With more sanctions, Burmese chafe under further isolation

Locals worry that further economic pressure will hurt ordinary citizens.

from the October 15, 2007 edition

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Around 50 monks here led their own peaceful protests from Sept. 25-27, but they stopped after they heard that security forces had fired on crowds in Rangoon to end the abortive uprising.

Over the last decade, Kawthaung has lured increasing numbers of Thai traders and gamblers, as well as intrepid tourists and foreign expatriates living in Thailand, who brave ocean crossings in leaky wooden boats.

Thai businessmen say the unrest in Burma is already affecting border trade worth more than 100 million Thai baht ($3.17 million) per year. On a recent two-day stay, foreigners were nowhere to be seen in the town's half-dozen ramshackle hotels.

Boat drivers, shop owners, a doctor, and even government officers, who were afraid to discuss politics for fear of being caught in the security dragnet, spoke openly about their economic frustrations since the crackdown. "The cost of living is much higher here than in Rangoon," says a doctor, eating a breakfast of noodle soup in a tea shop with frequent power outages. "People are struggling just to survive every day."

Prices are also higher than in nearby Thailand. But many workers here earn only $1 or $2 a day – about a third of what migrants earn in Thailand working in rubber plantations, fisheries, or factories. In the market, shops sell products from Thailand, China, and India, a sign of how dependent Burma is on its neighbors. Among the few local items are Burmese cigars, traditional longyi dresses for men and women, and the thanaka bark that women and children wear on their faces. Like others, the monks watch Thai cable TV and use Thai mobile phone cards.

Any economic sanctions that curtail border trade would likely hurt local sellers and buyers, as well as the country's nascent tourism industry, which is currently in the doldrums. Without tourists, analysts say many jobs would be lost in hotels, restaurants, and travel agents.

The crackdown is delaying the reconstruction of a market complex here, which burned down two years ago, and the building of a badly-needed road to connect Kawthaung to other parts of Burma.

With no road to Rangoon, students must travel 12 hours by boat to the nearest college in Dawei, and then 12 hours by vehicle to Rangoon.

The biggest concern remains the price of gasoline, which doubled in August. Lacking public transport, local residents either walk or ride Thai-made motorbikes, stopping to buy reddish fuel at makeshift stores often manned by pre-teen children.

Many riders refuse to heed giant government posters urging them, in Burmese and English, to wear helmets for safety. In Burma, it's one of the few ways to express defiance, without the risk of punishment.

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