Myanmar | GlobalPost

BANGKOK — Since his prison release in October, the comedian has met with Hillary Clinton, Aung San Suu Kyi, a slew of Western diplomats and even the World Bank.

BOSTON — From Mohamed Bouazizi, who gave his life when he started the Arab Spring, to Angela Merkel, who made waves largely by her inaction.

BANGKOK — In confinement, she was exalted and considered nearly above criticism. In playing politics, she runs the risk of disappointing her faithful.

BEIJING — For three decades, China has been Burma’s main ally. But in recent months, it has also made strong, symbolic moves away from China.

Hillary Clinton will visit Burma next month, the first visit by a US secretary of state in more than 50 years, President Barack Obama said.

RANGOON — Burmese hip-hop appeals equally to cronies’ children, and kids whose families struggle under their grip on power.

RANGOON — New economic reforms, paired with a slow rollback of repressive laws, appear partially motivated by fears of Chinese supremacy.

RANGOON — Change is even visible on Burma’s streets, where Aung San Suu Kyi’s face grins down from posters. Until recently, flaunting her image would invite martyrdom.

NEW DELHI — India has long punched below its weight when it comes to international relations. Not anymore.

Being in Burma can feel like someone pressed the pause button on life.

It's isolated and, when I was there three years ago, there was only one place you could get money off your ATM card: a luxury hotel in Rangoon, where they sent your request through Singapore and you had to pay $70 for the pleasure.

In many ways, and largely thanks to sanctions, Burma feels stuck in time. Folks who speak English will quote movies from the '80s and ask if you listen to Anthrax.

Economic sanctions, which have been largely ineffective in spurring the government toward reform, have had the side-effect of keeping everyday folks behind the times in terms of material goods.

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A major reason why sanctions haven't been effective is due to key players like China opting out, and I remember thinking that all the cars and boats and buses, for the most part, seemed like they were 30 years old and Chinese.

A lot of the cars — around 10,000, according to state media — are in fact 30. And the BBC reports that 8,000 are even older than that (between 30 and 40).

As a result, the roads can be, well, messy. Vehicles are always breaking down and their emissions aren't exactly up to code, if you catch my meaning.

It is ostensibly for these reasons that the government has started a program by which people can trade in their 40-year-old cars for permits to import newer models made after 1995.

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