The Rangoon headquarters of the National League for Democracy, Burma's main opposition group and the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, isn't very impressive. In front of the simple squat structure, a fading red sign tells visitors - and military intelligence, always lurking - where they are. Inside, men in their seventies and eighties, dressed in the traditional longyi sarong, sit on plastic chairs around chipped tables, sorting wads of the nearly worthless currency to give to colleagues in jail. Younger supporters flip through glossy magazines full of photos of celebrities.

LRB 19 August 2010 | PDF Download