Discreet boom highlights Yangon's resilience

With its graceful riverfront colonnade and grand facade, Yangon's first "ultraluxury" hotel, the Rosewood Yangon, is also a striking reminder of the city's past. Originally a British colonial-era law court, it was occupied by Japanese troops during the Second World War and later became party headquarters for the military regime that ruled what was then called Burma. Now, after a painstaking $150 million five-year restoration, the sprawling 205-room hotel is a conspicuous sign of confidence that Yangon -- Myanmar's economic heart -- is on the up.