Foreign Office calls for Burma boycott
The Foreign Office has urged British travel agents not to arrange holidays in Burma because of the links between tourism and the country’s military junta.
Foreign Office Minister Mike O’Brien wrote to the chief executive of the Association of British Travel Agents, Ian Reynolds, to ask for the boycott “in the light of the recent dreadful developments in Burma”, although he acknowledged that he couldn’t compel companies – or individual travellers – to take action.
The last few months have seen an orchestrated campaign of violence by the ruling powers in Burma against the National League for Democracy, including an armed attack on the group’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still in detention.
Mr. O’Brien commented: “There are compelling reasons not to holiday in Burma. The military regime derives both direct economic benefits and political legitimacy from Burmese tourism. Foreign visitors remain a source of hard currency for the regime, much of which increasingly ends up in the private bank accounts of the Generals and their associates.”
“Moreover, there are many well-documented cases of human rights abuses associated with Burma’s tourist industry. Forced labour has been used to build some of Burma’s tourist infrastructure. Local communities have been forcibly relocated to make way for tourism-related developments.”
The Burmese democracy movement also discourages tourist trips to the country, claiming that a travel boycott would put added pressure on the Burmese generals to enter into international negotiations.
It has been UK policy since 1998 not to encourage trade, investment or tourism in Burma.
