Nothing is quite what it seems. Security has improved, although antagonism among the minority ethnic groups toward the majority Burmans still exists. Planes flying into Yangon are often full. But in the capital, many restaurants and bright new hotels appear empty. Despite economic hardship, sidewalk merchants are busy and the streets are jammed with traffic.
Schools have so few resources that most parents pay for extra private tuition for their children.
Yet the level of spoken English is better than in neighboring Thailand. Universities have remained closed since student protests in December 1996. In a country where even tertiary education is uncertain, it is no wonder that people glean whatever information they can from whatever clues are available. There is so little transparency, and so much obfuscation and dissembling, that no one is ever sure of anything. This is certainly the case when it comes to explaining the recent changes in the military government.