Burma Capital Flourishes as Millions Suffer
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar — Getting to see one of the world's most reclusive military strongmen requires a VIP flight, armed escorts, and soldiers pointing the way — not to mention a disaster of epic proportions.
David Longstreath/AP
THREE KINGS Burma soldiers march yesterday during Armed Forces Day ceremonies in the new capital city of Naypyitaw. The generals moved the capital to a central location north of Rangoon with extravagant buildings and giant statues of former Burmese kings.
Even a calamity the size of Cyclone Nargis hasn't stopped construction in the newly built capital of Naypyitaw, Senior General Than Shwe's extravagant vanity project. The junta leader and his team of generals have overseen its making since 2005.
General Shwe's rising Shangri-La of officialdom contrasts starkly with the misery in the rest of the country, one of the poorest and most repressed in the world.
A sign outside one government office read, "Can I Help You?" But a few hundred miles south, that was an offer in short supply where thousands of homeless survivors begged for food on the roadsides.
The cyclone's floodwaters have left more than 2 million people hungry, homeless, and at risk of disease. The xenophobic government has admitted it needs foreign expertise and $11 billion to rebuild. But it waited nearly a month to allow some foreign aid workers access to the disaster zone.
During a visit to Naypyitaw, General Shwe and other top generals received U.N. Secretary General Ban last Friday and granted a small group of foreign journalists a rare glimpse inside his palatial compound.
The journey began with a one-hour flight aboard a chartered government plane from Rangoon. From the airport, it was a 40-minute drive on a Los Angeles-style eight-lane highway to General Shwe's opulent meeting room.
Entering the city required passage through a fenced checkpoint along the highway. Soldiers greeted the VIP motorcade with salutes as it moved along the main road, passing sprawling new golf courses and resorts with signs like "The Thingaha — über cool." Few people were spotted anywhere.
Inside one resort, well-groomed waiters served cool green melon drinks.
The capital, segregated into military and civilian districts, is surrounded by hills believed to hold a hive of bunkers. Bronze statues of three former Burmese kings pay tribute to a history of military might. Naypyitaw means "abode of kings" in Burmese.
General Shwe and the U.N. chief sat side by side on throne-like chairs with floral upholstery.
"He told me that he has never had any such candid meeting with anybody else in the world," Mr. Ban said, hoping that the face-to-face session would hasten the regime's willingness to accept outside help for cyclone victims.
At the end, Ban walked away with a promise of more access for foreign aid workers to the hard-hit Irrawaddy delta region.
"This is just the beginning of my dialogue and communication with the Myanmar authorities," Mr. Ban said. "Let us see how this will develop."
