should burma use multi billions on self defence?

China has gone through worse excess during the Cultural Revolution, yet it was able to bounce back under Deng's pragmatic rule. There's no reason why the Burmese cannot attempt to do the same.

The historical conflict between Burmese and Thais has produced some ill feelings between the two countries. In Burma their school textbooks describe Thais as lazy, servile, pleasure-seeking, opportunistic, and avoids hard work when possible. In Thailand their school textbooks portray Burmese as thieves and barbarians, only interested in rape, pillage, and loot. If anyone thought of Chinese textbooks bashing Japan was bad, they should see Burmese 4th grade textbooks.

There is some low-intensity conflict on the Burmese-Thai border, and within Burma, tribal/ethnic conflicts. The Burmese junta needs to maintain its military to hold power and control tribal/border areas. This is one flaw that many non-democratic governments have to deal with. But to obtain the funds necessary to modernize its military, the Burmese government needs economic development.

Recent reports from visitors to Burma described busy, prosperous street markets and satellite dishes everywhere. There is thriving trade in low-cost consumer products. Anti-Junta groups (often with "human rights" attached to their names) are actively spamming information networks to discourage tourism and economic investment/development in Burma, claiming tourism causes slavery and forced labor to improve tourist areas. They do not care that it's causing dire poverty to the people, and I have little doubt that the Thais would happily fund any groups working to prevent Burma's economic development.

adeptitus said:

China has gone through worse excess during the Cultural Revolution, yet it was able to bounce back under Deng's pragmatic rule. There's no reason why the Burmese cannot attempt to do the same.

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But that was because more sensible leaders came along. Burma's current leaders take advice from shamans, or whatever they're called there. Even Mao wasn't like that.

Recent reports from visitors to Burma described busy, prosperous street markets and satellite dishes everywhere.

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Which reports would that be? It's still one of the poorest countries in the region and ranked 32nd on the UN list of 50 least developed countries.

Anti-Junta groups (often with "human rights" attached to their names) are actively spamming information networks to discourage tourism and economic investment/development in Burma, claiming tourism causes slavery and forced labor to improve tourist areas. They do not care that it's causing dire poverty to the people

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You have to be kidding me. You're blaming Burma's problems on the democratic opposition/NGOs? When the country is ruled by complete basket-cases you can't move on until they change their ways.

adeptitus said:

Recent reports from visitors to Burma described busy, prosperous street markets and satellite dishes everywhere. There is thriving trade in low-cost consumer products. Anti-Junta groups (often with "human rights" attached to their names) are actively spamming information networks to discourage tourism and economic investment/development in Burma, claiming tourism causes slavery and forced labor to improve tourist areas. They do not care that it's causing dire poverty to the people, and I have little doubt that the Thais would happily fund any groups working to prevent Burma's economic development.

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You have to wonder how much of that commerce is going on on the black market. Considering Burma's economy is almost totally drug based it will probably have quite a criminal element willing to jump in and take advantage of other products that need to be smuggled and sold when the economy expands and gets access to and demand for new products.

Finn McCool said:

You have to wonder how much of that commerce is going on on the black market. Considering Burma's economy is almost totally drug based it will probably have quite a criminal element willing to jump in and take advantage of other products that need to be smuggled and sold when the economy expands and gets access to and demand for new products.

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dear friends,
Burma economy is not based on drugs smuggling,China white or heroian is produced and exported to HK,Thai to US by private or some insurgents group(like fomer kunsa army...MTA).these group leaders are mostly chinese.
Junta received money via teak,gas and licence of offshore gas plots.
Now Burma airdefence systems are totally different from the past.
Amazing , ....russia anti aircraft and airdefence systems units had been delivered to burma.
Burma armed forces is become most powerful in southeast asia.......
how do you think over it.

COLzaw68 said:

how do you think over it.

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Given the poor state of the country generally, I think it's utterly disgraceful. But then it's quite obvious the junta only cares about survival and not going what's best for Burma - otherwise it wouldn't run the place as a dictatorship.

COLzaw68 said:

dear friends,
Burma economy is not based on drugs smuggling,China white or heroian is produced and exported to HK,Thai to US by private or some insurgents group(like fomer kunsa army...MTA).these group leaders are mostly chinese.
Junta received money via teak,gas and licence of offshore gas plots.
Now Burma airdefence systems are totally different from the past.
Amazing , ....russia anti aircraft and airdefence systems units had been delivered to burma.
Burma armed forces is become most powerful in southeast asia.......
how do you think over it.

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I wouldn't say that it is the most powerful in Southeast Asia. That title probably goes to Thailand with Singapore close behind. However the junta has beefed up the military to the point where any nation in the area would probably consider it unwise to invade the country for whatever reason.

The real shame of all this (aside from what FuManChu pointed out above) is that if the junta invested the same amount of money in the economy in a short matter of time they would be able to invest twice as much money in the military and by default would have improved the lives of the people of Myanmar.

