61. Presdient Thein Sein interview with The Straits Times - Jul 12, 20l2

Straits Times, Pg. A10, July 12, 2012
"Myanmar's army can't be left behind: Thein Sein"

Many Singaporeans think that Myanmar is a dangerous place to visit.
Ethnic conflicts in the country's border area are one reason why tourists are not allowed to visit such areas.

Other than that, Myanmar is safe for tourists. For example, there was fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the northern Kachin state near the border in China's Yunnan province. However, Kachin state itself is a safe and interesting place to visit, other than that border area.

Mr Thein Sein, President of Myanmar said the people prefer to live in peace and stability. The government is trying to reach an agreement with the KIA. It will take time to resolve ethnic conflicts which exist over several decades.

Myanmar needs investment and aid but Western countries have not entirely lifted the financial and economic sanctions to encourage trade and investment.

MY OBSERVATIONS

At the ground level, too many businessmen are in Yangon now, increasing the hotel rates. In the first place, there were few hotels built unlike Hong Kong or Bangkok and so now, the ordinary tourists can't match the high rental rates offered by the businessmen for staying at the Yangon Hotels.
  
There is an investment opportunity to partner with well connected and older Myanmar people to build smaller hotels. I met one 50-year-old businesswoman who was excited about the growth prospects of her country. She was inspired by Rich Dad's Cash Flow Quadrant - Guide to Financial Freedom by Robert T Kiyosaki and asked me to read the book. The Quadrant is E,S (left half),I,B (right half).

E= employee
S= self employed or small business like dentists, doctors
I= investors
B=business

She was inspired to be "B" as she is an "S". She has a piece of land in Yangon and wanted to build a 25-room inn. She already had the investors.  She will then get recurring income as she does not need to work in this inn. Over time, she builds other inns and so will become financially free. "What do you think of the name for my Inn - 'The Green House'?" she asked me as she is aware of the save the environment activism.  "A good and easy to remember name. Are you a gardener?" I asked. "Why not call it the Green Inn?"

Sounds great. However, it is easy to talk. "She must act now," I said. How to do it? This is the execution that can bankrupt a person and that is why many of us remain an "E" or an "S"!

I have some idea on how it can be done  - by forming private "REITS"  (real estate investment trusts) but many people just do not have the time nor expertise to get it done and become "B".  The young ones have to read a lot of financial news and acquire financial knowledge like how to leverage, use other people's money, setting up a system, checks and balances and fail in one such project (preferably not fail) to understand what I mean.

But young ones have more pleasurable things to do than read widely and focus on financial learning!