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Myanmar / Burma FEC question



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 25th, 2003, 07:43 AM
Lost For Life
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Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question

Ok, so me and a friend want to travel through Burma from Thailand to
Bangladesh, spending about a week there. I am getting inconsistent
information about the FEC that hopefully someone could clarify.

One site says you must purchase US$200 worth of FECs at a minimum, and
cannot trade any leftovers back to any other currency. Another site
says US$300. In addition, I was talking to someone on a plane last
year that said they had been to visit from Thailand for just a few
days (thus I dont believe they would have paid $200 for the
privilege). AAARGH!!!! HELP!!!

Can someone point out a GOOD and current net resource, or even better,
first hand experience. Is there any way to avoid the minimum purchase
by buying them in Thailand somehow?

If anyone wants to share their experience of the country from a
adventure point of view, I would be really grateful!!!!

Cheers folks!!
---
DFM
  #2  
Old September 25th, 2003, 09:16 AM
Steve Kramer
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Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question

Lost For Life wrote:

Ok, so me and a friend want to travel through Burma from Thailand to
Bangladesh, spending about a week there. I am getting inconsistent
information about the FEC that hopefully someone could clarify.

One site says you must purchase US$200 worth of FECs at a minimum, and
cannot trade any leftovers back to any other currency. Another site
says US$300. In addition, I was talking to someone on a plane last
year that said they had been to visit from Thailand for just a few
days (thus I dont believe they would have paid $200 for the
privilege). AAARGH!!!! HELP!!!


A client of mine just returned from a week in Yangon last week and
didn't have to purchase ANY this time! A month before he had to buy $200
US.

The last time I was there (2 years ago for 4 days) we were 'required' to
purchase $200 US per person but the man behind the counter 'suggested'
that we give him a present (we did. $5 US) and he only made us purchase
$100 for the two of us.

Regardless of the ' written laws,' the people behind the desk make their
own laws on the spot. Ask them if 'there is something that can be
done...'

Steve Kramer
Chiang Mai, Thailand
http://www.photoenvisions.com


--
"The voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new horizons,
but in seeing with new eyes." - Marcel Proust
  #3  
Old September 25th, 2003, 11:08 AM
Mike987
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Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question

It's also worth remembering that Myanmar has recently stopped
accepting foreign credit cards, so you'll be paying for everything by
cash/FECs or Travellers Cheques.
  #4  
Old September 25th, 2003, 05:31 PM
Burma Action Group
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Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question FEC Drops 50%


Two responses. One, it is not possible travel overland from Thailand to
Bangladesh through Burma, in case that was your plan.

Second, per an article in today's Asia Times Online, "The generals are
hurting because the generals and their wives, who are hoarding away
hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of FEC, Foreign Exchange
Certificates - which is so-called equivalent to $1 [each] - has plunged to
40 percent or 50 percent of its value. They are in deep trouble," he said.

This quote comes from Ross Dunkley, an Aussie expat editing the Myanmar
Times, a glossy business paper published under the control of Burmese
military intelligence.

In a crisis situation such as Burma's, old news is not particularly
valuable.

The full Asia Times Online article from today is below.

Myanmar and stonewalled democracy

By Richard S Ehrlich
Asia Times, Sep 25, 2003

Many Myanmar nationals want US President George W Bush and the United
Nations to invade Myanmar with warplanes and troops to topple the
military regime, said Myanmar-based Ross Dunkley, the Australian chief
executive officer and managing editor of the government-censored
Myanmar Times.

"The business community is on the point of collapse" in Myanmar,
prompting desperation and despair after the US enforced economic
sanctions to push the junta into handing power to a democratically
elected administration, Dunkley said.

The Myanmar Times is the only English-language weekly allowed to be
published in Myanmar, known as Burma until the ruling junta officially
renamed the country in 1989.

Dunkley's life and work in the capital Yangon, also known as Rangoon,
has given him a unique, controversial perspective inside the
repressive, hermit nation.

"I live in Yangon and I catch a taxi to work every day. And I speak to
a lot of people randomly out on the street, and indiscriminately hear
opinions from people who don't know who I am and I don't know who they
are," the Australian publisher said.

"But one thing is pretty common. They all want George W Bush and the
UN to come into Myanmar with a whole lot of guns and airplanes and
jets and to solve the problem. They believe that's possible."

Dunkley made the remarks during a recent news conference and panel
discussion at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, billed as
"Prospects for Democracy in Burma".

