NOVPUB
Chapter 1071: Chapter 942 Too Scary
As the convoy entered the hinterland of the Myanmar Economic Zone.
Villages began to appear more frequently.
Along the highway, clusters of village buildings were often visible, which is a characteristic of this area. Because it is located in a hilly area, with high mountains and dense forests, it would be very dangerous for households to live separately due to the risk of wild animal attacks.
The population density here is nowhere near as high as that of Huaxia, and the fierce wildlife has not been nearly eradicated.
However.
The villages now are different from before.
Earth houses and bamboo houses had all disappeared.
The houses had all been transformed into spacious and well-lit two-story buildings.
Under the demands of the Special Zone and the actual conditions, they were basically constructed of brick and stone, because a fire would result in wooden houses and everything inside being "reduced to ashes."
Mu Zhiwen didn’t know if it was just a façade project, but along the route of the highway, he didn’t see any wooden houses; they were all brick houses, with each occupying a large plot and enclosed by a big yard.
From a distance.
The wide village roads were completely accessible for two vehicles to drive side by side.
He was aware of the road situation; the main roads connecting the villages are all up to this standard, only the roads leading to the most remote households are single-lane. He didn’t recall Ling mentioning anything about houses during the meetings over the last couple of days.
"Did you also pay for these houses to be built?" Mu Zhiwen couldn’t help but ask.
"Of course not, we don’t have that much money. It’s good enough to have the roads built up to their doorsteps," Su Yu shook his head and then explained, "They built them with their own money. Of course, Myanmar Bank can also provide special-purpose loans."
"Special-purpose loans?"
Su Yu nodded, "Yes, every registered household can build brick and tile houses on their own homestead land. Myanmar Bank can provide up to eighty percent of the loan, with an interest rate of two percent per year."
"What? The interest is that low?" Mu Zhiwen exclaimed in surprise.
"..."
Su Yu looked oddly at Mu Zhiwen. Had this guy been lending at usurious rates for too long? Indeed, this nearly ’charitable’ loan interest rate was incomparable to the high-interest loans they offered.
"The special-purpose loan’s interest is only one third of a commercial loan’s, and even less. However, it can only be used for house construction and furniture purchases, not for other consumption purposes," Su Yu said. 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
Mu Zhiwen asked further, "What if they can’t repay the loan?"
"If the borrower dies, then naturally it becomes a bad debt for the bank. If they are still alive, given the current environment in the Myanmar Economic Zone, it’s quite easy for a person who is able to work to repay the debt. Look, that two-story building over there,"
Su Yu pointed to a distant house.
"Inside there are at least four bedrooms, and including other functional rooms, the total cost is around seventy thousand Asia Dollars. This isn’t much of a problem for families in the Special Zone nowadays."
"That is indeed cheap," Mu Zhiwen remarked upon hearing the price.
"It’s... reasonable," Su Yu shook his head, thinking that Mu Zhiwen really hadn’t changed his thuggish nature. He didn’t know the true cost of living since he had never been in charge of a household. Once the two regions started formal reforms, it would be Mu Zhiwen and the others who would have headaches.
"Are there any who owe money but adamantly refuse to pay?"
"So far, I haven’t heard of any. If there are special reasons, the payment can be postponed. The special-purpose loan does not incur late fees, nor will it lead to the confiscation of the property," Su Yu said with a smile.
A house.
Represents the most basic right to survive, next to food, and should not be stripped away.
Mu Zhiwen nodded.
That was quite humane.
The closer to the hinterland.
The more densely populated.
And the more vehicles there were.
"One third of our Special Zone’s goods rely on Thai ports for export, another third depend on the ports in southern Myanmar, and the remaining third is consumed internally and traded with Huaxia," Su Yu explained.
"Why not ship everything through the ports in southern Myanmar? In that way, you would save on the customs duties, and trains could go directly to the southern ports. Thailand must charge fees, right?" Mu Zhiwen said, puzzled as he looked at all kinds of trains surrounding the convoy.
"They do charge, but we need capacity on that side, and that means available shipping routes. The ports in southern Myanmar are not on any popular shipping routes. Although we save on customs duties, it’s inconvenient for transport," Su Yu explained.
He wasn’t about to say that Ling had deliberately made it so.
The reason was unknown.
However, from the ease with which Ling had managed to get the Thai Government to agree to include the Asia Dollar as one of its reserve currencies and maintain a close cooperative relationship in bilateral trade, it was clear that it wasn’t economic interests that Ling considered.
It was a matter of geopolitical relationships.
"If you don’t use others’ roads, there will be no benefit ties, and without benefit ties, how can there be a close relationship?"
"It seems... that’s also true."
Mu Zhiwen nodded in agreement, although he felt the reasoning was somewhat flimsy, he didn’t give it much thought, as it was none of his concern.
Upon arriving at Xin’an Town.
There were no grand ceremonies, they were merely introduced to the other deputy governors; then, under Su Yu’s guidance, they began their inspection of the model projects within the Special Zone, all set up specifically for visitors to evaluate.
They couldn’t simply see whatever they wanted to see.
So.
Mu Zhiwen’s eyes were opened once again.
The thriving prosperity of Xin’an Town.
The rapid rise of Xin’an City.
The spider-web-like network of highways.
The luxurious passenger coaches.
The bustling public transportation.
The modern, aromatic airport.
The border patrols along the Mekong River.
...
Over the next two days.
Mu Zhiwen and his entourage experienced each of these aspects one by one,
particularly law enforcement.
Which left a profound impression on them.
You see.
Before this, the land was overrun with desperate fugitives, unruly individuals one and all. Even though a complete firearms confiscation had been achieved here, old habits die hard.
When he inquired about the law enforcement issue.
Su Yu laughed.
Then led him to a nearby mining field, pointing ahead as he explained.
"The restless folks are all in places like this, creating value that’s theirs; after a few times, the law enforcement issues have been effectively resolved. Here, being unemployed is tolerable, but causing disturbance to others is not.
In this place, hooligans and criminal forces are not allowed to exist. Once they are detected, the law enforcement immediately arrests them, subjecting them to at least three months of labor in the mining fields.
Those who don’t learn their lesson are directly subjected to criminal punishment; that’s a long process of labor. Our Governor Ling has stated that within this jurisdiction, people can revere the law, revere the Myanmar Economic Zone Government.
Besides that, the objects of reverence can also be beliefs and other things, but there must not be any such characters in the grey area. Discover one, arrest one, judge one, no exceptions.
Especially with school violence and juvenile crimes, our crackdown is particularly strong."
After hearing Su Yu’s resolute words.
Looking at the hundreds of people working in the distant mining field.
Mu Zhiwen was speechless for a long while, such a harsh legal system had never been implemented anywhere else in the world, not because other nations weren’t ’advanced’ enough, but because managing such individuals was extremely challenging.
Old habits die hard.
It wasn’t just talk.
"Don’t worry, once they come here, if they ascend to the criminal-level mining field life for a time, their personalities will change a lot," Su Yu said with a meaningful smile, facing Mu Zhiwen’s perplexity.
No matter how much Mu Zhiwen asked.
Su Yu simply wouldn’t tell.
It wasn’t until he returned to his room that evening that he found out what it was all about from the hotel staff. Upon hearing it, Mu Zhiwen felt a chill run down his spine, his buttocks feeling a bit cold.
Damn it, that’s truly frightening.
The incorrigible could actually be sent to that kind of place; whose idea was that, it’s too cruel.
