Saturday, July 30, 2005
Southeast Asia
There are a couple of noteworthy points I noticed on my visit to Laos and Thailand. First is the continuing development, most noiticable in Northern Laos where there is now 24 hour electricity in the small towns, and extensive road construction. Access to satellite television is very common, and many have mobile telephones. Internet and computers have yet to make much of an appearance in Laos, but Cambodia has all that development plus computers. Thailand is yet another step ahead of its neighbours.
The second point is the violence of the region. Laos has its bombings related to the Hmong nation dating back to the Vietnam war. Cambodia is seeing rising thuggery from its government and in civil society as well. Thailand seems to have dreadful killings on a daily basis in the south where a separatist movement thrives. Burma has at least two nationalist uprisings, one in the east, the other in the west. Bangladesh is a mess with insurgency in the north. India and Nepal too suffer daily violence in nationalist uprisings or leftist insurgencies.
I wonder how development relates to violence. My feeling is that continued development as well as more money being poured into the region will increase violence.
