Much to my disappointment, my sister has not seen any tanks. She has seen lots and lots of soldiers, but that’s not very exciting (especially as I live 30 miles of the world’s largest marine base).
So it has been a peaceful, calm take-over, and the TV’s are back on. The only effect it has had on Sue’s life is to give her a bit of a vacation. All the borders are closed, so she can’t get to the Burmese refugee camps where she is doing flu research fieldwork this week. She is just inside the Thai border, in Maesot, dining at a beautiful restaurant in the middle of a “swamp.” She says there are winding paths among the trees, and I could hear the waterfall and wild birds calling rhythmically in the background. It’s her birthday tomorrow.