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Myanmar's junta shows off new fortress capital

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.
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