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   S. Africa travel agency faces boycott campaign over its Burma tour

June 22, 2001
Mizzima News Group (www.mizzima.com)

A tour agency in South Africa faces a boycott campaign from Free Burma
activists around the world for its inclusion of tour program to Burma.
The Club Travel, a South African private travel agency, has recently
promoted tour to the military-run Burma in its advertisements in the
daily newspapers in South Africa.

Burma is one the destinations of the Club Travel in its recent
advertisements in the daily newspapers such as The Tribune, The Sunday
Times, The Star and The Argus. The pro-democracy activists based in
South Africa has called for a worldwide campaign to protest the Club
Travel for its Burma tour and asked the Free Burma activists around the
world to write to Club Travel their protest.

"The Club Travel is promoting tour to Burma in South Africa newspapers.
Please send e-mails (preferable fax, if you are local) to them to say
that we all around the world are against tourism for Burma", said Dr.
Thein Win, a Burmese activist in South Africa, initiating the boycott.

According to Dr. Win, similar tour agencies had abandoned their tour
programs to Burma after they faced boycott of Burmese activists in
exile.

In 1998, Concorde Travel, Dinner Club International and Johannesburg
Botanic Garden Foundation joined together to promote "Burma Tour
Package". However, after receiving several protest fax letters from
Burmese activists, the tour package was abandoned. Similarly, another
travel agency, Sure Travel, had abandoned their tour plan to Burma in
February this year due to the protest of exiled Burmese activists.

Burma, which practiced an isolationist policy for decades, was opened up
by the present military junta, which came into power in 1988 to promote
tourism for the country's much-needed hard currency. However, the Free
Burma activists around the world oppose the "Visit Myanmar" activities,
citing the reasons that the tourism benefits only those generals in
power.

"Should you go to Myanmar? There are no easy answers to this question.
Myanmar remains under tight military rule by an abominable junta,
dissent is harshly suppressed, civilians are forced into work for the
state and crimes as tame as telling an anti-government joke are
punishable by summary imprisonment", the Club Travel, however, warns in
its website on Burma, quoting the Lonely planet travel guide book.



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<center><b><font color="#000099"><font size=+2>S. Africa travel agency
faces boycott campaign over its Burma tour</font></font></b></center>

<p><i><font color="#CC0000"><font size=+1>June 22, 2001</font></font></i>
<br><i><font color="#CC0000"><font size=+1>Mizzima News Group <a href="http://www.mizzima.com";>(www.mizzima.com)</a></font></font></i>
<p><font size=+1>A tour agency in South Africa faces a boycott campaign
from Free Burma activists around the world for its inclusion of tour program
to Burma. The Club Travel, a South African private travel agency, has recently
promoted tour to the military-run Burma in its advertisements in the daily
newspapers in South Africa.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Burma is one the destinations of the Club Travel in its
recent advertisements in the daily newspapers such as The Tribune, The
Sunday Times, The Star and The Argus. The pro-democracy activists based
in South Africa has called for a worldwide campaign to protest the Club
Travel for its Burma tour and asked the Free Burma activists around the
world to write to Club Travel their protest.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"The Club Travel is promoting tour to Burma in South Africa
newspapers. Please send e-mails (preferable fax, if you are local) to them
to say that we all around the world are against tourism for Burma", said
Dr. Thein Win, a Burmese activist in South Africa, initiating the boycott.</font>
<p><font size=+1>According to Dr. Win, similar tour agencies had abandoned
their tour programs to Burma after they faced boycott of Burmese activists
in exile.</font>
<p><font size=+1>In 1998, Concorde Travel, Dinner Club International and
Johannesburg Botanic Garden Foundation joined together to promote "Burma
Tour Package". However, after receiving several protest fax letters from
Burmese activists, the tour package was abandoned. Similarly, another travel
agency, Sure Travel, had abandoned their tour plan to Burma in February
this year due to the protest of exiled Burmese activists.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Burma, which practiced an isolationist policy for decades,
was opened up by the present military junta, which came into power in 1988
to promote tourism for the country's much-needed hard currency. However,
the Free Burma activists around the world oppose the "Visit Myanmar" activities,
citing the reasons that the tourism benefits only those generals in power.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"Should you go to Myanmar? There are no easy answers to
this question. Myanmar remains under tight military rule by an abominable
junta, dissent is harshly suppressed, civilians are forced into work for
the state and crimes as tame as telling an anti-government joke are punishable
by summary imprisonment", the Club Travel, however, warns in its website
on Burma, quoting the Lonely planet travel guide book.</font>
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