Reflections on Myanmar
Just a month before the worldwide Covid-19 shutdown we visited southern Myanmar for nine nights (2/7-16/20). We focused on Yangon, the largest city in the country and two nearby areas with interesting cultural sights — Kyaikhtiyo and Mawlamyine. This area we did not visit during our first visit to Myanmar in 2017 when we focused on Mandalay in the north, Inle Lake, Old Bagan and a coastal destination in Rakhine State (see Myanmar 2017) . Scroll down for details of where we stayed and what we did.
The Politics
It’s really complicated. During and after the 1990’s we remember hearing about Myanmar as a place to avoid traveling so as not to support the oppressive military regime running the country. By 2017, following limited progress on democractic reforms, we cautiously proceeded with a last minute add-on to also visit Myanmar, after first-time visits to nearby Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. What a blockbuster, culturally distinctive quick journey for us!
The hope for better days didn’t materialize when in February 2021 the military violently seized complete control after election results it did not like and arrested key democratically-elected politicians. And they quelled the ensuing unrest in the streets of Yangon and in small cities and towns by indiscriminately killing protesting citizens, including very young people who knew nothing but the steady improvements of the previous 5-10 years. It was devastating and truly horrible! We’d met those people. Stop firing at them! We were furious. And still are. Below are pics of three people we met on this February 2020 visit. We often wonder how they are doing.
The persecution of the Rohingya muslim ethnic minority deserves a separate comment.
