Inside Rangoon, Burma

 

June 19, 2009 5:36 PM

Yangon was the capital of Myanmar until the government moved it about 320 km to Naypyitaw in 2005. The economic crisis and neglect of the military junta has left much of the city in disrepair. . (See related article.)

A woman in Yangon, which was formely called Rangoon. Yangon remains a semi-rural city, with dirt roads and downtown buildings topped with corrugated metal roofs.. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

A picture of a bus in Yangon May 31. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

A young boy goes to work in a tea shop in Yangon May 31. The global economic crisis and instability in Myanmar have driven more children to search for jobs. Some work in tea shops from 5 a.m. until the evening, often earning less than $10 a month. In exchange, they often get room and board. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

Two men walk down the street in downtown Yangon May 29. Buildings once magnificent are now crumbling under the military junta’s rule. In 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved near the town of Pyinmana, approximately 320 km north of Yangon. The government has spent millions of dollars on the new capital. As a result, services in Yangon such as electricity, which was poor to begin with, are getting worse. Residents of some neighborhoods have no more than six hours of electricity a day. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

A woman sells birdseed on one of Yangon’s busiest streets. She can hope to earn 50 cents a day to support her three children. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

People pile into a “pick-up” in downtown Yangon May 30. This is the cheapest mode of transportation in the city, and it often goes where buses don’t. Motorcycles are relatively uncommon in Yangon except for military and police use, and many people can’t afford taxis. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

Men gather in the late afternoon on a street in Yangon May 30. The sidewalks throughout most of the city are in great disrepair, and there are often open sewers lining the streets. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

Monks shop in downtown Yangon May 29. They stand across the street from where a Japanese photographer was shot and killed during the anti-government protests in 2007. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

A monk walks past an elephant in Yangon’s zoo June 1. The elephants are chained to a post and unable to move about. Last year the government took many of the zoo’s animals to the new capital.
(Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

Villagers in front of their home in a village on the outskirts of Rangoon, Burma, May 31, 2009. She reports that her income has been halved in the past year. She is now able to make 75 cents a day selling firewood. Her husband work at a construction site. Many report that their work as been greatly affected by the global economy and their income has been almost halved. Some lost their jobs in the garment factories while other have trouble selling things at the markets. They work doing whatever is possible selling firewood, working at the construction sight and as carpenters. The work is hard and dangerous. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

A World War II era bus, in Rangoon Burma passes in the main Downtown area, May 31, 2009, as seen form the window of a car of the same age. Fuel is rationed and there is a limit to the amount cars and taxis can buy. Making public transportation the only option for most. The government allows only a few thousand cars to be imported each year, car prices in Burmaare among the highest in the world. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

An eight-year-old girl teaches her younger sister to read in a village on the outskits of Yangon May 31. They use lamps that can be charged during the day, as there is no electricity at night. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

A young wealthy couple embraces at the Kandawgyi Lake in Yangon June 5. (Aliece Alisha for The Wall Street Journal)

http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2009/06/19/inside-yangon-myanmar/