This article is about the city. For the archipelago, see Mergui Archipelago.
Mergui or Myeik (Burmese: ၿမိတ္; MLCTS: mrit mrui.) 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 area inland is a major smuggling area into Thailand.
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.[1] De Beauregard was named Governor by the king of Siam Narai, in the place of the English Samuel White.[2] 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 of rubber and coconuts, manufacture of fermented shrimp paste, the collection of edible bird's nests and pearl farming. Offshore, the 800 islands of the Mergui Archipelago have a huge potential for tourist development. Tourism in the area is in the form of live aboard boats [2] as land based accommodations are non-existent on the islands. This keeps the area very attractive as low impact tourism preserves the area's natural beauty. see [3]
The inhabitants of the area are descended from many ethnic groups (Burmese, Chinese, Karen, Indian, Mon, Salone). They speak Burmese in a distinguished accent. The Salone or Moken, are famous as the Sea Gypsies; they are said to be related to island tribes from Malaysia.
The town is home to Myeik University.
See also
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
Coordinates: 12°26′N 98°36′E / 12.433°N 98.6°E
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