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Memorandum submitted by The Burma Campaign UK
BBC Worldwide, Lonely Planet and Burma
1. The Burma Campaign UK 1.1 The Burma Campaign UK campaigns for human rights and democracy in Burma. We work for the freedom of all the peoples of Burma regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or age. The Burma Campaign UK, established in 1990, is the only national organisation in the UK dedicated to campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma.
2. Tourism and Burma 2.1 Tourism to Burma helps sustain one of the most brutal and destructive regimes in the world. A regime that was weak and bankrupt in 1988 has used foreign investment and hard foreign currency to double the size of its military and strengthen its grip on power. The Burmese democracy movement called for a boycott of tourism to Burma in 1995 after the regime announced its plans to develop mass international tourism with 'Visit Myanmar Year 1996'. The military regime in Burma, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has identified tourism as a vital source of income. They also hope that international tourists can bring greater respectability and credibility to a military dictatorship with one of the world's worst human rights records. In August 2002 Burma's Minister of Hotels and Tourism Maj-Gen Saw Lwin admitted that the government receives about 12 per cent of the income even of private tourism services. However, most tourists to Burma will inadvertently contribute significantly more to the regime as they will pay taxes and fees to the regime and stay in hotels owned by the regime or close supporters of the regime.
2.2 Burma's democracy leader, Nobel peace prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD and Burma's exiled government have all asked tourists not to visit Burma. Tourism in Burma provides the dictatorship with millions of pounds every year, while the development of tourism has escalated human rights abuses. Many thousands of Burmese people have been forcibly evicted from their homes to make way for tourist projects. Many of the roads and railways that tourists travel on or the airports they pass through, have been built using forced labour. The United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO) has accused the regime of a 'crime against humanity' for its systematic use of forced labour, used by the regime "to encourage private investment in infrastructure development, public sector works and tourism projects".
2.3 In no other country are human rights abuses and tourism so closely linked. Forced labour has been widely used to build tourist infrastructure and over a million people forced to leave their homes. There is simply no way to operate in Burma, or have a holiday in Burma without providing revenue to the regime. It is for these reasons that the democracy movement have asked for tourists to stay away from Burma. 3. Lonely Planet, Burma and the BBC
3.1 BBC Worldwide announced the purchase of 75% of Lonely Planet on October 1st 2007.
3.2 Lonely Planet produce a guidebook on Burma, the most recent edition was published in 2005. By producing a guidebook to Burma, Lonely Planet, and therefore BBC Worldwide, are facilitating tourism to Burma and therefore defying the wishes of the country's democracy movement. As part of the tourism boycott advocated by Burma's democracy movement, the Burma Campaign campaigns for a consumer boycott of Lonely Planet guidebooks until the company withdraws its guide to Burma.
3.3 Lonely Planet and BBC Worldwide claim that the Myanmar (Burma) guidebook is balanced. The book is far from balanced. Lonely Planet's founder, Tony Wheeler is one of the best-known and outspoken supporters of tourism to Burma. The books "Should you go?" section is far from balanced. For example the guide states, without any evidence to support these assertions, "tourism is one of the most powerful forces for democracy" and that "if tourists stop coming, the government may step up the oppression of its people". These statements have no basis in fact. Furthermore, as stated in Section 2, tourism in Burma is directly linked with the oppression of the Burmese people.
3.4 BBC Worldwide maintains that Lonely Planet will continue to publish its Burma guidebook; even though the book fails to warn readers which hotels are regime owned or highlight which tourists facilities were built or prepared for tourism with forced labour. For example the book describes Mandalay's airport, which was built in part with forced labour as a "huge gleaming" airport and fails to mention in the description of Mrauk U in Rakhaing State that it was prepared for tourists using forced labour.
3.5 Lonely Planet's closest rival, the publisher Rough Guide, has adopted an ethical stance with regard to Burma. Rough Guides does not have a guide to the country. In a statement to the Burma Campaign UK Rough Guide stated "There are occasional instances where any benefits (from tourism) are overshadowed by the nature of the social and political climate. Apartheid South Africa was an example. Burma, with its brutal dictatorship, state control of the economy and forced labour used to build its tourist infrastructure, is another. As long as the military regime remains in power and Aung San Suu Kyi - leader of the democratically elected National League for Democracy - requests that tourists do not visit, Rough Guides will not publish a guide to the country". Another publisher of a guidebook to Burma, Trailfinders, informed the Burma Campaign UK in October 2007 that it will not update its guidebook covering Burma.
4. Risks to the BBC from Lonely Planet and BBC worldwide
4.1 Reputational: The continued publication of the Lonely Planet guide by BBC Worldwide to Burma poses significant risks to the BBC. BBC Worldwide are exposing the BBC to substantial reputational risk, by allowing the BBC to be associated with the Burmese regime. This appears to be in breach of the BBC Trust's guidelines[1] as outlined on October 1st 2007 with regard to BBC Worldwide's acquisition of Lonely Planet. Specifically The continued publication of the book contravenes point three, that BBC Worldwide must "not jeopardise the good reputation of the BBC or the value of the BBC brand". The publication of the Burma guidebook is a clear risk to the reputation of the BBC, as by continuing to publish the Burma guidebook, BBC Worldwide are publishing a biased guidebook (paragraph 3.3) that promotes tourism (paragraph 3.3) to a country where tourism is closely linked with human rights abuses (Section 2). The continued publication of the guidebook damages the reputation of the BBC which poses risks to all stakeholders. License fee payers in particular would not expect BBC programs to be funded in part by profits from a book which promotes tourism to a country where the sector is so closely linked with human rights abuses and repression.
4.2 Failings in Governance framework: The decision by the BBC Trust to approve the purchase of Lonely Planet without addressing the issue of the publication of the Burma guidebook exposes the ineffectiveness of the current governance framework with regard to the BBC's commercial activities. BBC Worldwide have adopted the position of Lonely Planet despite Lonely Planet clearly taking a biased pro-tourism policy with regard to Burma, as outlined in 3.3. BBC Worldwide have stated in May 2008 to the Burma Campaign UK that their "position remains unchanged"[2] as outlined in paragraph 4.1 this brings the reputation of the BBC into disrepute. [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/framework/commercial_services/lonely_planet.html [2] Letter to Johnny Chatterton, Campaigns Officer, Burma Campaign UK on 7th May 2008 from BBC Worldwide Chief Executive John Smith. |