Call for Lonely Planet Guide Ban
One of the largest labour groups in Britain is calling on travellers to boycott the Lonely Planet series of books and is demanding the travel publisher to withdraw its guide to Burma.
The Trades Union Congress, which represents 6 million people said that the Lonely Planet guide promotes the southeast Asian country’s autocratic regime by marketing tourism in the country. Burma is also known as Myanmar.
Commenting on the boycott, TUC General-Secretary Brendan Barber said:
“The very existence of a travel guide to Burma encourages people to visit a country they might not otherwise consider. We want to see th travel industry drop Burma from their list of destinations and taking the Lonely Planet guide off the shelves would help enormously.”
Situated in South East Asia, Burma is ruled by a military junta which suppresses almost all dissent, ruling in the face of international condemnation and sanctions.
Currently, the generals and the army stand accused of gross human rights abuses including the forcible relocation of civilians and the widespread use of forced labour including child labour.
Written by F.H