Everyone on the panel agreed that the military regime in continental
Southeast Asia's geographically biggest nation was in terrible shape.

Dunkley said that despite strict laws against freedom of the press, he
taught his journalists and editors to perceive the real situation and
report news the best they can.

"I talk to them about ethics, about the law, about corruption and
about what a ****ed-up government this is," the blunt Dunkley said,
drawing a burst of laughter from the audience of journalists,
diplomats, business people, activists and others.

Dunkley defended his joint venture that produced a newspaper bleached
by censorship and offering sanitized domestic and international news
and photos, and said it was better than no news at all.

He lashed out at a respected US-government-financed Myanmar
intellectual, Aung Zaw, who is based in Thailand as editor and
director of The Irrawaddy monthly magazine, which seeks an end to
military rule in his homeland. "I'm not in Chiang Mai [northern
Thailand] like you, Aung Zaw, and I'm not receiving US$250,000 a year
from the US government," Dunkley said.

Aung Zaw, also on the panel, became livid at that remark and later
insisted Irrawaddy magazine was paid "only $100,000" last year from
the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which is
funded mostly by the US Congress through the State Department.

"We take the money," Aung Zaw replied. "They are not donors. They are
a funding agency, a financial institution who believe in what [we] do,
who believe in [our] values, who believe in [our] principles, who give
[us] money.

"It is all transparent and accountable. They believe [we] are pushing
for a free press, independent media. That's why they give [us] the
money. Nothing wrong with it," Aung Zaw said. "They never interfere.
If they interfere, I tell them, 'Get lost.' I would never allow them
to come into my office. I don't become a mouthpiece of anybody."

For the past 10 years, Irrawaddy magazine has been read by
journalists, scholars and others interested in politics, economics and
culture in Myanmar, which usually forbids independent investigation of
events.

The military regime is responsible for some of the worst human-rights
violations in the world, according to London-based Amnesty
International, Washington-based Human Rights Watch, the US State
Department and other monitors.

Despite the frequently acrimonious tone to the debate, the remarks by
the Australian entrepreneur and the Myanmar intellectual provided a
microcosm of the optimism and difficulty faced by people grappling
with Myanmar's stonewall against democracy.

Critics of the latest US-led sanctions say Myanmar has already
suffered a closed economy for more than 40 years - because of its own
xenophobic "socialist" policies and various international boycotts.

Locking up Myanmar's businesses did not nudge the regime to embrace
democracy in the past, and does not appear to be successful now, they
said.

Sanctions also kept most Myanmar nationals too poor to challenge the
military, but modernization and investment could bring new ideas and
influences to help Myanmar evolve toward greater freedom, critics
added.

The latest US sanctions made Myanmar's people "confused, worried and
completely disoriented", Dunkley said.

"Internally, there has been a run on the banks over the past six
months, which the international press has scarcely reported on, but
which has had a major impact on business," he said.

"There are no credit cards in the country anymore. There are no people
running loans or overdrafts. Financial instruments have gone out the
window.

"No one is really using the banking system anymore," Dunkley said.
"Can you imagine ... if you got your paycheck every week and couldn't
put it into the bank, couldn't use your credit card, you didn't know
how to pay your bills?"

Even the regime is being squeezed.

"The generals are hurting because the generals and their wives, who
are hoarding away hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of FEC,
Foreign Exchange Certificates - which is so-called equivalent to $1
[each] - has plunged to 40 percent or 50 percent of its value. They
are in deep trouble," he said.

"The business community is on the point of collapse. They are unable
to export anymore. And the government has put in rules and regulations
that you cannot import goods anymore.

"This is dragging the government down even further to the point where
something will crack," he predicted.

Dunkley said his four-year-old newspaper is read by 300,000 people
each week.

"We have 49 percent foreign ownership and 51 percent Burmese
ownership, and no government money is in our organization.

"We employ 300 people and we support their families. And we sell
advertising on a commercial basis like everyone else and we don't make
any profit," the Australian added.

Dunkley said he received financial "support" from Japan's Sasakawa
Peace Foundation, a non-government organization, but did not
elaborate.

"I wish that I was making a profit," Dunkley said. "I'm on the bones
of my ass,"

(Copyright 2003 Richard S Ehrlich.)

