Myanmar Signs of "Male Military Vanity"

In a refreshingly unrestrained backgrounder piece on the rising unrest in Burma (aka Myanmar), a NY Times reporter describes the ruling military junta as "made up mostly of unsophisticated former field commanders." Then, he adds this:

“They are extremely hunkered down, delusional, paranoid and probably afraid at the moment about what could possibly happen,” said David Mathieson, a Human Rights Watch expert on Myanmar, formerly Burma.
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“It is a fantasyland of male military vanity, the embodiment of their own delusions of grandeur,” Mr. Mathieson said. The place is a spick-and-span wasteland of broad, empty avenues, monumental buildings, military installations and at least one golf course.

Wait, wait! "...and at least one golf course?" That's a sign of "male military vanity?"

Well, maybe in Myanmar. For sure, it's unlikely Aung San Suu Kyi has had much opportunity to practice her drives while under house arrest for a dozen years.

For those who would like to know more about Burma's bunkers and traps, don't bother going to the web site for Myanmar Golf. All the news entries are about Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and the U.S.

"We will be following major golfing events in Myanmar," the web site promises. So far, however, the links to the "Local Golf Scene" in Myanmar are dead.

Maybe those macho military males of Myanmar are just too busy beating up and shooting defenseless monks.