01.04.2007
Candid Commentary
Invest at Your Own Risk
_ By Dr. Tayza
When a businessman makes an investment, his first and foremost concern should be to make it safe. Especially when a huge investment is made in a very important sector, long term security is very essential.
Of course there may be some risk-taking businessmen who regard investments as financial gambles. They may think that the riskier an investment is, the higher the yield of profits it can make. In fact, most of such investors usually make hit-and-run investments_ make a risky investment, try to get a quick profit, and move on to somewhere else_ aiming for short-term gains only.
But credible international corporations making billion dollar investments cannot behave like small-time hit-and-run investors. Large Oil & Gas companies, for instance, sometimes have to spend hundreds of million dollars for exploration costs to find oil and gas deposits in foreign countries. And then they have to spend further more multi-million or billion dollars to build oil-rigs and gas pipe-lines. And so the stakes become very high.
Usually, when a country becomes unstable, the oil-rigs and gas-pipelines in the country become as vulnerable as sitting ducks in front of a group of hungry hunters.
And, however many contracts the foreign investors sign with the current regime in an unstable country, their contracts become just scrap-papers when the regime who signed the contracts is overthrown.
And then there are some risks that the foreign investors will become much entangled in the wrong-doings and crimes against humanity committed by their business-partner regime. Although the regime is safe until they are overthrown, their foreign partners with head-offices in western democratic countries are liable to be sued for the human-rights abuses and labour-rights breaches and environmental destructions caused or exacerbated by their investments.
And such unethical investors will unavoidably be named and shamed by pro-democracy and human-rights lobby groups around the world.
And eventually when a despotic regime is overthrown and put on trial at International Criminal Court, regime’s foreign business partners may also have to stand trial as co-conspirators or accomplices.
So, essentially, we can say that you invest at your own risk!
Look at Burma; it’s recently a universal feeling among ordinary people and grass-root activists that Communist China is trying to turn Burma into their virtual economic colony. And people know how Tibet suffers under Communist Chinese colonialism, so anti-China sentiments are sky-high among ordinary people in Burma. Especially after Communist China has vetoed down United Nations’ noble efforts to help democratize Burma_ in addition to their persistent blind support to Burma’s murderous military regime_ any chances of Democratic Burma and Communist China being friends in the future is absolutely gone, and gone for ever. People in Burma are very angry that Communist China’s logging companies are turning Burma’s once green and luscious hills bald, Communist China’s mining companies polluting Burma’s water and soil, Communist China’s gas companies monopolizing Burma’s off-shore gas fields, and Communist China’s military building naval bases and radar stations in Burma’s coastal areas.
With SPDC regime having almost completed their plans to finish off older generation leaders of Burma’s main-stream pro-democracy movement, and with the up and coming of newer generation pro-democracy activists with stronger passions and tougher determinations, and with increasing bitterness among ethnic minorities over regime’s attempted genocide on them, Burma’s political crisis will be going towards a head-on collision. Of course, it’s still a long way to explode. But as military regime is stubbornly refusing to make any meaningful dialogue with political opposition and ethnic resistance groups, things can go only in one direction.
And although people can be cowed by fear, once they have lost all hope and start to believe that there’s nothing more to lose, it can lead to social and political explosions!
So, with SPDC regime’s persistent refusal to negotiate, there’s only one possible outcome; a long and drawn out and difficult struggle to overthrow military regime by any means. And as soon as military regime has been overthrown, their crony Communist China’s investments, businesses and military bases will all be kicked out of Burma, once and for ever. It will not be avoidable; it will happen eventually_ just a matter of time.
In fact, even for investors from countries other than Communist China, with Burma’s political stalemate gradually and slowly, but steadily, heating up again; and with the stubborn regime, resolutely determined newer generation activists and very bitter ethnic minority people all going unwavering towards an eventual head-on collision; it’s now become too risky to make large long-term investments and business commitments in Burma.
So our advice for investors and would-be investors in Burma would be to “Invest at Your Own Risk!”
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Comments:
Blackorchid said _
We should send this kind of warning to Rogue Governments, like China, Russia and the Companies on the Black List, that surely would make them squirm, the financial and legal consequences they will be facing when the military government loose power. Especially China, their plan of using Burma as a land-bridge to connect to the rest of the World, we will be closing our borders to penalize them for blocking the UN resolution, I wonder what kind of penalty should we give Russia, can't wait to see the day when the people get back the power.
We can get back the people's wealth, by putting a lean on Tayza's Bagan Airways, most of his investors are Generals, and the Began Air, Hotels and all kinds of Business that has these Corrupt Generals and their Cohorts invested will be seized. That is why they are so nervous trying to oppress anyone that fights back. They are nothing but gun totting cowards. We should also fight back by countering their Yadaya schemes, may be that is why they don't want the opposition group to pray at the Shwedagone. Fight their Black magic with White magic. My Respect and Gratitude to the Leaders and Everyone who is fighting back for Justice for the People of Burma.
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Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .
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