Editor's note: The Sasakawa Peace Foundation is controlled by Japanese
businesses that operate in direct partnerships with Burma's ruling
generals. BAG

On Wed, 24 Sep 2003, Lost For Life wrote:

Ok, so me and a friend want to travel through Burma from Thailand to
Bangladesh, spending about a week there. I am getting inconsistent
information about the FEC that hopefully someone could clarify.

One site says you must purchase US$200 worth of FECs at a minimum, and
cannot trade any leftovers back to any other currency. Another site
says US$300. In addition, I was talking to someone on a plane last
year that said they had been to visit from Thailand for just a few
days (thus I dont believe they would have paid $200 for the
privilege). AAARGH!!!! HELP!!!

Can someone point out a GOOD and current net resource, or even better,
first hand experience. Is there any way to avoid the minimum purchase
by buying them in Thailand somehow?

If anyone wants to share their experience of the country from a
adventure point of view, I would be really grateful!!!!

Cheers folks!!
---
DFM



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BURMA ACTION GROUP
SAO Box 119, HUB
University of Washington http://students.washington.edu/burma/
Seattle, WA 98195
  #5  
Old September 25th, 2003, 06:38 PM
Alfred Molon
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question

We've been to Myanmar last December. The situation is the following:

- Until a few years ago you had to purchase $300 in FECs. This has been
changed to $200.
- We (two people) only bought $200 in FECs (instead of $400) and gave
the officer a small "present" of $10.
- Last December the FEC was convertible back into US $, with a loss of
10%.
- FECs are no big deal. You can use them to pay hotels, entry fees for
the tourist attractions, internal flights, cars etc. Very easy to spend
$200, unless you only stay a couple of days.
- Travel overland to Myanmar from Thailand is not possible. You can only
fly in.

See our travelogue he
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Myanmar/Travelogue.htm


In article ,
says...
Ok, so me and a friend want to travel through Burma from Thailand to
Bangladesh, spending about a week there. I am getting inconsistent
information about the FEC that hopefully someone could clarify.

One site says you must purchase US$200 worth of FECs at a minimum, and
cannot trade any leftovers back to any other currency. Another site
says US$300. In addition, I was talking to someone on a plane last
year that said they had been to visit from Thailand for just a few
days (thus I dont believe they would have paid $200 for the
privilege). AAARGH!!!! HELP!!!

Can someone point out a GOOD and current net resource, or even better,
first hand experience. Is there any way to avoid the minimum purchase
by buying them in Thailand somehow?

If anyone wants to share their experience of the country from a
adventure point of view, I would be really grateful!!!!

Cheers folks!!
---
DFM


--

Alfred Molon
------------------------------
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Olympus4040_5050/
Olympus 4040 resource - http://www.molon.de/4040.html
Olympus 5050 resource - http://www.molon.de/5050.html
  #6  
Old September 25th, 2003, 08:04 PM
Dieter A
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question


"Mike987" schreef in bericht
...
It's also worth remembering that Myanmar has recently stopped
accepting foreign credit cards, so you'll be paying for everything by
cash/FECs or Travellers Cheques.


Do they still accept traveler Cheques in Myanmar ?
who / where ?


  #7  
Old September 26th, 2003, 02:11 PM
Phelan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question

Lost For Life wrote:

Ok, so me and a friend want to travel through Burma from Thailand to
Bangladesh, spending about a week there. I am getting inconsistent
information about the FEC that hopefully someone could clarify.

One site says you must purchase US$200 worth of FECs at a minimum, and
cannot trade any leftovers back to any other currency. Another site
says US$300. In addition, I was talking to someone on a plane last
year that said they had been to visit from Thailand for just a few
days (thus I dont believe they would have paid $200 for the
privilege). AAARGH!!!! HELP!!!

Can someone point out a GOOD and current net resource, or even better,
first hand experience. Is there any way to avoid the minimum purchase
by buying them in Thailand somehow?

If anyone wants to share their experience of the country from a
adventure point of view, I would be really grateful!!!!

Cheers folks!!
---
DFM


from memory you are meant to buy it at the air
port - I bribed someone there so I didn't have to
buy it. I think it cost US$10 slipped in my passport.
The first time I had ever bribed someone ! coming
from NZ which is the 2nd least corrupt country in
the world, this was a novel experience... smile
while you do it too !

  #8  
Old September 26th, 2003, 05:42 PM
Burma Action Group
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question FEC Drops 50%

On Thu, 25 Sep 2003, Thomas F. Unke wrote:

Burma Action Group writes:


Many Myanmar nationals want US President George W Bush and the United
Nations to invade Myanmar with warplanes and troops to topple the
military regime, said Myanmar-based Ross Dunkley, the Australian chief
executive officer and managing editor of the government-censored
Myanmar Times.


