Originally Posted by
Martine
I ve received several different reactions wheather to go or not due to the political and government aspects of the country.
Sure many people will disapprove. I used to wonder the same about Vietnam - and there are many Vietnamese who left after the war who still won't go back. In the end, I just did as much reading as I could and went there in 1993 and have since lived and worked there. My view is that constructive engagement is the best way and through the involvement of international business and to a lesser extent tourism, many of the reforms have become irreversible and a virtuous circle is in place. I don't think I've ever met a VN person that wished foreigners in general weren't there.
But Myanmar is a bit different. Perhaps like VN in the early 1980s - a much more repressive regime. I probably wouldn't go for the simple reason that Aung San Suu Kyi has said that tourists shouldn't visit. She is the closest Burmese people have to a representative leader - having won elections in 1990 which were then ignored by the military government. She subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize and has spent many years since under house arrest. I would feel a bit uncomfortable about going there against the wishes of such a respected figure and leader of her people.
Some info at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi
and some "anti-tourism stuff" here:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/action_holiday.html
Anyway, there is an issue there. I would read up some of the stuff and then make your own judgement. I'm sure if nothing else Burmese people would appreciate people who pitch up with at least some background knowledge.
Certainly in Vietnam I sometimes cringe at some of the crass and ignorant remarks some visiting foreigners come out with. Often people arrive with a daft, close minded point of view, only see stuff that confirms their warped opinion and then leave with everything re-inforced. Only now they are more dangerous - because now they can boast to their friends that "they've seen it for real" and therefore speak with even more authority. Defeats the purpose of travelling if you do so with a closed mind. (But I have an open mind on that!)