Online published on 29 November, 2012.
The last year has seen a total transformation of Myanmar. Today, after decades of military rule have ended, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is an elected member of parliament and has even travelled abroad to accept the Nobel Peace prize she was awarded whilst under house arrest. Sanctions have been lifted or suspended and Western companies are queuing up to return to the country. In Yangon, hotels are fully booked and prices have trebled. Although the reform process started in 2003 with the “Roadmap to Democracy”, real transformation has been visible to the outside world only since August 2011. The speed of change since then has been unexpected for many Myanmarese as well as those watching the country. This article reviews the main changes starting with the November 2010 elections.
