US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit in December 2011 was perhaps the
strongest signal that Western perceptions of Burma have dramatically shifted over the
past year (Reuters)

British Foreign Secretary William Hague became the first top-level diplomat from the UK
to visit Burma since 1955 when he arrived in early January, and met with the president
and Aung San Suu Kyi (Reuters)

India sought to push military ties with Burma further when it dispatched its army chief,
General VK Singh, there in December (Reuters)

Billionaire financier George Soros has long funded Burma's exiled pro-democracy
movement, but after his recent visit he announced he would open his first in-country
office to boost the reform effort (Reuters)

Japan has reinvigorated its often temperamental relations with Burma, as
demonstrated by Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba's trip there in December 2011, the
first such visit by Japan since 2002 (Reuters)

US envoy to Burma Derek Mitchell this week made his fourth trip to Burma since being
appointed to his post in the middle of last year, as the US steps up diplomatic efforts in
the country in the wake of apparent reform (Reuters)

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Sinawatra has made two trips to Burma since coming to
office in July 2010, the most recent one in December when she met with Suu Kyi
(Reuters)

The past two months have seen a flurry of VIPs arrive in Burma, from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December to British Foreign Secretary William Hague last week. The level of diplomatic activity around Burma is almost unprecedented, and marks a concerted effort by western nations to boost the reform effort undertaken by President Thein Sein and plant a stake in the country’s future. Regional countries have also matched this drive, with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Sinawatra visiting in December to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, and India’s army chief dispatched in order to boost military ties between the two countries.