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SPDC BREEDING WHITE ELEPHANTS?



It appears that the good luck generated by the possession of the
Mandalay Airport white elephant (see articles below) has not proved
sufficient for the Burmese generals, and another is in gestation
at Pegu. Could it be that they are planning a breeding programme for
white elephants? If so, this could provide a useful boost to Burma's
exports.

THE GENERALS' SECRET WEAPON
(Internet, 22/9/2000)

I suspect that the construction of the new Mandalay airport is another
of the generals' attempts to acquire luck and magical power in their contest
with the Lady -- this time by possession of a large white elephant.

In Burma as in most South and South-east Asia, the white elephant is
traditionally regarded as semi-divine, and is treated with great veneration:
"The 'Lord White Elephant'- or Sinbyudaw- commanded social status second
only to the king in the hierarchy of the  royal court. Sinbyudaw were treated
with reverence and had white parasols held over them wherever they went.
Young white elephants were even suckled  by women in the royal court who
considered it a great honour to feed the  elephant with their own milk"
(Asiatours history of Myanmar http://209.207.203.249/burma/info/history.html )

While it is unlikely that the members of the State Peace and Development 
Council
will literally emulate the ladies of the Burmese court,  we should not be 
surprised to
read of senior officers walking round the airport, shading the runways with 
white
umbrellas, or spraying them with milk from tankers ("donated" by local
entrepreneurs).

What is certain is that the new Mandalay Airport is the biggest and most 
expensive
Burmese White Elephant of recent days, and is thus likely to bring good 
fortune
to those responsible. The only problem is that the actual use of the airport by
tourists and other foreigners, arriving in wide-bodied jets and wearing shoes,
could well profane the site and thus reduce the benefit.  With this in 
mind, the
military junta will no doubt do its utmost to discourage tourism by 
stepping up
the frequency of atrocities, increasing the penalties for foreign 
distribution of
leaflets, maintaining current visa requirements and placing administrative
obstacles in the way of air carriers and  tour operators. Oh yes, and 
making sure
there is not enough generating capacity to avoid airport brown-outs at awkward
moments. In fact they will do whatever it takes to keep the balance tilted 
towards
them in their magical contest with the Lady.


**********************

Subject: Myanmar Gets Set For Third International Airport To: 
MAYKHA-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Saturday, April 7  [2001]  6:24 PM SGT
Myanmar Gets Set For Third International Airport

YANGON, Myanmar (AP)--The cornerstone has been laid for the terminal 
building at Myanmars planned third international airport near Bago, 80 
kilometers north of Yangon
Construction of the new airport is scheduled to be completed in four years, 
the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Saturday.
Speaking at the cornerstone-laying ceremony Friday, Transport Minister Maj. 
Gen. Hla Myint Swe said the facility, to be called "Hanthawaddy 
International airport," would boost tourism, reported the newspaper. 
Hanthawaddy is the ancient name for Bago, which is also called Pegu.
The new airport will have the capacity to simultaneously serve 1,000 
arriving and 1,000 departing passengers, said Hla Myint Swe at the 
ceremony, which was attended by Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, a top member of 
Myanmar's ruling military council.
The Department of Public Works has been working on the 12,000 foot long, 
200 foot wide runway since 1994, and 22.94% of the earthwork has been 
completed, said the newspaper.
Construction of the airport building and related facilities such as the 
control tower, taxiway and power system will be undertaken by the South 
Korean company Archon Co., said the transport minister. The cost of the 
construction project wasn't reported.
Myanmars second international airport opened last year in Mandalay, the 
country's second largest city, 560 kilometers north of the capital. The 
country's main airport in Yangon has been renovated over the past few years.