Presentation by H.E U Linn Myaing at the Dinner Given for

the Washington Section of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(Wednesday, March 10, 2004)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should now like to take this opportunity to say something about my country.  The official name for it is now Myanmar and I am sure that a great many of you are puzzled by this. Actually the first reference to the term Myanmar can be found on a stone inscription in one of the temples built in the 12th Century AD.  It was only after the annexation of the country by the British colonialists in the late 19th century that the country came to be known as Burma, presumably due to the fact that the majority of the inhabitants belong to the ethnic group Bamar.  All the period that the country was referred to as Burma, we, in our language have always used Myanmar for the name of our country.  And actually there are 8 major ethnic groups plus over a hundred smaller ones so it makes more sense to use a collective name rather than one that emphasizes a single group.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Myanmar, with a land area comparable to that of Texas, is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia and is sandwiched between two of Asia's most populous and largest countries - China and India.  It also forms a land bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.  Mountain ranges form a natural border with its neighbours, Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand while it meets the Andaman Sea with 1300 miles of coastline to the South and Southwest.

The foothills of the Himalayas come down to the north of the country where we have snowcapped mountains among which one is the highest peak in Southeast Asia.  The many mountainous regions around the country, the semi-desert region in the Central Plain, the rich Delta area to the south and over 800 islands large and small along the coastline all provide an abundance of natural resources for the people.  Myanmar is one of the few countries in the region with over 50% of its land still covered by forests.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Myanmar is a country in transition.  We had practiced a one-party political system with a centrally planned economy for over 26 years.  It was not successful and we are now in the midst of transforming the country into a peaceful, modern and democratic state.  We have had several upheavals in our recent political history and there are events that led to the current state of affairs in our country.  However, I will not go into details at this point although they are important factors in trying to understand the situation prevailing in Myanmar and her future direction.  We will be more than willing to exchange views with you on these complex issues during and after dinner.

I should, however, like to touch briefly on our economy, our fledgling industries, and on what Myanmar can offer in terms of tourism, trade and investment.

On the economic front, necessary foundations needed for a market economy to flourish have been laid down.  The development of the private sector is being encouraged and the door remains open for direct foreign investment.

There are tremendous investment opportunities in Myanmar in areas such as agriculture, land resources, land utilization, trade in agricultural commodities, agro-based industries, livestock and fishing, forestry, mining, energy, manufacturing, factory upgrading, and tourism.

At present, Myanmar is an agro-based economy with conventional farming.  However, measures have already been taken to eventually transform it into mechanized farming, and from there, to further develop the country into an industrialized one.  In the industry sector, we have factories producing, among other items, machines for various agricultural and mechanical uses, trucks, tractors, trailers, diesel engines, household electrical appliances, as well as parts for gasoline engines and other automobile parts.

The Myanma Industrial Development Committee (MIDC) formed by the Government in 1995, has been entrusted with the task of creating suitable conditions for changing over to an industrialized state.  The MIDC has already designated 18 industrial zones to consolidate areas where substantial numbers of private industries exist.

Universities and Institutes under the Ministry of Science and Technology offer various engineering and computer science degrees and mechanical engineers are absorbed by the private sector as well as Government departments such as the railways, shipyards, shipping, heavy and light industries, and energy.  We have a sizable pool of skilled and qualified people that foreign investment companies have been able to draw upon.  The Myanmar Engineering Society with about 6000 members, plays an important role in the engineering sector of the land. The skills of Myanmar engineers can be seen in a large number of bridges, dams, hydroelectric plants, rail carriages and vessels being built in the country.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are promoting tourism in the country for two main reasons.  Firstly, we believe that this industry, if managed properly, can contribute significantly to the development of the country and its people.  The second reason is that if more international travelers visit Myanmar, they will find out for themselves what the true picture is, instead of being misled by the negative portrayals frequently featured by irresponsible media and by those who have their own political agendas. 

It was not too long ago that travel agencies here in the United States began to promote Myanmar as one of the tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.  As a result, more and more Americans are becoming aware of the unique and unspoiled destinations in Myanmar.  To name just a few, we have:

Many other attractions have continued to draw international travelers to Myanmar.   Visitors to Myanmar can enjoy these sites within the country in complete safety and comfort as the Government and the private sector have been developing tourism related infrastructure within the past few years. 

We stand ready to assist anyone in any way we can so that they can have a memorable and pleasant stay in "Myanmar, the Golden Land", one of the safest and culturally rich tourist destinations in the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is just a glimpse on some aspects of Myanmar which I assume would be of interest to you.  I'm sure you will agree with me that Myanmar not only has a lot to contribute to the economy and development of the region but also has much to offer to the whole world.

Political reasons make it difficult at present for Americans to invest in Myanmar but I can assure you that things will not remain as they are forever.  In the meantime, please feel free to talk to members of my staff or myself if you have any questions on points I have mentioned or indeed if there is anything else you would like to know.  Ta Ta will now present some of the cultural aspects of Myanmar.

Thank you.