Reasons Not to Go

• International tourism can be seen to give a stamp of approval to the SPDC
• Aung San Suu Kyi (mehr) and the NLD have called on the international community to boycott travel to Myanmar until the candidates elected in 1990 are allowed to form a government
• The government keeps travellers away from areas where forced labour or repression of minorities is occurring
• It is difficult to avoid some government-owned businesses, tourism sites and transport, and impossible to avoid the mandatory purchase of US$200 worth of FECs
• Forced labour has been used to construct some of the country's tourism infrastructure

Reasons to Go

• Tourism remains one of the few industries to which ordinary Burmese have access. Any reduction in tourism means a reduction in local income-earning opportunities
• It is becoming increasingly possible to travel in Myanmar without staying in government-owned hotels, using government-owned transport etc
• Many pro-democracy activists within Myanmar itself argue that sanctions are counter-productive, and that economic development can lead to political liberalisation
• Keeping the Burmese isolated from international witnesses to internal oppression may only cement the government's control

If You Decide to Go

In order to maximise the positive effects of a visit among the general populace, while minimising support of the government, follow these simple tactics:

• Stay at private, locally owned hotels and guesthouses Avoid package tours connected with Myanmar Travel & Tours
• Avoid MTT-sponsored modes of transport, such as the Yangon-Mandalay Express trains, the MTT ferry between Mandalay and Bagan, and Myanma Airways (MA) flights
• Buy handicrafts directly from the artisans, rather than from government shops
• Avoid patronising companies involved with the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings. Companies with solid links to the Tatmadaw (armed forces) are often called Myawadi or Myawaddy
• Write to the Myanmar government and to the Myanmar embassy in your country expressing your views about the human-rights situation there

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