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More burma travel tales (r)



/* Written 10:27 pm  May 26, 1994 by tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:soc.cult.burma */
/* ---------- "More burma travel tales" ---------- */
>Date: Wed, 25 May 94 16:34:01 GMT
>From: Mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Mike Edie)
>To: tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: Burma Visa (fwd)

> One of my friend, who just came back two weeks ago,
> said there is an outbreak of choleora (sp?) in Rangoon and
> resulted in death of a family due to contaminated ground water.  He 
> said Rangoon General is filled with such cases. He said the construction
> fancy hotels without proper sewage treatment infrastructure might be the cause
> of contamination to the underground water supply.

A good choice of hotel often helps. I found cost and quality were mutually
independant. The "Tourist Hotels" are looked down on by the Burmese. One
guy described them as "Motels" (??) I presume there are better places 
reserved for Burmese officials.
 
> >*DONT*DONT*DONT* travel on Mayanmar Airways. Go Thai. Trust me.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> That is because they are poorly maintained and crashes frequently.
Mayanmar Airways has a 60% (yes 60%) crash rate. They are the worst in the
world with Vietnam Airways (which I *did* travel on) a close second at 50%
crash rate.

I met a chap up in Inle Lake who chose to fly back to Yangon rather than
take the train. He had to wait about 3 days for the flight. Once on board
he found a metal ring on the floor. It was the window frame!!!! There was
water leaking in through the roof. I also met a Brumese guy on the DOWN train
who was training to be a pilot in Australia. He said they only accept military
pilots for the civil airlines. Still I suppose that means fewer soldiers in the
end. :-(


> >My advice? Change dollars on the black market in Yangon. All FEC lands in
> >the government hands at some point. If you want to bring anything to Burma
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> So - you might not want to go at all if you are human-rights conscious
> person.
This is a good point. I was in two minds about going. I am glad I did in the
end, though its a bit like an American going to Germany in 1940 and returning
with stories of Jewish persecution etc. As one monk said to me in Vietnam
when he told me of problems in Hue: Tell everyone. Tell the world.

I suppose these things have to be seen by someone. Certainly it aint no picnic.
Well time to tell the world. The Internet is probably the best place for this.
There are things I have not meantioned as this is a public system. The CIA 
this year anounced that they monitor all Internet traffic (HI BOYS). Paranoid 
moi?

Still I can sympathise with the US government siding with the Burmese regieme
agains the Golden Triangle Opium barrons. Not that the Burmese government
would ever get involved in that sort of thing. ;-)

> You will get a more candid conversation when no other burmese are around
> from the burmese.
You're not kidding. "One day. The Lady. One day. Even the army."
I can tell you it gave me goose pimples [goose bumps].


> My friend got interrogated by MI for 4 hours and got kicked out of the country
> back in 1990 when he trying to give a note to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Not surprising really. Did he see her? Has anyone seen her?
I've been reading her collected speaches recently. Her husband Michael Aris
says in the introduction (1991) that he has seen and heard nothing of her
since her house arrest. If there is news it may be worth contacting him. He
is currently visiting professor of Tibetain Studies at Harvard (Cambridge 
Mass.) 

When I returned to Bankok I was met by a journalist who had been refused entry.
He asked if there was any news. I think less gets out than you realise. So 
I would bump any info to this news group.


> >try and make you pay up to $50 for everything. Remember any money you give
> >the government *NEVER*NEVER*NEVER* reaches the people.
> That is because SLORC steals them and spending on buying bullets,
> launchers to support 300,000 men-army.
I saw the entire town of Taungee stopped by dozens of soldiers as a long
motorcade of military personnel passed through pointing guns at peasants
in the fields. Why? Well they were guarding ONE car. In the car was a VIP
with family. A nice little holiday on the lake. Nice to be respected
by the people!