Asia: Myanmar (Burma) — to go or not to go?
I’ve been following the news this week about widespread protests by monks and everyday people against the military dictatorship in the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar (formerly called Burma). One pundit I heard interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR) said that the government is closer to toppling than it has been in two decades. Yesterday, President Bush announced new sanctions against Myanmar, calling for that government to bring democracy to its own people.
To go or not to go to Myanmar? Over the years, there has been a lot of debate about whether international tourism helps or hurts the people of Myanmar.
On the pro side, groups such as the Free Burma Coalition argue that increased contact with outsiders and a limited infusion of cash to nongovernment-owned hotels and other businesses will help the cause of freedom in the country.
On the con side, dissident leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung Sun Suu Kyi has encouraged tourists to boycott Burma because visa fees give the government hard foreign currency and forced labor has been used in the tourism industry.
Alternatively, Voices of Burma encourages a more measured approach to responsible travel: tourists should carefully assess the impact of their planned trips on locals’ lives.
Have you been to Myanmar (Burma)? Do you feel your visit had a positive or negative impact on the situation there? Share your 2 cents in the Comments section below.
Why Go: If there’s a change to a less-repressive government in Myanmar, paying the traveler’s visa fee (currently $20, plus a $10 airport departure fee for international passengers) would be a guilt-free proposition.
Why Not: Until the in-country situation stabilizes, recreational tourism is obviously not the safest idea. Check the U.S. Department of State website for more updates on the situation for travelers.
Contact: Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board
The Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, (202) 332-3344
Related Los Angeles Times links:
Planning your trip to Myanmar
All that glitters is not gold in Myanmar’s political landscape
Your Scene: Temple break in Myanmar
– Sara Benson, L.A. Times Travel Deal Detective
[Photo: Joe Robinson / Los Angeles Times]
4 Comments on “Asia: Myanmar (Burma) — to go or not to go?”
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September 27th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Yes this is a great question> Having lived and worked there for 2 years I don’t have a solid answer. Its good to have people learn more about the plight of people living in Myanmar. Yes the goverment treats tourist with kid gloves and you are closely watched. Do you see the real struggle, probably not. Do you hear the gut wrenching stories of how people live day to day probably not.
During my time there I found the poverty difficult to handle everyday day after day. And I came from rural alaska where I had experienced serious 3rd world living conditions there. No easy answers and I left because I was making a difference as a teacher, yet the living condition are challenging.
I only hope change occurs for the people of Myanmar, but it is far more complex than some 2 week vacation where you know in tens you’ll return to US and Socal.
If we think our current overseas problems are tough this would raise the bar, beleive me.
We’re talking 50 years of nelgect and decay country wide. A system of corruption that rivals anywahere in the world. Lack of education and health services that are KILLING people everyday.
A solution keep the WHITE GUYS aways and see what happens next.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I was in Myanmar last year. Prior to landing, I could literally feel the oppression in the air. It was a life-changing experience for me to go. I can’t wait to go back. The people were friendly and polite. I think it is good to go to visit. I will attempt to go again soon. What this land needs right now, more than anything, is the same thing our own land needs - prayer! While there, I was treated like a king, by the people I encountered. Even at that time, lines to acquire fuel were about a mile long. Some slept in their vehicles overnight in order to get a turn at fueling-up. The poverty is beyond words.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
My partner is Burmese so we visit Myanmar together, most recently in February with our newborn daughter . As a foreigner I am required to report to all local police of every town I visit as I am travelling with a Burmese citizen. I travel on a social visa however I am not allowed to sleep at my inlaws home nor either home of any other friend or relative. We are often scrutinized as we venture out together as most are suspicious of what a foreigner woman would be doing with a local man. The local people recognize instantly that our child is half Burmese and smile, friendly and interested in a gentle way. I love the local people, their culture and beliefs which is why I continue to travel to Myanmar each year. It is difficult to travel with things such as no atm machines, no credit cards and no mobile phone coverage. Internet has been recently introduced but rarely reliable. I often wonder if it is intended to be that way, make it hard and we just might not come and see what we should not see. I have seen many changes in the 3 years that I have visited, sadly none of these changes reflect freedom of any kind for the people. My partner has not lived in his country for over 10 years and is increasingly worried as his family remain in this situation.
It is a beautiful country full of warm people, I encourage you to look past the military and government owned facilities and visit thus supporting the local peoples establishments. This is the only way to visit this country.
October 5th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Long live controversial guidebooks. (Full disclosure: I worked on Lonely Planet’s Myanmar/Burma guides of 2000 and 2002, as a freelance writer.)
Before my first visit, I was inclined to support a boycott of Myanmar, including publishing guidebooks. But during the course of subsequent visits, I met and spoke to many people in the democracy movement — the one inside Myanmar, not London. I spoke to people who had worked with Aung San Suu Kyi, and had been jailed for several years. I spoke with the brothers of a Mandalay theater performer who was imprisoned at hard labor for several years for telling a joke on the government from the steps of Suu Kyi’s home in Rangoon (he was re-arrested last week, we’ve learned). And I spoke to a merchant in a small mountain town who was under constant surveillance by the local police. He proudly showed me a huge poster of his hero Suu Kyi, in his courtyard, and then without a hint of contradiction, earnestly asked to me tell everyone outside Burma to please visit the country and see what was happening for themselves.
While I was there, I probably didn’t tell more than three people what I was doing, working on a guidebook for travelers. When curious hotel owners wondered why I was asking so many questions, and writing down the answers no less, I responded that friends from Bangkok were about to visit and wanted me to recommend a decent hotel, etc. The next day, I made sure I used a smaller, less conspicuous notebook. The only animosity I ever heard directed towards foreigners came from local ‘tourist information’ officials who were constantly looking for hostile ‘journalists’, that is, anyone with a memory and a pencil.
Regarding the question of whether or not to visit the country, people are right to worry about where their money goes — to the generals or to local people. As a writer, I think it’s impossible to guarantee that some tourist dollars do not go to the military junta. It is possible, however, to vigorously do research that minimizes support for this government. Travelers on the ground actually do a good job of figuring this out, for the most part.
It’s important to know that there is an active democracy movement inside Myanmar/Burma, and its many voices include Nobel Peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. As with any legitimate debate, however, the democracy movement in Burma has a plurality of voices. A movement that doesn’t, including ones that purport to speak for the Burmese people, is one that needs a closer look.
Finally, publishers (and others considering a boycott) should remember UK publisher Rough Guide’s decision to drop their Burma book, in the name of democracy (and earn a spot on the Burma Campaign UK’s ‘clean list’). I gave up long ago waiting for Rough Guide to drop their cash cow China book on similar grounds. Didn’t happen, never will. Like many Burmese I have met, I feel the more people who go to Myanmar, and “bear witness”, the sooner the situation on the ground can change. Then I’ve got a list of countries, including my own, to work on.