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Amnesty International, Australia an
Subject: Amnesty International, Australia and Intrepid Travel, No Deal
Free Burma Coalition, Australia
Dear Friends and colleagues,
Amnesty International Australia will not enter into a partnership with
Intrepid Travel until such time as the democratic forces of Burma believe
tourism is good for the country or until Intrepid Travel reviews its
position and ceases its operation in Burma.
Please find included a statement which will be sent out by Amnesty
International, Australia to all their members and supporters.
The Australia Burma Council wishes to thank Kate Gilmore of Amnesty
International, Australia for engaging in a frank an open discussion on the
issue of Intrepid Travel doing business in Burma. We are grateful for the
time taken and the eventual positive outcome.
It is most refreshing to see an organisation of such integrity which finds
it necessary to put ethics ahead of fund raising.
Our thanks also to all those people representing NGOs, parliament and
Australian based pro-democracy organisations for addressing the problem and
writing to Amnesty.
As Zarni says, "When spiders unite".
STOP PRESS
Dear Members and other supporters
I am writing to you regarding two important, (and for different reasons)
quite urgent matters.
Our Alliance with Intrepid Travel
As you know, on behalf of Amnesty International Australia I recently
invited you to participate in the partnership we have forged with Intrepid
Travel, which is an ethically based tourist agency specialising in the Asia
Pacific region. This alliance was designed to encourage ethical tourism
and to ensure that up to date information on the region's human rights
violations was made available to travellers.
Intrepid includes Burma in its list of possible destinations and does so
believing that it has found a way to undertake tours without supporting the
military government or its institutions and therefore, it believes, without
being in any way complicit with the repression for which the Burmese
government is so renowned. However, those who are most directly concerned
with Burma's human rights record, and who would urge recognition of a
democratically elected government within Burma, do not believe it is
possible at this time to undertake travel to Burma in an ethical manner.
Therefore, they have asked us to review our relationship with Intrepid
Travel. We have been pleased to do so.
As an outcome I am happy to advise you that Intrepid Travel and Amnesty
International Australia have agreed, amicably, to suspend our partnership
until such time as we both are satisfied that there is verifiable evidence
that ethical travel within Burma is indeed possible. Intrepid has kindly
understood our position and has taken our concerns most seriously. From
our perspective, we are very grateful that Intrepid has expressed their
willingness to engage in direct discussion with those who see the Burma
issues in a different light and that they have shown a readiness to review
their own position on this issue.
Travellers who have already booked with Intrepid on the basis that AIA
would receive a $100 donations will have the $100 refunded to them by
Intrepid, with the suggestion that they may wish to donate it direct to
AIA.
If Intrepid Travel changes its approach to Burma or if the community of
Burma activists agrees that ethical travel within Burma is indeed possible,
then we will reactivate our relationship with Intrepid, which-given the
hundreds of our members who responded so well to our proposed alliance-we
know holds very positive potential for us both.