TheIrrawaddy

The Irrawaddy magazine covers Myanmar, its neighbors and Southeast Asia. The magazine is published by Irrawaddy Publishing Group (IPG) which was established by Myanmar journalists living in exile in 1993.

EDITOR (English Edition): Kyaw Zwa Moe

COPY DESK: Neil Lawrence; Paul Vrieze; Samantha Michaels

CONTRIBUTORS to this issue: Aung Zaw; Kyaw Zwa Moe; Saw Yan Naing; Marwaan Macan-Markar; Samantha Michaels; Min Zin; Kyaw Phyo Tha; Dominic Faulder; Sean Havey; William Boot; Simon Roughneen; Virginia Henderson; David Gilbert

PHOTOGRAPHERS : JPaing; Steve Tickner

LAYOUT DESIGNER: Banjong Banriankit

REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS MAILING ADDRESS: The Irrawaddy, P.O. Box 242, CMU Post Offi ce, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.

YANGON BUREAU : No. 197, 2nd Floor, 32nd Street (Upper Block), Pabedan Township, Yangon, Myanmar. TEL: 01 388521, 01 389762

EMAIL: editors@irrawaddy.org

SALES&ADVERTISING: advertising@irrawaddy.org

PRINTER: Chotana Printing (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

PUBLISHER : Thaung Win (Temp-1728)

Features

14 |

Border: Peace Be Dammed

After years of ethnic conflict, people in eastern Myanmar’s border regions now have a new worry: recently restarted dam projects on the Thanlwin River

18 | Regional: The Die is Cast: Buddhist Sri Lanka Faces a Casino Choice

Efforts to give Sri Lanka’s tourism industry a boost run up against opposition from the country’s moral guardians: Buddhist monks

20 |

Society: Myanmar Patients Pay the Price

Reform is underway, but the country’s neglected health-care system offers no quick fixes

26 |

COVER Why the Past Can’t be Put to Rest

The parents of a girl who was killed by Myanmar’s army in 1988 say their daughter will only rest in peace when real democracy is restored

30 |

COVER Lessons of ‘88

The failure of the 1988 uprising points to the challenges Myanmar faced then, and still faces today

34 | Business: Mechanics Forced to Retool as Newer Cars Flood Myanmar’s Market

After decades of working on nothing but clunkers, Myanmar’s mechanics must now try to catch up quickly with the latest in automotive technology

38 | Business: Airlines Scramble to Land in Myanmar, but Visas Still up in the Air

There are more ways than ever to fly to Myanmar, but actually entering the country can still be a complicated business

40

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Business: Pun to Give Rivals a Run for Their Money

Serge Pun may have lost his bid for a lucrative telecoms deal, but he still expects to win big as Myanmar’s economy opens up

46 | Culture: Mandalay’s New Day

A celebrated Myanmar artist uses his gifts as a teacher to reawaken a taste for freedom in a new generation