There’s a lovely big park in the middle of Yangon, called the People’s Park. It’s right opposite the Shwedagon Pagoda and across the road from Pete’s work, so we pass it quite often. In fact today when I went past there was a lovely smell of freshly mown grass as there are huge swathes of grassy parkland, interspersed with some quite manicured topiary and trees and shrubs of all kinds. It looks nice and shady and welcoming.

But the really weird thing about the People’s Park is that no-one is allowed in it. Not one person. No-one. It was built, some time ago, as a parade ground for the military, abutting as it does, the government building. Parliament I suppose. Except they moved out over five years ago as did the military and still no-one is allowed in the park. I mean, I know there is still a rule that the Burmese are not allowed to gather in groups, but still. The People’s Park. Only, not for the people. How very Myanmar.