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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent, thought-provoking guide, 1 Jun 2004
The previous reviews of this book are more concerned with the rights and wrongs of visiting this country than with the book itself. I am posting this review in an attempt to redress the balance.Of course it is difficult to consider visiting Myanmar without taking into account its recent history and ongoing violations of human rights. There are very compelling reasons not to go there. And this Lonely Planet guide lays out all those reasons, plainly and for all to see, in its introduction, "Should you visit Myanmar?". It explains that international tourism can be seen to be giving the seal of approval to the government, and that some of the tourist infrastructure has been built using forced labour. It also lays out some very compelling reasons why you should go to this country - the most persuasive of which is that, in their words, "travel is one of the most powerful forces for tolerance, understanding and democracy the world has". The introduction then has a checklist of things to do if you do decide to visit the country - including utilising private, locally-owned hotels and restaurants rather than government-owned businesses, for example. The remainder of the book is, as always, meticulously researched, and is utterly responsible from start to finish, continuing to recommend privately-run establishments and transport companies wherever possible. Deciding to go to Myanmar is never going to be an easy decision for any traveller with a conscience but should you decide to go (and I am still in the process of deciding), this book seems to be everything you will need and is very highly recommended.
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