Even if this is a citation, it is disgusting what you quote here. Just
consider the ten thousands of deads, the collapse of a country, the
economy, all the daily atrocities we see today in Iraq.

Shame on you to demand the same for the people of Myanmar. And stupid
too: there is no money to be made by an invasion - so it would not
happen.


Sheesh, take a pill, would you? The article posted came from Asia Times
online. It quoted Ross Dunkley who in turn claims that Burmese tell him
they'd like an invasion. Since Dunkley's Myanmar Times is under the
control of the military regime, that's an odd statement, you must admit.

"Shame on you to demand the same for the people of Myanmar" you say. Are
you insane or just stupid? I demand nothing of the sort. When will you
stop beating your wife?

The point of the article, per the thread, was that Dunkley said (and here
he probably knows what he's talking about, since Myanmar Times is a
purported business paper), "Foreign Exchange Certificates - which is
so-called equivalent to $1 [each] - has plunged to 40 percent or 50
percent of its value." He said it this week while on a panel at the
Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok.

If I'd pulled the quote out of context, you or others would attack me for
selectively posting.

Had your rabies shots lately? If you wipe the spittle off your computer
screen you might see more clearly. Sheesh.


Dunkley said he received financial "support" from Japan's Sasakawa
Peace Foundation, a non-government organization, but did not
elaborate.


Then I do:

Sasakawa is a notorious right-extremist, fascist of the worst sort,
also a war criminal of WW2.

Editor's note: The Sasakawa Peace Foundation is controlled by Japanese
businesses that operate in direct partnerships with Burma's ruling
generals. BAG


They cooperate with all kind of disgusting dictatorships.

It is indeed interesting what kind of "reliable" sources the Burma
Action Group has.

Whatever that's supposed to mean... At least we agree on Sasakawa...





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BURMA ACTION GROUP
SAO Box 119, HUB
University of Washington http://students.washington.edu/burma/
Seattle, WA 98195
  #9  
Old September 26th, 2003, 07:22 PM
Burma Action Group
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question FEC Drops 50%

On Fri, 26 Sep 2003, The Man wrote:

On Fri, 26 Sep 2003 09:42:51 -0700, Burma Action Group
wrote:

If I'd pulled the quote out of context, you or others would attack me for
selectively posting.


Ill atack you for posting this **** in the first place.
This is a travel group not a Burmese propogabda group


Nice to hear from the biggest buffoon in the newsgroup. You might recall
that the post you object to had timely information on the value of FECs,
which was directly related to a poster's original question.

The point: FECs in Burma have declined substantially in value in recent
weeks.

I'll leave it there, and await your usual irrelevant, unsupported
nonsense, since you seem unable to ever allow another poster to have the
last word.



Had your rabies shots lately? If you wipe the spittle off your computer
screen you might see more clearly. Sheesh.


He cant, theyll interfere with his hormone injections


Dunkley said he received financial "support" from Japan's Sasakawa
Peace Foundation, a non-government organization, but did not
elaborate.

Then I do:

Sasakawa is a notorious right-extremist, fascist of the worst sort,
also a war criminal of WW2.

Editor's note: The Sasakawa Peace Foundation is controlled by Japanese
businesses that operate in direct partnerships with Burma's ruling
generals. BAG

They cooperate with all kind of disgusting dictatorships.

It is indeed interesting what kind of "reliable" sources the Burma
Action Group has.

Whatever that's supposed to mean... At least we agree on Sasakawa...


So lets agree that you stop posting US based and biased propaganda eh
?
In other words
**** off



-
In the beginning there was nothing........which exploded



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BURMA ACTION GROUP
SAO Box 119, HUB
University of Washington http://students.washington.edu/burma/
Seattle, WA 98195
  #10  
Old September 26th, 2003, 09:33 PM
spoken@,,,.net
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Myanmar / Burma FEC question

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 01:11:23 +1200, Phelan
wrote:

from memory you are meant to buy it at the air
port - I bribed someone there so I didn't have to
buy it. I think it cost US$10 slipped in my passport.
The first time I had ever bribed someone ! coming
from NZ which is the 2nd least corrupt country in
the world, this was a novel experience... smile
while you do it too !


Just curious--what is the world's least corrupt country? Switzerland?
 




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