For a long time when the previous regime was in power and had Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, many travelers boycotted the country not wishing their tourist dollars to support the regime. Plus many other countries and financial institutions etc refused to trade with the country.
After considering the arguments pro and con at that time, I decided to go anyway, my first trip was in 2006. One of my favorite travel experiences ever. It was amazing to see such a beautiful land and people who had been so untouched by the mass tourism of most of their South East Asian neighbors. Unlike any other country that I'd seen.
In 2014 we went back for a return visit. There was now huge optimism growing that things were changing for the better since Aung San Suu Kyi's release in 2010
There was also rapidly growing tourism as the country began opening up to increased western investment etc.
I wanted to get back for another visit before the country was taken over by McDonalds and Starbucks etc. :-)
We retraced some of our steps from the previous trip and also traveled to several new places. At that time, even though there was much increased tourism, it was still nothing like as busy Thailand or even Vietnam .
On this second trip was when we passed through Sittwe on the way to Mrauk U and saw the very disturbing situation with the local people and monks rallying against the Rohingya and booting out all the NGO's that were there assisting the Rohingya with medical care etc. The Rohingya have had their homes and business's confiscated and have been rounded up and many have been placed in concentration camps just outside Sittwe.
The locals in Sittwe seemed to assume that any western faces in town were associated with the unpopular NGO's so it wasn't a pleasant vibe in the town. We didn't stay long and left the following day on the boat to Mrauk U.
Mrauk U was amazing and had only a handful of travelers when we were there.
I can't advise you whether or not to visit the country. It is truly a stunning place. So much to see and unlike anywhere else.
I was shocked that Buddhist monks seemed to be leading what has been a brutal and violent campaign against the Rohingyas. Also shocked when I spoke with other Burmese in other parts of the country who also expressed the same sort of antipathy towards them. So.. for me it has certainly taken the shine off a country and people that I was so enamoured with. Hard dose of reality vs rose coloured glasses I guess. I just wanted to bring this issue to the attention of my fellow travelers if they weren't aware of it.
If you are interested, I have a page on my website re my Myanmar travels and photography.
http://www.msphoto.ca/Myanmar.htm
http://www.msphoto.ca/Burma_slideshow.html
Cheers
Nice photos.
I should add to my previous post that I remain good friends with the people I met in Myanmar. They have been very kind to me and I really enjoyed working with them. However I avoid discussing politics and in particular the Rohingya because they seem to have a blind spot on that subject.
With regard to whether people should travel to Myanmar, you need to distinguish the people from the state. While the politics can be very ugly on a personal level it's a wonderful place to visit.
Thank you-- such a helpful perspective. Really fantastic blog post and pictures. We can't wait to experience it for the first time!
Superb photos and slide show. Wish we had the energy to get to Shwedagon at 4:30 AM as you did! We'll be back there soon - our 9th trip (first trip was in 2002). Can appreciate your comments about the changes you've seen.
I think most Burmese are basically brain-washed from an early age to believe that Rohingya are almost sub-human and do not belong in Myanmar.
I keep in touch with some friends I made in Myanmar while working there in 2015. A recent exchange with an intelligent and well-educated friend began with her asking the question 'Have you read the lies the foreign press has been saying about Myanmar?' I quickly changed the topic but sadly this attitude is the norm in Myanmar.I think Aung San Suu Kyi is in a diificult position on this issue. It's hard to know her true feelings on the Rohingya but it would be politically impossible for her to express any sympathy without alienating large swathes of the community.
The foreign press does mostly lie about just about everything, the western media really is the enemy of the people but when it comes to the Rohingya, they may be telling the truth (about their persecution but little else). It's sad to see what they are going through but the untold story is not so much that the Burmese military is persecuting them (they are) but the puppet masters behind this are the CIA and Saudi Arabia. The CIA funds both the problem and the solution, the Saudis fund the problem with extremist Salafi/Wahhabist indoctrination and arms funding; the CIA funds both sides, the Burmese army and Rohingya insurgents. Typical "divide and conquer" scenario that goes on in virtually every country around the world, including the USA.
The foreign press does mostly lie about just about everything, the western media really is the enemy of the people but when it comes to the Rohingya, they may be telling the truth (about their persecution but little else). It's sad to see what they are going through but the untold story is not so much that the Burmese military is persecuting them (they are) but the puppet masters behind this are the CIA and Saudi Arabia. The CIA funds both the problem and the solution, the Saudis fund the problem with extremist Salafi/Wahhabist indoctrination and arms funding; the CIA funds both sides, the Burmese army and Rohingya insurgents. Typical "divide and conquer" scenario that goes on in virtually every country around the world, including the USA.
You realize of course that your first twenty words pretty much evaporate any hope of credibility for your following statements. All foreign press? Lie about just about everything? By foreign do you mean other than the Thai press? Yikes. As for the rest of your statement can you provide any evidence or even link to any articles about CIA and Saudi involvement in the Rohingya situation?
Extraordinary.
Until this thread I had valued the posts by @pakornlam as being informative and helpful, with good and detailed regional knowledge. But with #16 and especially with the post that was deleted my view of that poster is completely transformed. He has spent too much time isolated from the real world, with no constraints upon a feverish and erratic imagination.
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