Earlier in the week I offered some brief reflections on the occasion of Kachin State Day, 10 January 2012.

Kachin News Group now has a report on events in Myitkyina that day. It sounds like the modest event, held in the government compound down the road from the Manau ground, was of an entirely different register to much of what we have seen on Kachin State Days over the past decade. A quick glance at the photograph suggests that contingents of government employees made up a fair portion of the audience.

Moreover, it sounds like there really wasn’t much to see. Usually Kachin State Day is a feast for the senses and a showcase of colour, movement and energy. For 2012, a chunk of text with the words of a government representative is a reasonable illustration of the contrast.