Myanmar (Burma) travel guide

Following years of oppression of much of the population under British rule and a brief Japanese occupation during World War II, Myanmar finally gained independence in January 1948. However, a brief window of divisive, corrupt and disputable “democratic” rule was followed by civil war and further political unrest, and General Ne Win’s 1962 coup kicked off the military dictatorship. The press was silenced, and the country shut down to the outside world; a cultural and political time capsule that would not be reopened for over a quarter of a century. There were human rights abuses, nationalisation of all industries, and the country was driven to economic ruin by the incompetent Burma Socialist Programme Party.

Ne Win stepped down in 1988, and the first multi-party election in three decades took place in 1990, with the aim of creating a new constitution for the country. Aung San Suu Kyi had been placed under house arrest the previous year, but her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won over 50 percent of all votes and 80 percent of the seats. However, the NLD did not draft a new constitution, instead demanding an immediate transfer of power. This was not recognised by the military regime (the State Law and Order Restoration Council – SLORC) and several members of the party were arrested.

 

Suu Kyi continually refused to be released in exchange for exile, and – despite receiving the Nobel Peace prize in 1991 – remained under arrest on and off until 2010, when she was finally freed. She became a Burmese MP in 2012.

 

Suu Kyi requested a tourism boycott to Myanmar during her arrest, but in 2011 she declared that responsible tourism to the country should be encouraged. She stressed that tourists should be careful to ensure that their money reaches local people rather than the government, and to tread carefully in a country that has been isolated for so long. Tourism boomed as people rushed in to see this long forbidden country.

 

However, in August 2017, long standing tensions between government security forces, Buddhist militia and the Islamic Rohingya people reached a head. The Rohingya have been subject to what has been referred to as ethnic cleansing - or even genocide - and almost a million of them are now refugees, fleeing horrific violence and the razing of their villages. Suu Kyi has denied many of the atrocities, referred to the Rohingya as terrorists, and all but ignored to one of the 21st century's greatest human rights abuses. As a result, many people are calling once again for a boycott. Read more about our stance on this in our Myanmar responsible tourism page.