Boasting emerald-green rice fields, a multitude of tropical flowers and fruits, and brilliantly painted temples and shops, it is awash with colour. Many Burmese, men and women, continue to wear longyis – tube-shaped pieces of cloth tucked or knotted at the waist – decorated in striking patterns. Meanwhile, children run around with thanaka, a sweet-smelling paste made from ground wood, smeared on their faces. A carefree cheerfulness seems to characterize the people, but if you mention ‘democracy’ or Aung San Suu Kyi, people freeze. Burma is blessed with abundant natural resources, including oil and natural gas, yet it is one of the least developed countries in the world. In the rural areas, oxcarts are still in use and candles are a necessity rather than a decorative item, as less than 25 per cent of rural houses have electricity.1 The lovely port-city of Rangoon is dominated by the shimmering golden Shwedagon Pagoda, although high-rise hotels now clutter the view. Rangoon’s markets and tea shops bustle with activity, but its main universities are quiet as most classes have been moved to campuses outside the city, where university students cannot easily organize mass demonstrations.
