Comments on: Dams and the Ignored Ethnic Conflict of Northern Burma

By: Martin Lewis

Martin Lewis — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:31:00 +0000

Many thanks for the links.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:18:00 +0000

Yesterday’s report from the Burma Rivers Project http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/images/stories/documents/An%20Update%20on%20the%20Irrawaddy%20Myitsone%20dams%20project%20by%20KDNG.pdf

Also here is a link to the NYT item I mentioned in my earlier post http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/asia/myanmar-suspends-construction-of-controversial-dam.html

I am trying to track down a copy of the “leaked” CPI report that the NYT report cites

By: Martin W. Lewis

Martin W. Lewis — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:50:00 +0000

Thanks, Chris– fascinating article. The astrological angle is especially interesting. The Burmese military regime often did things on the basis of astrological and numerological calculations. According to the Wikipedia article on the 8888 uprising of 1988, “On 5 September 1987, Ne Win announced the withdrawal of the newly replaced currency notes, 100, 75, 35 and 25 kyat, leaving only 45 and 90 kyat notes, apparently because only the latter two are numbers divisible by 9, considered lucky by Ne Win. Students were particularly angry at the government’s decision as savings for tuition fees were wiped out instantly.”

By: Martin W. Lewis

Martin W. Lewis — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:44:00 +0000

Yes, the northern Sri Lanka/Tamil Eelam scenario is a real concern. I am also disturbed by the fact that such issues receive so little attention in the media.

By: Martin W. Lewis

Martin W. Lewis — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Thanks — I’ll try to fix the link.

By: Chris in Binghamton

Chris in Binghamton — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:22:00 +0000

Prof. Lewis, I hate to jump the gun if this is a planned post for later this week, but while we’re talking about geography, and conflict in Burma (Myanmar), I thought everyone would want to read this article on the new capital city…. http://svaradarajan.blogspot.com/2007/02/dictatorship-by-cartography-geometry.html

By: Maju

Maju — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:49:00 +0000

Thanks for the review. When I read about this at BBC I imagined that the Kachin-Burmese conflict had something to do, otherwise Yangon would not have desisted. However BBC only mentioned the official ethnic Burmese opposition and not at all even one of the various active guerrillas (of which the Kachin Army is the main one, AFAIK).

But I was not aware that the war had broken loose again (last I read, months ago, was that there was an uneasy truce) and that the Burmese Army was advancing against the Kachin. Of course, my worst fears are that something like what happened in Tamil Eelam (Ceylon) can happen also in the Kachin Country, in both cases with the support of fascist “red” China (and also of “democratic” India).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:25:00 +0000

Martin, the “embraced Christianity” link for the Jingpo goes to the Tajiks of Afghanistan page at the Joshua Project.

The Economist failed to mention the leaked CPI commissioned report that concluded “There’s no need for such a big dam.”