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anchor and
restocking port with the
Portuguese during colonial
times. When the
British emerged as the dominant
colonial power the city went
back to sleep since the British
routing was from Madras in India
to Moulmein (today Mawlamyine)
and further south to Penang and
today Singapore. The city
is somehow a Buddhist outpost in a Muslim
flood.
About 25
years ago the relation was 15%
Muslim, about 80% Buddhist, the
rest Christian and some other.
Now (2011) its about 60% Muslim.
This is
because a high migration of Bangladeshi into
Myanmar. Bangladesh cant support their people anymore
(similar to China)there are simply to many and they opened the
gate.
One
of the problems is the
Bangladeshi undercut
even the already very low wages of the local
Myanmar and this makes lot of problems. It's
very similar to what happen with the Chinese
migration into Myanmar in the north-east of
Myanmar. Plenty of people also come in via
the Sittwe port.
The
main activity in the city are
related to the port and ship
traffic coming in from the ocean
and up and down the river.
Tourism is rather minimal and if
a western traveler pass its only
for a night to depart early
morning the next day for Mrauk
U.
There is not much to do and
people who have some money mount
satellite dishes and that's
Myanmar entertainment. Another
evening pastime is gambling. Officially forbidden but like
some fun and excitement and
maybe making some money. It
usually takes place during a pagoda festival .
Home
made game gear (usually copies
of Chinese dice) suits the
purpose and goodly sum of kyats
(Myanmar money) is
changing hands and the bank wins as usual.
The gambler who knows how to get
permission, not through official
channels, holds the bank and
distributes some of the profits
in the right way to the right
people afterwards, Sittwe
entertainment gambling is
popular.
Kerosene lights are used since
electricity is on seldom like
everywhere in the country.
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