The reports I’m getting from people in Myanmar are slowly resuming. Many people I know in Myanmar don’t use e-mail, so I don’t expect to hear from them immediately. But it’s the ones that I’m regular contact, ones who I haven’t heard from yet, that I remain very worried about. A travel agent in Yangon sent me this update today:
“After 10-day interruption of Internet in the country, restricted usage of Internet is now allowed at NIGHT time (from 11 PM till 04 AM). Thanks so much for your message and warm regards. We truly appreciate your care and thoughts at this moment. Describing what’s appeared on the media and sharing comments in the e-mail message is not advisable at this stage due to poor privacy. Please forgive me for not being able to elaborate more. I hope you understand. Please rest assured that we are fine and stability has gradually been restored here. We received a lot of cancellations. Even people who booked for January 2008 have cancelled.”
Another friend, based in Southeast Asia, surprised me with the fact that he had flown over to Myanmar for a quick visit last week! This is what he had to say:
“I had no trouble getting a visa. I think the embassy here simply hadn’t gotten any instructions to stop issuing visas, so they kept on doing it. After Yangon I travelled up to Bagan and Mandalay, but nowhere else. Bagan was totally peaceful, and Mandalay almost the same, though there had been some demonstrations there the week before I arrived. No trouble talking to people at all. Go ahead and visit, because people are suffering economically from the lack of tourism revenue.”
Speaking of which, I sent an e-mail to friends yesterday that was basically a plea for people to go and visit Myanmar, and do it soon. There are so many locals that are going to be economically devastated by the sudden drop in tourism that it’s important for some sort of tourist flow to resume as soon as possible. From reports that I’m getting, it is absolutely safe for tourists to travel around the country, and even in Yangon.
One woman, a Burmese native who now lives overseas but still visits her family in Yangon often, had this to say about encouraging tourism:
“I wholeheartedly agree with the position taken by Don. I have always been a supporter of tourism to Burma. For people to learn to change they need to know and understand what they are striving for. Tourism gives the human contacts and perspectives that even the Democratic Voice of Burma TV program can’t replicate. In Burma, the majority of the Burmese opinion is ignored not only by the junta but also by the opposition. Majority of the Burmese inside Burma did not want any sanctions but their voices were never heard. The fact that many photos and videos came out of Burma were the results of limited economic progress that has happened compared to 19 years ago. We need more Burmese to be aware of what they can do, what they need to do, and we need more tourists to act as witnesses. So please go if you are thinking of going.”
And yet another reply, this from a friend that works in Yangon, and who recently travelled around the country with her parents (who were visiting from overseas):
“You know, you’ve written exactly what I think as well. They really do need more tourists right now. In Inle and Bagan where I was last week you could see the difference already. Okay, it is low season but still, it was very quiet. Empty or almost empty hotels. In Bagan I saw only two other tourists. In Inle a few more, but most boats were tied up to the dock. Unfortunately most tourists were part of a package tour, herded along and staying on the lake somewhere in a fancy resort.”
I’ll say it again: go now! The Burmese people need the financial and moral support of foreign tourists.
