ミャンマー
Myanmar

1990年3−4月
March - April 1990

ヤンゴンについては様々な書籍やウェブサイトで紹介されているので、ヤンゴンからパガンに至る間に見た内陸の乾燥地に重点を置いて紹介します。もっとも、 http://www012.upp.so-net.ne.jp/globers/myanmar/index.html などは、私の訪れたようなところの一部さえももっと詳しく紹介しています。

しかし、1990年のことなので、今とはかなり異なる面もあると思います。例えば、最近行った人たちの写真を見ると、ヤンゴンの通りの車の台数は、当時に比べて格段に多くなっているようです。加えて、通常の観光旅行ではなく、ミャンマー政府が案内してくれた森林管理の見学という目的を持った旅行だったので、普通の観光客の行かないところに行ってます。そのために、普通に観光に行く方との印象の違いがあるだろうと思います。「1990年3−4月の田舎はこんなだった。」と見て頂くのがいいのかもしれません。

In view that Yangon is well covered by many publications and web sites, the information here is focused on the dry areas on the way from Yangon to Pagan, which are not so much known by foreigners.

What I saw may not be the same today - it was in 1990 that I visited the country. For example, I see much more vehicles in the photos of Yangon taken by recent visitors. In addition, my visit was not for a regular tourism visit but was an organized tour co-organized by the Government of Myanmar to allow us to learn forest management of the country with visits to such areas that are not visited by regular tourists. Therefore I assume that the information given here may give a different idea of the country as regualr tourists see these days.

役に立った書籍等 Useful books

「地球の歩き方: ビルマ」1987-88年版: 全土をカバーで来ている訳ではありませんでしたが、この国の人たちが腰に巻いているロンジーのことなど、ミャンマーの人たちの生活に少しでも触れようという姿勢で書かれていました。

Chikyu no Aruki Kata (published in Japan in Japanese) 1987-88 edition did not cover all areas of the country, but I appreciate the authors' attitude to help the visitors to be as intimate to the daily life of the people there as possible, including the advice on how to wear longyi, the traditional skirt of the country.

注意点 Caution

軍が強権で様々な活動を押さえている国です。軍関係の施設や兵士だけでなく、行政機関、駅などを含む公共施設などについても、写真撮影が禁止されていると考えられます。そして、違反に対しては相当に厳しい措置が講じられると考えられます。

The military forces control the country. Therefore it is assumed that no photography is allowed for government offices, train stations and other public facilities in addition to miltary facilities and soldiers. It should also be assumed that stringent measures are imposed against violation.

その他 Notes

国連アジア太平洋経済社会委員会(United Nations Ecomic and Social Commision for Asia and the Pacific: ESCAP)とミャンマー政府が主催した森林管理に関するワークショップ兼見学会に参加した際に撮った写真です。ヤンゴンでの会合の後、バスで中央の乾燥地域を経てパガンまでバスで行った後、飛行機でヤンゴンに戻りました。

Those photos were taken when I particiapted in a workshop cum study tour for forest management co-organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Government of Myanmar. After a workshop in Yangon, we went to Pagan by bus through the central dry areas and then came back to Yangon by air.

中央の乾燥地域は、周囲を山で囲まれているので、降水量が少なくなっています。乾季の末のこの時期、特に乾燥がひどくなっていました。そこで見たのは、

The central area of the country has little precipitation because it is surrounded by mountains. As I visited this area at the end of the dry season, the land was especially dry. What we saw there were:

• 1車線分しか舗装されていない幹線国道 Major national highways which were paved for one lange only.
• 荷物は牛車、人は馬車が主体の交通(それらは、道路の両側の舗装されていないところを走ります。そのために1車線分しか舗装されていないとも見られます。) Goods were dawn by oxen; people by horses. These animal-drawn vehicles go on the unpaved parts of the road. Probably the pavement of the width of one lane in the center of the road was associated with this fact.
• 古いトラックやバス、それらの明らかな定員超過 Old trucks and bused and apparnt excessive load on the vehicles.
• ダムの建設等により村に水が引かれ、そこに牛車やてんびん棒で水汲みに集まる人々 Water provided from newly constructed reservoirs and villagers coming to get water from such facilities with ox carts with barrels or carrying poles.
• ヤシの樹液を煮詰める砂糖作り Sugar making from the sap of palms.
• 熱心な森林管理、ゾウを使った集材 Positive forest management practices and elephants engated in wood harvest.
• ポパ山の国立公園 Mt. Popa National Park

なお、訪問の先の1か月後(1990年5月)に、スー・チーさんが大勝する結果となった選挙が控えていた時期でした。

My visit was one month before the election in which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a land slide victory.

Christopher Clapham: Third World Politics: An Introduction, 197 pp., University of Wisconsin Press, 1985は概略次のようなことを書いています。ミャンマーでは、植民地時代に民族間に恨みを募らせるような統治が行われ、それが今日なお続く民族間の紛争とそれに関連した様々な問題に繋がっていると思います。

A part of the contents of Christopher Clapham: Third World Politics: An Introduction, 197 pp., University of Wisconsin Press, 1985 may be summerized as follows. The colonial administration of Myanmar instituted and aggravated rivaly among different ethnic groups. This led to the ethnic conflicts and problems associated with them which still cause the sufferings of the people and the country.

There were also differences in the rules of colonies by different countries: E.g., The "indirect rule", which relies on indigenous authorities and was developed and even theorized by the British, had many effects on the colonies even after their independence. In the extreme case of Myanmar, the indirect rule was taken by alien systems and at the same time division of ethnic groups was introduced - To the country governed as part of the British Indian colony or rather a colony of the colony of India which was rather alien to the country, Indian administrative systems were imposed, subsequently Indians took over many of the economic activities. In addition, ethnicity was identified and stressed, and, according to this, different means of rules were applied to different ethnic groups. Furthermore Christianity was promoted to minority groups and military police was created with the Karen, one of the major minority groups, to exploit ethnic rivalry.