Places: Burma/Myanmar

In 2005, upon opening Air Mandalay's in-flight magazine one would immediately see a text box outlining "The People's Desire," a phrase being promulgated by the government through the written press.  

It read as follows:  

1) Oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views; 

2) Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and Progress of the nation; 

3) Oppose foreign nationals interfering in internal affairs of the state; 

4) Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy. 

The following photos, taken in 2005, feature scenery and everyday life found in Bagan, Mandalay, Amarapura and Yangon (formerly Rangoon). As a tourist, I did not see the overt oppression, as suggested by the language in the in-flight magazine, but I could tell that it simmered just beneath a surface of calm.