for more on this, rachel harvey joins me from the main city of rangoon. in a rare move, the burmese authorities have allowed us in. it is significant that your reporting from there, and this. by william hague. >> yes, britain being the former colonial power, there is a huge amount of history between parmalat and britain, but there has not been any dialogue in that relationship for decades. that is what william hague wants to change. he is here, in his own words, to encourage steps towards reform. many western governments say they're pleased with what they have seen so far, the changes that seem to be under way, but the want to see a lot more, not the least of which is the release of all political prisoners and the improvement of human rights and freedoms. the messages we are here to support you in trying to speed up this process of reform. it is a process the government describes as a move towards democratization. the question is, how far and how fast that process will go. >> apart from leading burmese leaders, is william had also set to meet the oppositi

. >> this is the fourth day of a film festival in rangoon, an extraordinary event. it is enormous to watch uncensored films. the festival is backed by some very high-profile names, not least the woman who is keen on giving support to young filmmakers and burma, encourage them to find a bond that threatens them. another high profile name that has been pushing hard ever since he was released is the comedian, who was only set free in october. they feel this is a really good way to test the small space that may be opening for freedom of expression. and there is a huge appetite for this kind of thing. >> we have never had freedom like this before, so this is a really important event. surprised this was allowed to go ahead, but it is a new government and things are changing. what really surprises me is how many people are here. >> the films being shown seems slightly more provocative. it is extraordinary this film is shown in public at all. the images show the 2007 uprising, a protest that was put down of violently by the military authorities. here we are in the center of

our correspondent rachel harvey has been following his visit in rangoon. >> the atmosphere, the moodn the streets has changed dramatically in the past year. when i have come here before, people have always been polite, very friendly, but there has also been a fearful lest that speaking to a foreigner might land and in trouble. but now, people are beginning to believe that the changes that have begun in the country might actually be will judy reel. william hague says he believes there is a genuine momentum to the reforms and his government is sincere about its desire to change. the question of where it is all going to leave, how far these reforms might go, because there are sanctions still in place. and although william hague talked about the potential burma has if the trend continues, unless there is investment, unless the economy picks up, and ordinary people will not feel the benefits. but sanctions will not be lifted until there is more concrete steps toward reform. that has been the clear message from william hague and from other visiting diplomats. the whole idea is to try to co

as april elections approach, a walk around rangoon for the chance of a successful ballot. >> this whole area would be swarmed with lots of protesters. some people would be holding up banners, in those days. >> in kind of repeated that in 2007 when the monks came out on the street. the thing that given the changes taking place now that we're likely to see those kind of street protests again? or do you think those days are over? >> this is very difficult to say, because people don't believe the reforms are big or substantial enough. with the people being moved in the country goes towards democracy, have more right to express their wishes. even if they are dissatisfied with something. >> it is always like tentative baby steps toward democracy, what it is all about. the key is how the government, how the military reacts. >> you are exactly right. there are people in the security establishment that have this old mind-set. any sign of dissent should not be tolerated. >> busy, bustling, but peaceful. but the picture here can change very quickly, can't it? >> and the media seems to have landed

. >> driving out of rank who is -- rangoon is like taking a trip back in time.is is the legacy of neglect after decades of military rule. a nation and people have been left behind as the rest of asia blooms. but burma is beginning to change. this township is gearing up for an election, and for the first time in two decades, the nld is running. aung sang suu kyi is at the helm. her face is displayed openly alongside that of her father. he is a hero. she is an icon. the house which doubles as the local clinic belongs to this family. >> we did all of this when we heard that she would run. in the past, we kept her pictures hidden at home. people know our family supports the nld, and they have been asking us where they could get posters and t-shirts. >> her father has been a lifelong supporter of the nld. that was enough to land in two stints in prison. now he is helping the party to prepare for the campaign ahead, confident there will be no repeat of 1990. newe're at the dawn of a beginning. the elections are free and fair. if she wins a seat, i believe she will hel

this is north of rangoon a few days straight and in mandalay. that is when i learned that bugs get one hour a day to be. that is why some of the bull's-eye really big. this is the biggest bowl of rice they'd ever seen in my life. there is so busy getting ready for the meal they didn't seem to mind me getting shoulder to shoulder with them to get this interesting vantage point. and they are very friendly. i have no idea they don't make it an hour. that hour is very, very special. they were streets can't get out blessings and basically get ready for the next meal. this is that you're one a river, in this crazy film crew went to burma with tried to sneak across the river in the south in pyongyang, trying to get you to hear the irrawaddy delta after the cyclone targets just hit. we wanted to document some of the destruction. some of you remember when cnn had sticky cams going into tonight chicago's trains get footage. we found every copley cut and offered them money to let us get on the ferry to go across the river and get into the air when a delta

we went to burma, and this is north of rangoon, a few hour, and that's where i learned that monks get one hour to eat, one hour a day, and that's why some of the bowls are really big, and this was the biggest bowl of rice i had ever seen in my life, and they were so busy preparing for the meal, they didn't mind me getting shoulder to shoulder to get this interesting vantage point, and they are very friendly, but i had no idea it's just an hour, so that hours is very, very special. the rest of the day, they give out blessings and basically prepare for the next meal. this is a river where up north, me and this crazy film crew, we tried to sneak across the river in pyongyang. we wanted to document this destruction. some of you remember when cnn had sneaky cams going in there with their night vision goggles getting footage. we found every cop we could and offered them money to allow us to get on the ferry to cross the river to get into the region. it's the first country i ever been in where i tried to pay off a cop and it didn't work. [laughter] i think they are basically afraid of the se