The everyday politics of the underground trade in Burma by the Yunnanese Chinese since the Burmese socialist Era

摘要

When the Burmese military junta implemented a repressive economy that nationalised trade and industry during the socialist period (1962-88), a black market economy sprang up and predominated. Despite regime change in 1988 and the subsequent adoption of a market-oriented economy, the underground trade has nevertheless continued and thrived. The Yunnanese Chinese merchants of Burma have played a significant role in the contraband economy over the span of regimes. Based on a non-state-centred perspective, this paper aims to look into the everyday politics of the underground trade conducted by the Yunnanese Chinese moving between Burma, Thailand and Yunnan and analyses the country's politico-economic landscape since 1962. While implementing the nationalised economy, the government took away everything; nothing was left. All commodities in shops were confiscated. I was about 12 or 13 years old at that time. I remember that morning clearly. The government had made arrangements and sent troops to every city and town. Many soldiers arrived at the train station and speedily approached the marketplace. They were led in two lines by an officer and carried rifles fixed with bayonets. Bi-bi, bi-bi, the officer whistled all the way, and assigned the soldiers to station themselves in front of each shop on both sides of the main street, one soldier one shop, armed with a rifle. My father said to me, 'We have lost our shop.' The confiscation went on the whole day. There was no advance notice.