Aung San Suu Kyi Drops Opposition to Tourism in Myanmar
In an article by Charlie Norton dated August 14, 2009 in the Daily Telegraph, Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar opposition leader, has dropped her opposition to tourism in Myanmar. Burma was renamed Myanmar by the ruling military dictatorship, but the new name has never been recognized by the United States and other Western countries. In a BBC interview in 2002, Suu Kyi was quoted as saying: “We have not yet come to the point where we encourage people to come to Burma as tourists.” The article says that her new views on the subject came from a close acquaintance and former member of her party, the National League for Democracy. According to article, “she now believes it can be encouraged, provided it is run through private operations and not through the government, and that visitors might help draw attention to the oppression of the people by the military junta.”
Read the full article here.
I have incredible respect for Aung San Suu Kyi, a winner of the Nobel Peace Price in 1991, and have always tried to be responsible in promoting tourism in Myanmar. In fact, we speak about her and her opposition to tourism as well as the military dictatorship there on our Red Lantern Journeys Myanmar web page. We want all visitors to Myanmar to be well informed of the issues in Myanmar and to understand the ramifications of traveling there. However, we also believe it is one of the most magical countries in SE Asia and well worth visiting…especially in a manner that is respectful to the population and uses privately owned tour operators, hotels, and shops.