Huge swaths of land in city
centre left vacant by the fires were later purchased, mostly by the ethnic
Chinese, many of whom were recent immigrants from Yunnan. The Chinese influx
accelerated after the current military government came to power in 1988.
With the Burmese government
turning a blind eye, many Chinese immigrants from Yunnan (and also from
Sichuan) poured into Upper Burma in the 1990s, settling in Mandalay. In the
1990s alone, about 250,000 to 300,000 Yunnanese were estimated to have migrated
to Mandalay.
Uncontrolled
Chinese Immigration
Tensions between locals and
the growing Chinese community in Myanmar are rising, as Beijing's influence in
its southern neighbour expands. Some analysts are warning that widespread race
riots - which broke out in the 1960s - could occur again.
People in Myanmar,
particularly in the northern part of the country where the majority of Chinese
immigrants have settled, are increasingly vocal in their criticism of the
newcomers, as well as of China's policies towards their country.
Most of those moving to
Myanmar from China are businesspeople in search of new markets, and bring with
them their own workers from China. Locals complain that the Chinese businesses
are of little benefit to them economically while the people make little or no
attempt to integrate.
"The Chinese get rich
whilst we get poor," said Soe San, who is from a small village on the
Irrawaddy Delta, south of Bhamo. "All the opportunities are taken by
them."
Growing
Sino-phobia in Burma
 |
| A Chinese beauty saloon in Mandalay. |
"Recent migrants,
mainly from the [south-western] Yunnan province, have little attachment to the
country and keep their language and culture intact," said a
Sino-Myanmarese analyst in Yangon, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Exact numbers of Chinese
immigrants to Myanmar are unknown - especially as acquiring Myanmar citizenship
is a fairly simple process that many have undertaken. Estimates run anywhere
between one to three million.
Whatever the true figure,
Mandalay, Myanmar's second biggest city, is 30 per cent to 40 per cent Chinese,
according to statistics from Global Witness, a London-based human-rights
monitor; Lashio, the capital of Shan state, is dubbed "Chinatown",
and Mandarin is the language of choice in Kachin state.
Denied permission to work in
professional positions, many of the Chinese immigrants entered business with
large firms bringing in Chinese workers. They dominate Myanmar's economy and
have a disproportionately large presence in the country's higher education.
Myanmarese industry is underdeveloped as China supplies cheap goods from Yunnan
province.
 |
| Scene of clash between Burmese and Chinese gem traders in Mandalay gem market. |
Underlying much of the
tension between the Myanmarese and Chinese immigrants are Beijing's policies in
Myanmar. Political support from Beijing, which has a veto in the United Nations
Security Council, is seen as a major reason for the stability of Myanmar's
junta, a source of resentment among many in Myanmar who long for democracy.
China is also pushing to
extract more of Myanmar's resources, including hydropower, oil and gas.
"The Burmese population believe that China's exploitations have caused
environmental degradation and undermined Myanmar's democratic
aspirations," said the analyst in Rangoon.
China has rapidly expanded
its foreign direct investment in Myanmar in recent years, mostly in the field
of resource extraction, and now boasts $1.85bn in official direct investment in
the country; the real figure is believed to be higher as not all such
investment has to be channelled officially.
Chinese
Over-Exploitation of Natural Resources
Two Chinese pipelines running through Myanmar are due to go online within the next two years. One will bring oil from the Middle East, while the other will have the capacity to bring 12 billion cubic metres of Myanmarese gas to China every year.
Apart from concerns about
the fact that Myanmar - where electricity is intermittent - is selling off gas
it needs itself, critics accuse China of brutally exploiting both people and
the environment in its quest for resources.
"Imagine your home has
been bulldozed for a dam construction project, your farm, which is your
livelihood, has been seized without compensation, and you and your family are
forcibly relocated," said Ko Ko Thett, a commentator for The Irrawaddy, a
Yangon-based daily.
"Then the Chinese
immigrants come to work the land where your farm used to exist. This is the
source of tensions." In the past two months there have been protests by villagers
in Kachin against the Myitsone Dam being built by the state-owned Chinese Power
Investments Company which is causing the relocation of up to 15,000 people.
In April unclaimed bomb blasts
killed 300 Chinese workers. In addition, a conflict between the Myanmarese army
and the Kokang, a largely Chinese minority, has intensified in the border
region.
"Repressed anger
against the New Chinese has been seething for years and could easily build up
to a communal clash," said Ko Ko. "There is also potential for the destruction
of Chinese projects as long as there are groups which can exploit the
justifiable grievance of the local people who have been displaced by such
projects."
Most
Bangladeshis Believe China Should Invade Burma
 |
| Bangladesh PM Accepting A Chinese Delegation. |
We Bangladeshis and Chinese
should also make this a win-win for everybody (except the racist Bamars) by
making the Americans get a good healthy chunk of the Burmese pie including
business deals, so that China, Bangladesh and America all benefit. Thailand is welcome to join
the party too.
We Bangladeshis should start
becoming regular tourists to China's Yunnan province and flood China's
south-east with our hard earned currency. It's a win-win. Bangladeshis see China's beautiful south-east.
China gets richer with our money.
If tomorrow China's PLA
crossed the border and invaded Burma and even annexed it, I for one would
celebrate and regard it as much of a Bangladeshi victory as a Chinese one since;
a: We would have a border
with our allies China (just as Pakistan does).
b: China unlike Burma does
not burn churches, rape Christians, ethnically cleanse people and ban marriage
for minorities (Muslim minorities in China are actually free from the one child
rule).
Go PLA, please make
Bangladesh happy and send the 1 million + PLA soldiers in to Burma to stop the
killing of Christians, Muslims and ethnic Chinese.
LONG LIVE CHINA-BANGLADESH
FRIENDSHIP!
Related posts at following links:
1411 Duel between Thameinbayan and Garmani
Naval Arms Race between Burma and Bangladesh
Related posts at following links:
1411 Duel between Thameinbayan and Garmani
Naval Arms Race between Burma and Bangladesh
