Mergui
Encyclopedia
Myeik is a city in Tanintharyi Division
in Myanmar
(Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast of an island on the Andaman Sea
. the estimated population was over 209,000. The area inland from the city is a major smuggling
corridor into Thailand
.
, and later Ayutthaya
) from the late 13th century to the middle of 18th century (except between 1564 and 1593 when the Burmese temporarily regained control).
From the 16th century on, the city was an important seaport and trading center with the Europeans, who would land at Myeik (then called Mergui), travel upriver to Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) and then cross the mountains to reach Ayutthaya. The French officer Chevalier de Beauregard
was made Governor of the city of Mergui after the revolt against the English
there in July 1687. De Beauregard was named Governor by Narai
, the King of Siam, replacing an Englishman, Samuel White. The French were then expelled from Mergui following the 1688 Siamese revolution
.
The Burmese captured Myeik in 1765 as part of an invasion that would ultimately topple the Ayutthaya kingdom in 1767. In 1826, the Burmese ceded the region to the British after the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826).
The population is engaged in fishing
, production of rubber
and coconut
s, manufacture of fermented shrimp paste
, the collection of edible bird's nest
s and pearl
farming. Mergui is a gateway to the 800 offshore islands of the Mergui Archipelago
which are developing a tourist trade. Tourism in the area is restricted to cruises as land based accommodations are currently non-existent on the islands. This keeps the area very attractive as low impact tourism preserves the area's natural beauty.
, are famous as the "Sea Gypsies" and are said to be related to island tribes from Malaysia.
Tanintharyi Division
Tanintharyi Region , is an administrative region of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the Kra Isthmus. It borders with the Andaman Sea to the west and with the Tenasserim Hills, beyond which lies Thailand, to the east. To the north is the Mon State. The capital of...
in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
(Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast of an island on the Andaman Sea
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
. the estimated population was over 209,000. The area inland from the city is a major smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
corridor into Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
History
Myeik was the southernmost part of the Pagan Empire between the 11th and 13th centuries. After the Pagan Empire's collapse in 1287, Myeik became part of successive Siamese kingdoms (first SukhothaiSukhothai kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...
, and later Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya kingdom
Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...
) from the late 13th century to the middle of 18th century (except between 1564 and 1593 when the Burmese temporarily regained control).
From the 16th century on, the city was an important seaport and trading center with the Europeans, who would land at Myeik (then called Mergui), travel upriver to Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) and then cross the mountains to reach Ayutthaya. The French officer Chevalier de Beauregard
Chevalier de Beauregard
The Chevalier de Beauregard was a 17th century French officer who was active in Siam . He became Governor of Bangkok and Mergui, but was eventually captured by the Siamese during the 1688 Siamese revolution....
was made Governor of the city of Mergui after the revolt against the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
there in July 1687. De Beauregard was named Governor by Narai
Narai
Somdet Phra Narai or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous Ayutthayan king. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw the great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the...
, the King of Siam, replacing an Englishman, Samuel White. The French were then expelled from Mergui following the 1688 Siamese revolution
Siamese revolution (1688)
The Siamese revolution of 1688 was a major popular upheaval in the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom which led to the overthrow of the pro-foreign Siamese king Narai...
.
The Burmese captured Myeik in 1765 as part of an invasion that would ultimately topple the Ayutthaya kingdom in 1767. In 1826, the Burmese ceded the region to the British after the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826).
Economy
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, production of rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, manufacture of fermented shrimp paste
Shrimp paste
Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi in Indonesian, ngapi in Burmese, kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan in Malay, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in...
, the collection of edible bird's nest
Bird's nest
Bird's nest may refer to:*Bird nest*Bird's nest soup, delicacy made from the salivary excretions of the swiftlet*Seafood birdsnest, southern Chinese dish made of taroPlants and fungi*Bird's nest plant, carrot...
s and pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
farming. Mergui is a gateway to the 800 offshore islands of the Mergui Archipelago
Mergui Archipelago
The Mergui Archipelago is an archipelago in far southern Myanmar . It consists of more than 800 islands, varying in size from very small to hundreds of square kilometres, all lying in the Andaman Sea off the western shore of the Malay Peninsula near its landward end where it joins the rest of...
which are developing a tourist trade. Tourism in the area is restricted to cruises as land based accommodations are currently non-existent on the islands. This keeps the area very attractive as low impact tourism preserves the area's natural beauty.
Ethnicity
The inhabitants of the city are descended from many ethnic groups (Burmese, Chinese, Karen, Indian, Mon, and Moken). They speak Burmese with a distinctive accent. The island people, the Moken (Salone)Moken
The Moken , are an Austronesian ethnic group with about 2,000 to 3,000 members who maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture. They speak their own language which belongs to the Austronesian language family.-Nomenclature:They refer to themselves as Moken...
, are famous as the "Sea Gypsies" and are said to be related to island tribes from Malaysia.