there are enough visa-runners and tourists who would stay overnight, were there a decent, Western-managed hotel with a swimming pool.
I've already put out feelers for investors
Bear in mind that Myanmar is about 2,000 km from top to bottom, and there are wide variations in climate, language, infrastructure etc. I'm sure many areas of the country are total s**tholes, but Kawthaung is not one of them. Pleasant streets, reasonable electricity supply, nice beaches, friendly people, not a landmine or opium dealer to be found ...
Simon
Nice read Simon will keep you on my watch list.
Brian
Posted 2012-03-26 19:13:48
mijan24, on 2012-03-26 19:09:04, said:
endure, on 2011-11-18 17:08:58, said:
Bad move. Section 377 of the Myanmar penal code prohibits homosexuality. Along with fines, the punishment is ten years to life.
Only a bad move for some - I would support increasing the fines and change the punishment from 20 years to life !!!
Must be fun for some to dehumanize and openly parade contempt for an entire class of people without consequence.
Posted 2012-03-26 19:26:24
endure, on 2011-11-18 21:18:14, said:
Jingthing, on 2011-11-18 17:10:04, said:
endure, on 2011-11-18 17:08:58, said:
Bad move. Section 377 of the Myanmar penal code prohibits homosexuality. Along with fines, the punishment is ten years to life.
Fair point for now. I am projecting quite a bit to a time when Burma opens up, in more ways than one.
You'll probably be waiting a long time. It was a British colony and they seem to make a habit of hanging onto anti-poofter laws as long as they can.
I would think the date would speak for itself
Roy Jenkins oversaw a Private Members Bill in Parliament.That decriminalised, in the UK in 1967.
Posted 2012-03-27 20:57:01
MAJIC, on 2012-03-26 19:26:24, said:
endure, on 2011-11-18 21:18:14, said:
Jingthing, on 2011-11-18 17:10:04, said:
endure, on 2011-11-18 17:08:58, said:
Bad move. Section 377 of the Myanmar penal code prohibits homosexuality. Along with fines, the punishment is ten years to life.
Fair point for now. I am projecting quite a bit to a time when Burma opens up, in more ways than one.
You'll probably be waiting a long time. It was a British colony and they seem to make a habit of hanging onto anti-poofter laws as long as they can.
I would think the date would speak for itself
Roy Jenkins oversaw a Private Members Bill in Parliament.That decriminalised, in the UK in 1967.
And Leroy Jenkins became an internet legend.
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