[Myanmar] Sir Cliff Enjoys Burmese €˜Summer Holiday’

[News_Editor]

Sir Cliff Richard holds up a bag with the logo of the Lut Lat Nyein Chan Pan Ye Lan social network outside Rangoon. (Photo: Peter Aung)

One of the world’s most famous artists, Sir Cliff Richard, left Burma on Thursday after a mellow 10-day vacation touring the country.

The British pop singer arrived in Rangoon on Oct. 22 and visited popular tourist spots such as Bagan in central Burma and Inle Lake in Shan State, Tour Mandalay travel agency, which was responsible for all arrangements during his stay, told The Irrawaddy.

Looking much younger than his 72 years, Sir Cliff met with some The Irrawaddy reporters in his hotel in Rangoon but was unable to give an exclusive interview as he was suffering from a kidney complaint and needed rest.

However, the spritely songwriter did use his Facebook page to praise Burma and revealed that his father was actually born in the country.

“It has been an amazing journey so far … so interesting and full of amazing sights,†he said.
“The people here are so friendly and accepting. I look forward to what each day brings!â€

Sir Cliff made his trip with three other companions who are all in their 70s. One of them, a woman, has a bit of Burmese blood. On Wednesday, she visited Thanlyin, a major port city located opposite Rangoon where her relatives currently reside, and the pop singer also accompanied her.

“Coincidently, my wife and the woman are relatives. They suddenly showed up at my house around midday,†said Peter Aung, a member of a social network called Lut Lat Nyein Chan Pan Ye Lan, which roughly translates as “Freedom and Peaceful Road by the Flowers.â€

He added that Sir Cliff was very interested in hearing about his group’s activities and offered praise for what they had achieved. On his way back to London, the legendary crooner will reportedly stopover in Vietnam.

Apart from being a pop singer, musician, performer and actor, the “Summer Holiday†star has also been active in philanthropic works.

With a 54-year career still in full flow, Sir Cliff is the third biggest selling singles artist in the United Kingdom of all time after The Beatles and Elvis Presley. He also holds the record for having UK number one hits in five consecutive decades.

Nevertheless, Sir Cliff—who famously entertained tennis crowds during a rain-soaked

in 1996 with a spontaneous mini-concert—never matched his success in the United States, despite eight US Top 40 singles including the million-selling “Devil Woman†and “We Don’t Talk Anymore.â€

Source: Irrawaddy.org