outlook for 2008

Hi Everyone

I am an experienced traveller and would like to bring my son to Burma (yep, I am old fashioned) as a reward for doing well (I HOPE %26amp; PRAY) in his school exams this sumer. I am looking at December 2008 for a 2 or 3 week trip.

QUESTION: difficult, I know, but what is the chance of serious trouble this year in Myanmar?

Thanks

Legin

outlook for 2008

Like you , we are planning to return to Myanmar in December 2008.

As far as Politics - who knows , but my Burmese friends advise me that things are nearly back to normal but with very few tourists.

The Generals have a tight grip and it is unlikely that there will any more demonstrations as they will be cracked down on very hard. A couple of small bombs have been set off ( Karens were blamed).

I think that things will settle down - the Burmese , whether the Army or the locals , need our tourist $.

Don%26#39;t bet on any early change in politics - this is a long haul and when the elderly senior generals pop off there are some younger , and even more hard line ones , waiting in the wings.

As long as there are no official British Government advise against travel (which could invalidate travel Insurance) we will return.

outlook for 2008

spent 11 days in Myanamar this month. wish we`d had longer but no leave available ! never been there before but to be honest, i would never have known there had been problems had we not seen the news report in September. yangon was unthreatening with no sign of unrest to an inexperienced `tourist` eye. if local people are unhappy (and i dont doubt the repressive tactics of the Junta) it is not manifest in their bearing which seems permanently amiable. It has some of the chaos of indian cities but with a much less oppressive feel when one is a stranger. enjoyed the country more than any we have been to. Any repression is not obviously visible. cant reccommend it enough.

The chance of serious trouble in Myanmar has got to be characterized as %26#39;high.%26#39; If the point of the question is whether or not your personal safety might be threatened, then I can categorically answer %26#39;no.%26#39; The Myanmar people will go to some pains to prevent foreigners from having any unpleasant encounters. The average person would likely put him/herself in danger rather than allow a foreigner to have any real problems.

Take your son and have a wonderful time. Magnificent place for young people to visit.

Thank you all for your positive replys.

Now all I have to do is wait for his GCSE results.

As others have noted, there is always a CHANCE that more unrest might occur. But that can happen in almost any country on earth these days. I%26#39;ve been to Myanmar many times and have always had safe, enjoyable, and heartwarming experience. It%26#39;s a ';must'; visit for anyone wanting to see a truly different Asian country.

The only dates I might expect trouble, or possible crackdowns, would be around August 8. That will mark the 20th anniversary of the notorious 8/8/88 protest marches in 1988. I suspect the authorities will do their best to make sure that the NLD and other groups don%26#39;t stage big protests on that date.

ie