Changing times lie ahead for Myanmar

The passport-check at Yangon International Airport told an interesting story. Two men in front of me, in the "Diplomats and Officials" line were dressed in what is often described in the fashion pages as smart-casual. They carried US diplomatic passports. In front of them stood two men, attired in black suits. They spoke in Japanese.

Regardless of attire, the polite female customs official had a warm smile of greeting for everyone. "For the summit?" she asked when she returned my passport, a question she must have asked many times.

Flight tickets to Nay Pyi Taw from Bangkok were sold out two weeks before the ASEAN related summit. The normally quiet capital has become a hive of activity as it welcomes leaders from the region and beyond. Times are changing in Myanmar.