An amateur video has emerged showing traffic police in Rangoon, Burma’s
largest city, flagging down buses on a busy street and pocketing bribe
after bribe. Our Observer says this form of corruption is common – but
that only now, as the government loosens its tight grip on Burmese society, are citizens daring to do anything about it.

The video, surreptitiously shot from above the street, shows packed
buses barely pausing as men sitting in the back jump off, quickly hand
the police some cash, and jump back on, in what is clearly a
well-established routine. This video appeared on the Internet about two
weeks ago and was circulated by Burmese Facebook users; while it is
unclear who filmed or first posted it, our Observer in Rangoon confirms
that it was filmed in his city, as the buses’ line numbers are clearly
visible in the video.



Burma is ranked 180th out of 183 countries in Transparency International’s 2011 corruption index, with 183 being the worst.