Ol’ Eagle Eyes

Nicholas Farrelly - 05 Aug, 2006

The eagle-eyed among the New Mandala readership will notice that this shop, spotted in a Burmese tourist market, offers a special discount….

…for Thais.

While the Thai-Burmese relationship may be occasionally strained, and prejudice may sometimes endure, the Burmese storeholders at this market were keen to make deals…in Thai. Inter-ASEAN commerce is strong, at many levels, and the fraternal vibe of this diverse family is reinforced…one tacky knecklace at a time.

Bad luck to the non-Thai shoppers out there.

For instance, nobody seemed to be advertising special discounts to Australians. Bogyoke Aung San Market, Yangon – is anybody out there listening? Australians want discounts too.

About the Author
Nicholas Farrelly
Dr Nicholas Farrelly is the co-founder of New Mandala. A graduate of the Australian National University and the University of Oxford, over the past 20 years he has undertaken research in Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China and India. Nicholas is Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania and formerly the Associate Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, where he also led the ANU Myanmar Research Centre from 2015 to 2017.
New Mandala is supported by the Australian National University (ANU), a world-leading centre of research and teaching on Southeast Asia that has hosted the site since its founding in 2006. New Mandala's editors make editorial decisions independently of the ANU, and the views expressed at New Mandala are solely those of contributors and do not represent the institutional position(s) of the ANU or any of its constituent parts.
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