Myanmar's increasingly reclusive and repressive military junta showed off its mysterious new capital, Naypyidaw, to outsiders on Monday for the first time during a ceremony to mark Armed Forces Day.
The country's paramount leader, General Than Shwe, used his speech at the parade of 12,000 soldiers to announce that his much-promised transition to democracy would still take "some time," a direct contradiction of recent promises made to neighboring countries' leaders.
Buried deep within the country's dense mountainous jungle, Naypyidaw, a heavily fortified compound meaning Royal City, is just outside the town of Pyinmana, 370km north of Rangoon.
The generals claim it will be easier to run Myanmar from the purpose-built "command and control center," which is not complete four months after civil servants were secretly whisked off to it from their homes and offices in Rangoon. The new buildings on show on state television yesterday looked impressive, as did huge statues of three of the nation's most famous kings.
However, the lack of facilities, including such basics as telephone lines, and poor access to the rest of the country has prompted virtually all embassies, aid agencies and international organizations to stay in Rangoon.
"They say they've moved there to avert disaster and threats to their security," said a Myanmar activist, Debbie Stothard. "But they've also done it to insulate themselves from the follies of their own misrule."
Than Shwe said the military had to be "strong, efficient, patriotic and modern ... to ward off any danger befalling the country."
Virtually all observers say such statements are an excuse not to hand over power to Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won the last election in 1990 but was not allowed to rule.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was