Suu Kyi urges britons to boycott Bu

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Subject: Suu Kyi urges britons to boycott Burma

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As the authorities push tourism, resistance symbol Aung San Suu Kyi tells
award-winning travel writer Harriet O'Brien why visitors should stay away.
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The Independent,England
Sunday, March 17, 1996

AUNG SAN SUU KYI, the symbol of resistance to Burma's military regime has
called on British tourists to stay away from the country in a toughening of
her previous stance on foreign investment and tourism.

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) has declared 1996
"Visit Myanmar Year", Myanmar being the official name for Burma.  But Ms.
Suu Kyi, who had previously taken the attitude  that some foreign
investment and tourism would help to ease the military's grip on the
country, has changed her mind.  "Maybe 1996 a year for not visiting Burma,"
she said in an interview with the Independent on Sunday, at her crumbling
home on the banks of Inya Lake in Rangoon, Burma's capital.

She was appalled that a British trade delegation visited recently visted
Burma, saying:"It is not right for the British government to do all it can
to support human rights here and then to promote trade with Burma against
democracy.  The sort of involvement being suggested won't help to bring
about sustained economic and social development."

The Department of Trade and Industry said it organized the British mission
so that "companies could gauge the market for themselves," and stressed
that the Government had consistently called on Slorc to show greater
respect for human rights. The British-based Burma Action Group, which
campaign for democracy in Burma, maintains that Britain has invested more
than 48 million pound in the Burmese hotel industry.

For most of the 34 years in power Burma's xenophobic military authorities
have sought to isolate the country, actively discouraging tourism.  Ms Suu
Kyi, daughter of Burma's independence hero, Aung San, was placed under six
years of house arrest after a democracy movement was crushed at the cost of
thousands of lives in 1988.  The restrictions on her have been eased as the
price for bringing Burma out of diplomatic quarantime, and the junta is now
actively promoting foreign contacts.

The fanfare for "Visit Myanmar Year" is due to begin when the new tourist
season starts in October, and rangoon, Mandalay and Pagan--Burma's
principal tourist destinations--reverberate with the sound of concrete
mixers as hotels pop up at a frentic rate.

"Burma will always be here," Ms Suu Kyi said.  "Visitors should come
later." Believing that tourism is used to give the appearance of a
thriving, stable country, she is indignant about the amount of money being
pumped into hotels and restaurants rather than schools and hospitals.  "So
much hasbeen concentrated on the tourist industry. . .but beyond the
tourist areas much of it is the same as ever."  Even in the heart of
Rangoon most side streets look depressingly run-down.

"Most materials for hotels are imported," Ms. Suu Kyi explained. "The
result is that each hotel signifies a lot of money, but really only for
overseas suppliers.  Some construction companies have even been bringing in
workers from abroad.  Within the country there's really only one privileged
group making money."

Three years ago tourism hardly existed in Burma.  Mandalay had just three
hotels at the end of 1992.  Today it has 60, and many more under
construction.  Although official figures show that at least 50,000 tourists
are expected this year, compared with only 9,000 in 1992,it seems highly
unlikely that all these will be even half-filled over the next few years.
Many Burmese, however, say that is irrelevant. The aim is to be able to buy
land and ship in foreign goods, such as air-conditioners, fridges, and
furniture, tax-free. "You can import very cheaply far more than you
actually need, and then sell all the surplus for a vast profit," a Rangoon
resident said.  "That way you can recover your building costs, and more,
before the hotel is even completed."

Tourism has rapidly become one of the biggest potential earners, and
doctors and engineers are finding it more profitable to become taxi drivers
and tour operators.

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FBC

Thanks are due to Nicholas Greenwoodfor faxing the article.

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