Blair urges Burma travel boycott

Burma's military regime seized power in 1988

Tony Blair has urged Britons not to visit Burma, as part of a campaign to end "appalling human rights violations" by the country's military regime.

Conservative leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy are also supporting Burma Campaign UK.

Mr Blair said potential tourists should consider whether their actions would prolong "dreadful abuses", alleged to include torture and forced labour.

No-one at Burma's embassy in London was available to comment.

Every tourist that visits Burma puts money into the hands of the regime Yvette Mahon Burma Campaign UK

Yvette Mahon, director of Burma Campaign UK, said: "In Burma tourism doesn't help most ordinary people, instead it finances the regime that keeps them poor and oppressed.

"Every tourist that visits Burma puts money into the hands of the regime.

"That is why Burma's democracy movement has asked tourists to stay away. Please respect their wishes, don't go."

In a letter to the campaign, Mr Blair said Britain had been "at the forefront of efforts over many years to draw attention to the extent of abuse in Burma, and to bring pressure to bear on the military regime to reform".

Democratic movement

He said the government was working alongside the United Nations and International Labour Organisation to press the regime to stop its abuses and engage in a process of national reconciliation.

The military regime seized power in 1988 after suppressing pro-democracy demonstrations and declared elections in 1990 void after the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) won 396 of 485 seats.

Many of the NLD candidates - including leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi who is under house arrest - have since been detained or exiled.

Mr Blair said: "Human rights violations in Burma have been highlighted in successive UN Resolutions which have drawn attention to torture, extra-judicial killings and rape by members of the armed forces, forced labour including the use of child soldiers and forced relocation of villagers.

'Individual choice'

"Together with our partners in Europe, the British government imposes a series of measures against those responsible for these crimes.

"For as long as they continue, I would urge anyone who may be thinking of visiting Burma on holiday to consider carefully whether by their actions they are helping to support the regime and prolong such dreadful abuses."

We don't take any stand, it's up to the individual Association of British Travel Agents spokeswoman

A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents said: "Very few tour operators go out there because it's quite controversial and most of our tour operators don't think it's worth it.

"There is not a huge demand for it."

She said the argument against a boycott was that local people would benefit from contact with people from outside the regime.

She said money from tourist visas for Burma - also known as Myanmar - would go to its military regime but added: "We don't take any stand, it's up to the individual. We have made our members aware of it."

Celebrities including Sir Ian McKellen, Joanna Lumley, ex-Bond star Honor Blackman, actress Susan Sarandon designer Vivienne Westwood and singer Jay Kay have also given their support to the boycott.