31 MAY: Australian tour firms feeling guilty about their Myanmar (Burma) dealings will be relieved to know that opponents of the Asian country’s repressive military regime are no longer calling for a tourism boycott.
The National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of famed campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi, has formally dropped its longstanding opposition to tourists visiting the country, according to a report in Fairfax media yesterday.
"The NLD would welcome visitors who are keen to promote the welfare of the common people and the conservation of the environment, and to acquire an insight into the cultural, political and social life of the country, while enjoying a happy and fulfilling holiday in Burma", the party said in a statement.
But it remains opposed to "unthinking" tourism development.
"Local populations have been displaced, often without compensation or satisfactory relocation, to make way for hotels and other tourist facilities", the statement said.
"To make matters worse, forced labour is used for some construction projects.
"The net result is economic hardship exacerbated by the abrupt breakdown of a traditional way of life, and gross violation of basic human rights".
The trade in Australia has seen robust debate in recent years over whether tour firms are simply supporting Burma’s military regime, given that tourism revenue has allegedly been going directly to government coffers.
This is a claim that has been vigorously denied by the firms.
