crellston

Whilst researching a possible trip to Myanmar, I stumbled upon a very concerning BBC report regarding the Burmese government's treatment of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The report does not show the much revered Aung San Suu Kyi in a very good light

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38091816

Thought some here may be interested.

Kathie

I'm sad to report that this has been going on for several years. We were fortunate enough to visit Marauk U in 2011 before this began. The Rohinga had always been discriminated against, but the following years things got much worse. Many had hoped that ASSK would be able to stop this, but while she has spoken out against the treatment of the Rohinga, she has been able to do little about this.

The country has opened up and the wholesale slaughter of various tribal groups in the north has stopped, but it still has major human rights violations.

sartoric

It is a dreadful situation, and I had hoped ASSK would have taken a more proactive approach to ending the suffering of Rohingya people. She walks a fine line between dealing with the problem humanely, and retaining the support of her constituents (who largely believe the Rohingya are illegal immigrants and should rightly be called Bengali and returned there).

Unfortunately as well, there is ongoing armed conflict between KIA (Kachin independent army) and Tatmadaw (the military) in northern Kachin state, with many people displaced. I see regular posts on FB from my friends in Mandalay which show fighter jets and ground skirmishes - and google translate now has the ability to translate Burmese language.

Please don't let that stop you from visiting Crellston, the Myanmar people have come a long way in a few short years. Education will eventually right this wrong.

jacketwatch

Very sad. Sometimes I wonder if deep down with some groups of people there is simply a tribal instinct which means that if you are not part of their tribe you are therefore against them. How people can be so hateful and dehumanizing I simply don't know. I do believe that labeling people and groups is one of the worst things that can be done in this world. It stripped them of their humanity and allow some to do unspeakable acts toward them.

crellston

I couldn't agree more jacketwatch! Sadly, the trend in many countries across the world seems to be towards ever greater xenophobia. The election of Trump in the US and my own country's decision to leave the EU, IMO mostly based on immigration issues, are evidence of an increasingly worrying trend across the globe.

Sartoric - no I would let this stop me visiting Burma. If I let things like this influence me, I doubt I would travel anywhere!!

Still trying to work out where we are going on our next jaunt in 2017. We plan to leave in late Feb/ early march when various house setting projects end and need to be in Australia in October. As always, the weather is the big concern. India will likely be too hot and Burma is beginning to warm up at that time but may still be OK. Really want to return to Vietnam for a big chunk of the time. Decisions, decisions!!

We really like unplanned travel and I am not sure that is too easy in Burma - maybe I am wrong and overthinking this?

sartoric

Crellston, my two cents on Myanmar...it will be heating up in late Feb, early March, but April is the real killer and you only get 28 days on a visa anyway. Unplanned travel is not hard in country. English is widely spoken, and travel agents are everywhere. You'll also find the people are really helpful. The internet access is now quite good (buy a sim from Oredoo). Go for it !

Kathie

Yes, I agree with sartoric, if you want to go to Myanmar, do it early in your trip. It willing be heating up, but won't be "hell hot" like it is in April.

I did lots of reading before our first trip to Burma in 2009, and found many historical accounts that complained about hot hot Rangoon (now called Yangon) is. I sort of shrugged them off, as I've been traveling to SE Asia almost annually since the mid-1980s. But Yangon is the hottest city I have visited... even in November that year. They were having abnormally high temps all over the country. We were in Yangon again in November 2011 - hot but not intolerable - we did the self-guided downtown walking tour starting at 6 am, and were glad to be done by 8:30 or so, as it was really hearing up then. And in 2015 it was again hot but not intolerable at the end of November.

In March, you should be able travel without reservations unless there is somewhere you really must stay. During high season, I wouldn't chance it, as I have seen people turned away from lodging. Indeed, in 2011, we met people who were unable to find vacancies in a couple of locations (Bagan, Inle Lake) and eventually, shared a room with other travelers.

Happy Planning!

jacketwatch

Crellston thank you for that comment and for posting this article. I had no idea.

jacketwatch

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/24/asia/m...esh/index.html