After their major bet on the Thilawa special economic zone south of Yangon, Japanese contractors have plans to deepen the Yangon River's estuary so that cargo ships can sail directly up to the city's shores and offload more containers of cars that are already being briskly snapped up at busy dealerships.

CNN: From Burma to Myanmar: Land of rising expectations

The younger Guthrie, who navigates cargo ships on the Mississippi River, said he couldn't really imagine leaving.

CNN: Rebuilding homes, rebuilding lives

The 13 fishermen were found dead inside two Chinese cargo ships in October 2011 on the Thai side of the river.

BBC: China parades foreign Mekong killers before execution