Myanmar, Mandalay and the Lady

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Myanmar, Mandalay and the Lady

After decades of military dictatorship, punitive Western sanctions, then the ravages of Hurricane Nargis, Mandalay, Myanmar's second city and emerging commercial hub, is undergoing rapid change, as the BBC's Leo Johnson discovered on a recent visit.

I'm expecting a scene of grinding poverty but what greets me on day one is the new Mercedes showroom, Mingalar Mandalay new city complete with private villas on sale for $2.5m (£1.6m) each and Unique Night Club, the clubbers beside me necking Johnny Walker Blue from the bottle.

Mandalay's economy never failed under sanctions. On the banks of the Irawaddy River, half way between India and China, it was ideally situated to keep on trading directly with some 40% of the world's population, but now there is a beginnings-of-a-boom-time feel.

On 8 November, Myanmar, also known as Burma, holds its first open and contested general elections in more than 25 years, with Nobel Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi standing for office as head of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).

So is the nation headed, after decades of military dictatorship, towards social economic and political freedom? Is this game over for the generals?

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34223805

-- BBC 2015-09-13

[elgordo38]

I understand their "new" constitution has pretty well got her boxed into a corner with regard to becoming leader of the country. Apparently she has someone in mind (known to her only) to be the leader if her party wins. Rewritten redrafted constitutions are now the watchword to control a country's politics.

[bangon04]

Boris' little brother done well......