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The most prominent was the large banner welcoming President Thein Sein, complemented by massive billboards of the president and Irrawaddy Region\u2019s chief minister. Newly distributed calendars for the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) hanging in many teashops and houses.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center info \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/26460\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2015\/green_white_in_the_delta.jpg?itok=KRUW2Hy1 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2015\/green_white_in_the_delta.jpg?itok=eTdRcq0D 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u0022710\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2015\/green_white_in_the_delta.jpg?itok=eTdRcq0D\u0022 alt=\u0022A bridge painted green and white for the visit of President Thein Sein in the Irrawaddy Delta on October 31, 2015.\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EA bridge painted green and white for the visit of President Thein Sein in the Irrawaddy Delta on October 31, 2015.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2015 Human Rights Watch\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne welcoming flourish was funnily cryptic. Instead of the spruced up roadways with crash-guard pillions on the edge of the road painted in the standard red and white for vehicular safety, the Ngapudaw bridge and roadways crash-guards were instead newly painted green and white, the colors of the USDP. Apparently repainting was a priority, as red is the color of the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). This USDP-friendly road safety color scheme could be interpreted by some as Burmese\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eyedayay\u003C\/em\u003E (black magic), but the real reason was an attempt by zealous party official to make things aesthetically appealing for the president.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut the green versus red contest is not just about road signs. It has also arisen in some ruling party official speeches. During his visit in Ngapudaw,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.irrawaddy.org\/election\/news\/burma-has-changed-enough-thein-sein-says\u0022\u003Ethe president told the crowds\u003C\/a\u003E, \u201cWhat more change do you want? If you want more, go for communism. Nobody wants communism do they?\u201d This evokes a long-term fault-line between the military founded USDP and the opposition NLD, who the military have accused in the past of being communist-inspired. In a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.elevenmyanmar.com\/politics\/nld-attacked-using-colour-blood\u0022\u003Espeech on October 10\u003C\/a\u003E, the USDP vice-speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House of Parliament), Mya Nyien, told crowds that green was a pleasant color but red symbolized blood. \u0022Green [USDP\u0027s colour] symbolises the development of the country and it means being pleasant,\u0022 he said. \u0022If one wants to know what red means, go to Martyrs\u0027 Mausoleum [which honors Burma\u2019s Independence hero General Aung San and members of the cabinet assassinated in 1947], which was blown up by explosives\u2026 What happened to the Martyrs\u0027 Mausoleum? What colour appeared?\u0022 The crowd replied \u0022red.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis subtle campaigning on the divide between green (army\/USDP) and red (communist\/NLD) produces unease amongst many in Burma, who have weathered a long history of division between the military and the people. The veiled threats of the USDP through this messaging has its ludicrous dimension, but it is also a cultural transcript of intimidation that many Burmese take seriously.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__283061__en","data":"","settings":null}]