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waiting in Yangon while the generals dithered in far-off Naypyitaw, and European and US
naval ships stood waiting off the coast of the Delta, primed to provide relief but denied ac-
cess. Hundreds of thousands of cyclone survivors are thought to have perished due to star-
vation, dehydration and disease thanks to the regime's paranoia and incompetence - perhaps
the most damning indictment of the entire period of military rule, and certainly the most dis-
astrous.
Towards democracy
The elections announced by the military in 2008 were held as promised in November 2010,
although they were boycotted by the NLD since many of its most prominent members were
banned from running. These included Aung San Suu Kyi herself, whose period under house
arrest had been conveniently (from a military standpoint) extended after she had reluctantly
given shelter to US citizen John Yettaw , who had swum across Inya Lake to her house in
order to gain an audience. Given the non-participation of the NLD, widespread allegations
of electoral intimidation and other irregularities, and the fact that a quarter of all seats were
reserved for the military, the subsequent landslide victory for the government-backed Union
Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was therefore largely inevitable, though on a
morepositivenote,afewdaysaftertheelectionAungSanSuuKyiwasfinallyreleasedfrom
house arrest, apparently this time for good.
The SPDC was officially dissolved on March 30, 2011 and replaced by the newly elected
(or, at least, “elected”) USDP government led by former general and junta prime minister
Thein Sein - 77-year-old Than Shwe having decided to stand down from politics, although
rumourssuggestthatheremainsapowerfulbehind-the-scenesinfluence.Thenewleaderwas
widely seen as a moderate and reformist - although he was also known for his key role in
blocking relief efforts following Cyclone Nargis, as well as his anti-Rohingya policies.
Despite its military background, the new government set about initiating a series of land-
mark reforms . Anti-corruption legislation was passed, hundreds of political prisoners re-
leased, strike laws eased and the formerly stifling press censorship significantly reduced -
with images of Aung San Suu Kyi, banned just a few years previously, now seen everywhere
from newspapers to T-shirts. Signs of economic reform could also be seen - a normalization
of government-fixed currency exchange rates led to a virtual disappearance of the formerly
ubiquitous black market, while foreign companies were allowed to do business in Myanmar
for the first time in half a century, with Ford, Nissan, Suzuki and Coca-Cola among the first
arrivals. Political progress also followed, with the NLD participating in 2012 by-elections ,
winning 43 out of the 44 seats they contested. Aung San Suu Kyi herself won the seat of
Kawhmu township in Yangon and has continued to be allowed to travel freely around the
country.
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