The No-Travel Guide to Burma

By Erin Grinnell

Tourism in Burma is on the rise and it's not hard to see why—the land is diverse and beautiful and feels undiscovered. But there are serious ethical issues associated with travel to this country.

Tourism directly supports one of the most brutal military regimes in the world. A humanitarian provides an introduction to the debate, and a peek at the regions tourists aren't allowed to go.

Arriving in Rangoon, Burma's capital, is a strange experience. At first, the city seems a lot like many other Southeast Asian capitals: it's hot and humid, and full of men in khaki uniforms. But scratch below the surface and you start to see a strictly enforced order and calm.

The meticulous searches for electronics at the airport (smuggling a modem into the country carries a penalty of several years in prison) are a first clue. Others begin to emerge; the almost complete lack of internet access and email. A cursory glance at the nation's state-sanctioned newspaper reveals eerily biased coverage of the military regime.

I start to notice the frequent military checkpoints and blockades on the streets of Rangoon, officials checking the identification papers of innocent passers-by. Teachers and students make their way to school in uniform—pristine white shirts and green sarongs—while universities remain closed in an effort to discourage people from gathering to challenge the regime.

Today Burma is making attempts to open its doors to tourism. As a humanitarian worker I have come to the country to run a rural grants program near the border with Bangladesh. Being an outsider to the country is an eye opening experience—the country stands in such stark contrast to the social and political systems that we tend to take for granted. As a privileged foreigner you only begin to feel the weight of the dictatorship. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to live here and never be allowed to leave.