Naypyitaw: President Barack Obama received a hero's welcome two years ago during his historic visit to Myanmar, whose rapid rebirth after decades of repression was a source of hope for the region and beyond.
When Obama meets Thursday with President Thein Sein in the nation's sparking new capital, he'll carry a far grimmer message. He'll warn of a worrisome backslide in Myanmar's march toward a freer and fairer society.
A nationwide cease-fire with armed ethnic groups has yet to materialize. Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition figure, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee), is banned from next year's pivotal elections. Scores of Rohingya (ROH'-hin-GAH') Muslims are fleeing for fear of violence at the hands of Buddhist mobs, while roughly 140,000 more remain trapped in camps under dismal conditions.
