- Mergui
"This article is about the city. For the archipelago, see
Mergui Archipelago ."Mergui or Myeik (MYname|MY=ၿမိတ္|MLCTS=mrit mrui.) is a city in
Tanintharyi Division inMyanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast of an island on theAndaman Sea . The area inland is a majorsmuggling area intoThailand .In the 18th century, Mergui was a port belonging to the Thai
Ayutthaya Kingdom . It became an important trading center, especially for the Europeans, who would land at 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. [Smithies, p.99] De Beauregard was named Governor by the king of SiamNarai , in the place of the English Samuel White. [English intercourse with Siam in the seventeenth century - Page 365 by John Anderson - 2000 [http://books.google.com/books?id=-3M82RmDjC0C&pg=PA365&dq=Beauregard+Siam&lr=&sig=8vTeRdbcTe13edj80dpKaQl0bz8] ] The French were then expelled from Mergui following the 1688 Siamese revolution.The British occupied the region after the
First Anglo-Burmese War of 1826.The population is engaged in
fishing , production ofrubber andcoconut s, manufacture of fermentedshrimp paste , the collection of ediblebird's nest s andpearl farming. Offshore, the 800 islands of theMergui Archipelago have a huge potential for tourist development. Tourism in the area is in the form of live aboard boats [http://www.merguiprincess.com/mergui_cruise.htm] as land based accommodations are non-existent on the islands. This keeps the area very attractive aslow impact tourism preserves the area's natural beauty. see [http://www.mergui.org]The inhabitants of the area are descended from many ethnic roots (Burmese, Chinese, Karen, Indian, Mon, Salone). They speak burmese in a distinguished ascent. The
Salone orMoken , are famous as theSea Gypsies they are said to be related to island tribes fromMalaysia .The town is home to
Myeik University .ee also
*
Myeik Airport Notes
References
*Smithies, Michael Three military accounts of the 1688 revolution in Siam, Orchid Press, Bangkok, 2002, ISBN 9745240052
*http://www.fieldgemology.org/Gemology%20burma%20myanmar%20mergui%20pearl%20south%20sea.php
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