The Frame
A photo blog of world events by Sacbee.com Assistant Director of Multimedia Tim Reese.
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October 7, 2009
Daily life in Myanmar
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration said last week it will not relax harsh sanctions against military-run Myanmar even as it pursues a new policy of direct talks with the Southeast Asian nation's generals. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, told the Senate Foreign Relations Asia subcommittee that lifting sanctions as the administration attempts to start a dialogue, without Myanmar making any democratic changes, would be a mistake. The U.S. and other Western nations applied sanctions because of Myanmar's poor human rights record and its failure to turn over power to detained Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party after it won the last elections in 1990. The following pictures are recent images made by Agence France-Presse photographer Nicolas Asfouri of life in Myanmar. (17 images)

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Young Buddhist novices on the back of a public bus as they seek alms for food at dawn in Mandalay on Sept. 29. Buddhism in Myanmar is followed by a majority of the population. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri


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Girls apply Tanaka on their face inside the Kaung Mu Taw pagoda, in Sagaing on the outskirts of Mandalay on Sept. 29. The Tanaka is a piece of wood that is rubbed on a flat stone with a small amount of water to create a thick brownish colored liquid that is then applied to the face and body. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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Buddhist novices queue to get food at the Maha Gent Nar Youn monastery in Mandalay on Sept. 29. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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Workers build a road in Sagaing on the outskirts of Mandalay on Sept. 29. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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Two Buddhist nuns walk along a road at dawn in Mandalay on Sept. 29. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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Chinese-Myanmar Than Than Win, left, and her daughter, May Su Aung, sit in their fabric shop in the Chinese market in Mandalay on Sept. 28. The Chinese are largely responsible for the economic revitalization of downtown Mandalay, now rebuilt with apartment blocks, hotels and shopping malls, returning the city to its role as the trading hub connecting lower and upper Myanmar, China, and India. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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A baby sleeps in a hammock as his mother prepares food at their home on top of Mandalay hill on Sept. 28. Mandalay is considered the economic hub of upper Myanmar and the cultural centre of the country, with a continuing influx of Chinese immigrants mostly from Yunnan Province, reshaping the city's ethnic makeup and increasing its economic dynamism over the past 20 years. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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A man yawns as he sits before the view from Mandalay hill. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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People sell goods at Zaycho market in Mandalay. Zaycho Market is the largest, the most important and oldest market in Mandalay as well as in the northern part of the country. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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People make their way through the Zaycho market, in Mandalay on Sept. 28. Zaycho in Burmese means "cheap price." AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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A man gets a hair cut and shave at a hairdresser in Yangon on Sep. 26. Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates show 60 million people across Asia are stuck below the 1.25 USD-a-day poverty line because of the economic downturn. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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A girl wears tanaka powder at a market in Mandalay on Sept. 28. Tanaka powder, derived from the bark of the tanaka tree is used women as skincare and sunscreen for the face and body. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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People on a public bus in Mandalay on Sept. 28. The city of Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar, and is also an economic hub. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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Local people fish in the Taungthaman lake near the U Bein's bridge on the outskirts of Mandalay on Sept. 29. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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A woman carries a basket on her head as she walks between pagodas at the Sanda Muni pagoda in Mandalay. The Sanda Muni Buddha Image is situated to the east of the Kyauktaw Gyi Pagoda. Cast by King Bodawpaya before the founding of the city of Mandalay, it features stone tablets inscribing the teachings of Buddha under each white pagoda. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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A local woman carries water in Bagan. UNESCO has unsuccessfully tried to designate Bagan as a World Heritage Site. The military junta has haphazardly restored ancient stupas, temples and buildings, ignoring original architectural styles and using modern materials that bear no resemblance to the original designs. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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An old man smokes a local cigar in Bagan on Sept. 30. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas Asfouri



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