Forbidden places in disturbing Burma

Human rights activists on Tuesday launched a guidebook that revealed the dark side of the tourist sites in Burma' Shan State as part of a campaign to get foreign visitors to rethink their planned vacation to the trouble plagued military-run state.

The book "gives tourists an alternative view of Shan State by providing a pictorial exposé of the deliberate neglect, destruction and reinvention of local cultural and historical sites," said a press statement from the Chaing Mai-based Shan Women's Action Network (Swan).

The majority of war-torn Shan State is off limits to tourists, but some areas are open to foreign travelers but the "Forbidden Glimpses of Shan State" provides a unique insight into these areas, according to the statement.

"The guide depicts how Burma's military regime is erasing the last remaining palaces of the 34 former Shan principalities. This includes the demolition of the historic Kengtung Palace in 1991 to make way for a garish modern hotel," it said.

"The destruction of remnants of former Shan self-rule is contrasted with the regime's construction of new monuments that extol ancient Burmese kings and numerous replicas of the "Shwedagon" pagodas across Shan Stat."

"Photos of these lavish structures are juxtaposed with images of historic local Shan temples that have been desecrated and left derelict during the Burma Army's ongoing scorched earth campaigns," the statement added.

"We have not only been robbed of our rights, lands and resources. The regime is also robbing us of our culture and history," said Swan spokesperson Moan Kaein.  "We want visitors to open their eyes to the repression going on around them, even in the cultural sites they are visiting." 

The book also has photos of the scenic views from areas off-limits to outsiders but are under threat by the junta's development plans.

The book also displayed locations of jails in Shan State where prominent Burmese political prisoners are being incarcerated.

The book has been launched to coincide with the Shan New Year, celebrated this year on November 17, 2009. English, Shan, Burmese and Thai versions of the book can be viewed on www.shanwomen.org