60

So if you're so opposed to the British Empire then why haven't you moved to a country that wasn't a part of the Empire yet? Or are you still underage?

As I have said previously, we have nothing to apologise for. If Rudd wants to apologise for something that happened before anyone was alive then that's up to him. You might struggle to believe this, but the world was a little bit different 200+ years ago than it is today.

61

I have been quietly following this conversation.
I am amazed just at the generally accepted view of history here, the Myanmari (aka Burmese) people had a truly torrid time for centuries being ruled by particularly nasty monarchs. The Brits certainly brought organisation, investment, law and order to the place with a degree of fairness.
The events of the last 60+ years ahve been absolutely appalling, this resource-filled country has been turned into an economic basket place, being amongst the lowest GDP per capita outside Africa accompanied by a nasty internal persecution policy of minorities.
It is worth remembering that this was the World's largest exporting nation of rice - those nasty colonials used it to fend off famine in India
(and dont say that was the fault of the Brits also who built the world's largest irrigation schemes)
It has been a sorry epoch in this sad nation's hstory and whether ASSK will be allowed a chance to put it back on track will make interesting reading or will the Chinese effectively colonise it as they are almost doing now.
Sarrahjane - your arguments are totally diminished by your lack of rationality and being an Australian of oriental stock and then hating the English for its colonial past, whilst benefiting from it - is a complete non-sequitur.

62

On the question what to call the place is absurd, I say Germany but what do they call it
I say Croatia - they say Hrvatska Greece/Hellas Hungary/Magyar etc etc Pakistan is just an acronym etc
Daft, irrelevant, trivial argument
What does ASSK call it - anybody know?

63

haha!!! very entertaining!!!! 61....just tell me you are sure ALL chinese and indians born in myanmar are given citizenships??...haha!!!!
do you know that local chinese born in myanmar (not chinese citizens) can apply for a passport in Chinese Embassy in yangoon??? local chinese born in myanmar and not given myanmar citizenships are not allowed to study professional courses in universities...many..many more i heard from the 3 chinese families..i write what i heard from them....
Now just share with us Ne Win, local Chinese (you said) told you what? did he tell you all races born in myanmar are treated equally?
I have already told you what the 3 chinese families told me....besides Ne Win, you must have many..many chinese families friends..what did they tell you?

64

#61....don`t forget to tell us what Ne Win and many of your Chinese friends tell you you....

65

as you all pull each other apart with ethnicity, heres my two pence worth The Welsh call us saesneg and sassenach if Scottish, but my family emigrated from France (French Norman Vikings) in 1066 and gave those saxons and celts a proper language.
As shakespeares Juliet said about my family name
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
as for Burma /Myanmar just go to Yangon and when I first was there in 2000 I thought I had hit Delhi until someone approached me to change money and when I said No, I was shocked when he just up and left instead of chasing me three blocks as in India ha! Ha! also in Kalaw you will hear Nepalese Chinese Hindi Urdu & Punjabi spoken as much as Burmaan, all dumped there by the British after WWII . My friend there whos grandfather was a Ghurkha lost her ID and the local military official said she shouldnt even be in his country as a 3rd generation Nepali and refused to renew her ID she had to travel on a piece of paper and it took years to get her ID and passport, she is now married with two beautiful half breed sprogs to a lovely Japanese guy and lives in Tokyo.
When her sister married a Greek they refused to sign her marriage certificate saying she was an enemy of the State for marrying a foreigner. she had lived and worked in Bangkok for many years before getting married in Yangon to her Greek Fiance, and it took a number of years for her to validate her marraige under law, she now lives in Athens.
Also in Maesot Thailand I know a chinese burmese refugee who teaches Chinese and English in the schools there and has now married a Thai man . Many Chinese have fled the country because of the previous Govts deabuchery and ethnic cleansing. Now the leopard has changed its Khaki spots into Lunghis and democracy. as for Zimbabwe meats when the British govt supported Mgabe in his fight against Ian Smith as Rhodesia Ian Smith said then publicly that "if Mgabe ever gets in power he would ruin Rhodesia!" Smith died a couple of years back and has been proven right. Sadly Myanmar /Burma should be the wealthiest country in Asia and easily capable of eliminating the poverty of its people instead of eliminating the people which its rulers till now have found a lot easier, as Tan Shwe said at the time of the disaster "Let them eat frogs". We all of us here have one thing in common our Love for Burma and its people and wish for them what they deserve not what these despots have given them to eat, which is the dust of the roads they are forced to construct by hand.
In UK there are areas near where I live that they demand Sharia law for all, because of a majority muslim poulation Ha! Ha! sorry but I've seen Sharia law in action in both Pakistan and Iran. We shall now see how democracy now rules in Burma, but don't hold your breath meanwhile just go enjoy and keep an open mind and see for yourself and listen!

66

No but without a majority it is difficult to get anything done, just shows it does not really work. The last gov. have left us in a right pickle, bit rich for them to complain about spending cuts when they wasted all the money and overpaid public servants. Not to mention raiding private pensions.

67

Completely agree Herbie47. Unfortunately the previous government were 'successful' in creating a big enough client base that means that they weren't obliterated as they should've been. Chuck in the mass postal vote fraud and they're laughing. I'm surely not the only one who finds it pretty rich of the UK to claim that there aren't free and fair elections in various countries when the elections are hardly free and fair in this country!

68

#68

Vagabond, reading comprehension is not one of your talents am I right? I would recommend you improve on your reading skills before you make irrational out of context answers to my thoughtful posting at #61 You then might be able to understand what I was saying.

Thanks

#67 Grahampoole

We are talking about the English name, Myanmar and Burma are both English. This has nothing to do with Greece/Hellas because the two names are in different languages.

69

Holy cow! When I found 66 new posts from LP in my inbox this morning, I thought I had been spammed. I was right.

70

haha!!!! martin, very clearly, ne win did not and no chinese friends talked to you in myanmar...it is perfectly ok...if you are in myanmar now, just check if local stateless chinese can apply for passport in chinese embassy ...and they are asked to study myanmar literature or history in universities...
your thoughtful posting #61 ?...it is perfectly alright to write what one thinks..hehe!!!
you should pursue a PhD in myanmar chinese history at yangoon university...
i know you are not a stateless in myanmar...LOL...

71

#76

I give up. You dont understand what I wrote, doesnt make much sense to discuss with someone who cant comprehend simple sentences.

72

haha!!! i understand what you write...you write what you think...and i also know that no chinese in myanmar talked to you....it is perfectly alright....hehe!!!!

73

The Chinese Myanmar refugees I met in Maesot told me that the reason they are there is simply because China does not accept them as chinese bu Burmese. They are stateless

74

our friend says..Ne Win is a local chinese....yes, he is a special chinese...haha!!!