I believe that military power of every nation must be balance with border contries.But no need to balance with China and India even china is border related country and super power,..
Burma must be keep their power to balance with bangladesh and thailand.
Bangladesh is also stroung in military power,they received free from their brother countries.thailand have many chance to get weapons via Western countries as thailand can maintain good relation with US&EU and annual income is also 12 to 15 times higher than Burma.
But according to the wikepedia web,myanmar(burma) is very stroung in military power and they use alot of millions $,morethan their annual income.
Burma expenditure in military is higher than export $,may be butter exchange with teak,gas and natural resourses.

davidka said:

I believe that military power of every nation must be balance with border contries.But no need to balance with China and India even china is border related country and super power,..
Burma must be keep their power to balance with bangladesh and thailand.
Bangladesh is also stroung in military power,they received free from their brother countries.thailand have many chance to get weapons via Western countries as thailand can maintain good relation with US&EU and annual income is also 12 to 15 times higher than Burma.
But according to the wikepedia web,myanmar(burma) is very stroung in military power and they use alot of millions $,morethan their annual income.
Burma expenditure in military is higher than export $,may be butter exchange with teak,gas and natural resourses.

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davidka, first to SinoDefenceForum? Welcome! my friend, next time before clicking Submit, please double check your spelling. It took me quite a hard time to read your post with many words sticking together (e.g. morethan?) and wrong spelling (e.g. stroung?).

Something I don't understand, if their expense in military is higher than their income, where do they got the money?

SteelBird said:

davidka, first to SinoDefenceForum? Welcome! my friend, next time before clicking Submit, please double check your spelling. It took me quite a hard time to read your post with many words sticking together (e.g. morethan?) and wrong spelling (e.g. stroung?).

Something I don't understand, if their expense in military is higher than their income, where do they got the money?

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thanks for ur kindly advice for my english spelling,etc...
Burma get $ from Offshore gas plot licences as advance and earnest money,teak and gems exporting,loan from china and selling natural resources.they ,military junta do not use export income for
infra struture,education and health.I saw many patients without medicines and beds at corridor (passage way)in Rangoon hospital, road are very poor condition,.
People from Rangoon(former capital) ,they said and explained about their country bad & poor things Eg: electrical supply,no aparatus & instruments in university labotary,80%of poor young generations without job,Construction Worker get only 1$ /day(8hrs) and they could only food for one day not for tomorrow . In isreal , workers can earn 6 $ to 8 $/hr..it is 50 times different.. I saw 1980 models cars are running on the road but I also saw some small amount of toyota lancruser 2004,5,6 modelsSUV.
(owners of these SUV are junta family relative and business men who familiar with junta. ).Rangoon INT,L airport is quite different from old thai airport and you can see not over 10 aircrafts(CIVIL) in the airport.
Junta do not allowed to importing these car for ordinary people.
one more Amazing thing in Burma ....one of import permit for new car is now 2000lakhs approx:150,000$ to 180-000$.So one 2005 model toyota lancruzer is nearly 230000$ to 250000$(market price).

Junta use 80% of national income for weapon from China,Russia,India and serbia,.South korea Daewoo help to build artillery 155mm howizers plant so directors were detaineed by korea goverment.Daewoo get one plot of offshore gas field.
India Gail corporation also get one plot and they sold light helecopters and transfered 2#B2islander UK made aircrafts and maintenance servives for MIG29.
Russia also get one plot,burmese soldiers(young officers are trainned by russian at moscow.minimum300students /year.
russia sold out airdefence sams Tor M1 A and anothers .
Burma junta published the annual budget of the country in last 6 years.Junta have not issued or publishd to the people the balance sheet of annual budget in state run newspaper since 2000.
there will be no more plots(offshore oil& gas field)in burma water terroritry in the bangla bay.Natural resouses will be zero(empty) for next generation of burmese people.:coffee: :coffee:

It seems you know a lot about Myanmar (Burma)? Where are you from, my friend? I've heard something about the situation in Myanmar, but not as clear as yours. Do you know that I am from Cambodia, one of the poor SE Asia like Myanmar too, surprise? I can understand the situation that you describe, 'coz things are similar here. Junta? The name of the Myanmar leader? If so, here is a different version of Junta in Cambodia, Hun Sen!

The worse thing in Cambodia compare to Myanmar is that there isn't much natural resource as in Myanmar. The better thing is that Cambodia is now a so-called democracy country. People here enjoy more freedom than you do in Myanmar. But then, the whole situation isn't anything better, there are full of corruption and bureaucracy. The whole economy of Cambodia survives by foreign aid, as the King (Norodom Sihanuk, The previous king of Cambodia) used to say "beggar government". (of course Hun Sen was furious at that time, he responsed by saying "don't forget you're also survive by the beggar money").

Well, I don't know what more I can say about Cambodia, a poor country, very poor. There are some MiG-21s in its airforce, but they are all grounded now due to no spare part and no FUEL!!!