Junta's business crony to build Nature Park in northern Burma

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/1701-juntas-business-crony-to-build-natural-park-in-northern-burma.html


Thursday, 12 February 2009 23:52


Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Burmese military junta's business associate, the Htoo Trading Company, has begun building a Nature Park in Northern Burma, which will house rare species of butterflies, orchids and wild animals.

Earlier the Nature Park was to be built by Woodland Company in association with the Forest Department near Mularshidee village in Puta-O township of Kachin State. It has now been taken over by Htoo Trading.

"The park will cover 500 acres and is expected to be completed by 2010. Now the survey work has started and we hope the construction work can be started after two months. The main aim of this project is to boost tourism in this region," the project's official told Mizzima.

The butterfly park in the project will have over 50 rare species of butterflies from Burma especially from Kachin State with over 1,500 varieties and will resemble the Butterfly and Insect Park in Singapore.

Besides, the Nature Park will have rare Burmese orchids and rare animals like red panda and Takin, the official said. But he declined to say whether foreign experts have been roped in for the project.

Earlier, as a business expansion move in the tourism sector, the 'Balloons over Bagan', a subsidiary of Htoo Business Group, took over the 'Malikha Lodge', the highly rated guesthouse in Puta-O.
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Business tycoon Tay Za, owner of the Htoo Groups of Company, is among the list of businessmen that the United States had imposed sanctions on for his alleged role in supporting the ruling military regime's human rights violations and being a crony of the junta. He is also barred from visiting the US and his cash and assets were frozen in the US.

In the project area of the 'Nature Park', another hotel of the Htoo Trading Co. is under construction.

A sales manager of a travel agency in Rangoon said, "On the completion of this hotel, they will sell tour programmes to visit the park and for tourists to stay at the hotel. Currently they are running such tour operations in association with Malikha Lodge. We heard that there will be skiing in this region ".

Currently the 'Treasure' tour agency is operating tour programmes for those visiting areas around Puta-O and staying at the Malikha Lodge.

"Their tour programme will cost at least USD 1,500 per head depending on the itinerary and duration of stay," he added.

The Puta-O region, which is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, is a major tourist attraction site with abundance of wildlife. Bird watchers and tourists who love adventure frequently visit the area for mountaineering and hiking in the jungles. It is also home to several unique and rare birds, butterflies and orchids.

According to an eco-tourism operator in Rangoon, about 40 international tourists have either booked tour programmes to visit Puto-O region or have visited this region from December 2008 onwards.

"Since he [Tayza] has his own hotels, own airlines and enjoys favourable business opportunities from the junta, he took over everything," said another tour operator.

But he added that he has not lost hope in remaining in the business. "There's a saying in the tour business that the tourism industry is a 'Non-chimney industry' from which we can reap handsome profits while making little capital investment. Moreover the customers will never be exhausted in this business."

'Air Bagan' airline owner Tay Za has already has a chain of hotels in most of the famous tourist attractions sites in Burma including Rangoon, Mandalay, Inle lake in Shan state, the ancient city of Bagan, and Poppa and Ngapali beaches.