The Truth Behind the Headlines

The multinationals are flooding into Myanmar. A hotel room cannot be had for love or money. A hotel that used to charge US$75 per night is now $150 and is over- booked. Everyone and his brother is queuing up for visas. People are deliberately flying from Phnom Penh to Yangon on Myanmar Air because it is the only flight where you can get a visa onboard.

This has been brewing for a long time.  Yangon is one of the world's next big boomtowns, Coke and Pepsi can't wait to bring fresh, if bottled, water the the rural areas of the country and everyone from Exxon-Mobil to CNOOC is licking their lips at the vast Natural Gas and Oil reserves. 

China began this rush with the pipeline they started building from Kyaukpyu to Kunming (2400 km) and the West realized they had to get a foothold soon or be left behind. The pipeline cuts out the whole trip for oil tankers through the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea, obviating much of the U.S. 7th fleet's strength vis a vis China.

Yes, it's the wild west in Myanmar, but it's going to explode over the next few years.  And comanies like GE will be there right behind the State Dept.'s heels.