A WHO'S WHO OF BUSINESS (Asiaweek)

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Asiaweek

February 23, 2001

A WHO'S WHO OF BUSINESS

To do business in Myanmar, you need to know how to play
the game. Rule No. 1: Get along with the junta -- which means
no subversive chatter about Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy.

Rule No. 2: Only Rule No. 1 matters. Here are Myanmar's rich,
powerful and connected:

THE CEO

Army boss Gen. Maung Aye heads the all-important Trade Policy
Implementation Council. No major business initiative goes ahead
without him signing off on it. An outwardly genial man who likes a
tipple, Maung Aye remains at heart a soldier who has finessed his
way to the top through intrigue and the loyalty of underlings.
Do not underestimate him.

CRONIES

The regime assigns to "national entrepreneurs" -- a nucleus of
businessmen embraced after the 1988 coup -- wholesale assets,
concessions and projects, allowing them to form foreign joint ventures.
They include:

* Aik Htun. Runs Asia Wealth Bank and Olympic Group (trading,
construction, property). Burmese-Chinese from the opium-rich
Kokang region. Shrewd, flamboyant, often seen with a bevy of
young women.

* Serge Pun. Also Burmese-Chinese. Spent time in China and
Hong Kong before returning to Yangon. Company SPA has a bank
and boasts stakes in real estate, auto and motorbike dealerships,
retail and, most recently, Myanmar's swankiest golf course. Major
property interests in Bangkok act as cosy security.

* Thein Tun. The soft-drink king through his MGS beverage company
(he held the franchise for Pepsi until it pulled out). An aggressive
businessman with a reputation as a grasping partner but also as a man
who delivers.

NEW BOYS

A group of entrepreneurs with few ties to the junta and fewer
government contracts. Private business is their focus. Two of them:

* Michael "Mickey" Moe Myint, left. Former commercial pilot who
became a consultant for Shell. Then, after dabbling in catering and
nsurance, teamed with Baker Hughes, the U.S. company that
services the oil sector. Later formed Myint & Associates Petroleum
Resources Ltd. Can act Texan when he wants, and Burmese when
it suits.

* George Yin Soon. Also into mining and oil exploration, but has
finessed the middleman's role to perfection. Helped Rothmans set
up in Myanmar, and recently partnered Singapore's Ong Beng Seng
when his Region Air took a controlling interest in Myanmar Airways.
Married into Indonesian money.

OUTSIDERS

A good number of foreign business folk have been in
Myanmar a long time. Some are doing very nicely:

* Jean Pichon, below. A former French military officer, he has
been in Myanmar for more than a decade. Runs Setraco, which
most recently developed port and fish-processing facilities in
the south. Good ties with senior government figures.

* Jerzy Wilk. Grizzled German mariner who washed up in
Myanmar more than 20 years ago. Founded and runs Uniteam
Marine Ltd., which provides thousands of Burmese seamen as
crews for shipping companies worldwide.

* Frankie Chew. Singaporean entrepreneur who runs the Woodland
Group of companies that focus on tourism. Recently opened a new
hotel at Mt. Popa near Bagan. Also has interest in a west coast resort.