Pyinmana: Myanmar staged its first official ceremony in its new administrative capital Pyinmana on Monday, defying those calling for democratic reforms with a major display of military force.

Addressing almost 13,000 troops on Armed Forces Day, the leader of the isolated military-ruled state, Senior General Than Shwe, said it needed strong armed forces during its transition to “disciplined democracy”.

“If we are going to practise multi-party democracy, we need peace and stability. That is why the military is striving constantly to see that peace and stability prevails,” said the 73-year-old leader who is rarely seen in public.

“The people, together with the military, must also strive hard to build a modern, developed state where disciplined democracy flourishes.”

It took an hour for six columns of troops — nearly double the number in previous parades — to assemble on the vast concrete parade ground in Myanmar’s largest-ever military parade.

The troops marched onto the grounds from an eight-lane highway, one of the few finished roads in Pyinmana, as residents lined the roadside putting garlands of flowers over the soldiers’ heads.

Than Shwe later reviewed the troops from an open-topped utility vehicle under the gaze of three towering, golden statues of ancient Burmese kings.

Armed Forces Day, which celebrates the start of Myanmar’s campaign against occupying Japanese forces in World War II, was the first official function held in remote, malaria-ridden Pyinmana.

The notoriously secretive State Peace and Development Council abruptly announced in November it was moving the government 350 kilometers (215 miles) north of Yangon to the town surrounded by mountains, in a move that stunned diplomats.

Embassy defense attaches were the only foreigners allowed at the parade, which was held almost 10 kilometers outside the main town at the new military headquarters.

Sources in Yangon say the site, where Than Shwe and other senior generals have villas, is more than 80 percent complete but signs of construction could still be seen in the hastily-built parade venue.

One army engineer told AFP he was ordered to lay the massive concrete site in just three months, and newly planted palm trees stood near roughly constructed barracks. Most residents wear masks against the dust of dirt roads.

Sources say some of the ministries are working via video conferences with Yangon but others appear not to have opened, with their staff in Pyinmana seen playing volleyball instead.

Analysts say that with the relocation, the regime is further isolating itself in the face of growing calls for democracy.

The opposition National League for Democracy party used its annual gathering Monday to call for the release from house arrest of its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has become the focus of international efforts to force the junta to reform.

The military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, has issued a “road map” for democracy, including talks on a new constitution, but the NLD has boycotted the process and critics have dismissed it as a farce.

The junta again suspended constitutional talks in January after just two months of deliberations, dashing any hopes of ending the process this year and deepening international frustration over the lack of reforms.

But other than a call “to destroy all enemies of the state”, Than Shwe’s speech lacked the anti-Western aggression that has marked previous statements from the junta.

He made no mention of the regime’s sudden decision to relocate the capital deeper inland.

Myanmar’s generals are reportedly afraid of a US attack amid invasion rumors that have swirled since the start of the war in Iraq. Yangon, accessible by sea, would be an easy target, while Pyinmana is more easily defensible.

But observers say there could be other reasons. Diplomats have said the junta seems to want to cement its place in history by following the path of ancient Burmese kings who shifted the capital 10 times over the centuries.

The town has been called “Nawpyidaw”, or the “seat of kings” in state press and by commentators at Monday’s ceremony.

Others have credited the junta’s obsession with astrology, believing Myanmar’s leaders have sought otherworldly guidance in deciding to move to Pyinmana.