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To the Editor...
***Letters for publication in these columns should be addressed to the Editor and legibly written or typed with double space. For reasons of space, short letters are preferred, and all are subject to editing and cuts. Pseudonyms are accepted. However, all communications must bear the writer's real name, signature and address..
Stop the warlords
Sir. Some of them are warlords and some of them are president, vice-president and prime minister turned warlords. They use machine guns, rocket launchers, tanks and fighter planes to kill their own people and to prove their power and supremacy.
We find the holocaust created by some of the warlords is worse than an atom bomb explosion in Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
We always hear the USA cry and plfead others to sign a nuclear non-proliferation treaty. But we wonder how and wherefrom the warlords In Afghanistan, Somalia. Rwanda. Yemen and the Bosnian Serbs procure heavy arms and ammunition?
Can't the USA take any action to stop the macabre annihilation of the innocent people hy the warlords?
OH Kabir
Dhaka
The economy of Arakan
Sir. The alluvial soil of the Mayu. Kaladan and Lemro Valleys in north Arakan Is so fertile that the area was once popularly called Dhanavati or granary of rice. The surplus rice of Arakan was exported in huge quantities to the neighbouring countries till the beginning of the military government of Burma. In 1950s Akyab alone had 50 rice mills working on whole year basis.
The Arab traders of early times who established trading colonies in Arakan were particularly attracted by the rich natural resources of the land. They used to build and repair ships with Arakanese Iron woods known as Pyinkadow Besides Pyinkadow, Arakan's forests produce naturally grt^vn teak and other good quality timber. Bamboo and
cane are plentiful. Arakan is Ideal for rubber, tea and palm oil plantation. It produces oranges, mangoes, lemons, sugar-canes, tobacco and other fruits of various kinds.
Arakan's long coastal belt is rich in fish and produces high quality shrimps in' the dams built along the estuaries of tidal creeks and" rivers. Huge quantities of salt are produced at the Arakan coast. There is also pearls breeding along the coast which is also full of O H Kabir's black gold'.
Arakan is also rich in mln eral resources. There are confirmed reservoirs of petroleum and other mineral resources but until now totally untapped A beautiful waterfall Is waiting to produce huge quantity of hydroelectricity.
On May 17. 1964 the mill tary government of Burma demonetised kyats 50 and 100 banknotes affecting mainly the
people of Arakan. After the nationalisation of the shops, de monetisation and imposition of restriction on movement, the backbone of economy of the Rohingyas crumbled.
In 1967 there were acute shortages of rice in Burma proper. Bulk of rice from Arakan was carried away to Rangoon causing shortage of rice in Arakan. This triggered rlotings against the military regime at Akyab. The military crashed the riots by killing many people
The one-party dictatorship ruined the economy of Burma. Burma has turned into a least developed country (LDC). Ex cept a few Army elite, the people of the whole country were wrestling with poverty
The SLORC crashed Muslim businessmen of Arakan in the year 1991. under the Pyi Thaya operation. Muslims having large or small trade and bust
nesses. were detained, tortured and subjected to long prison terms. Many of them were sent to military front lines (o work as mine cleaners or porters. All their business establishments were confiscated. On the other hand the SLORC Is now lauding the free market economy.
According to a recent report written by Minoru Piru. Japanese economist and Burma expert, commissioned by the UNDP, the economy has worsened dramatically since the SLORC took over: "Prices of all dally necessities, including the staple national food rice, have nearly tripled since the present Junta assumed power in September 1988. In addition. Burma's trade deficit has widened to kyats 2.2 btl lion."
JUant
Anikun. Bunna