Travelling to Myanmar-Security Concerns!

[Ystradyfodwg]

This coming January I've booked a three week vacation to Myanmar flying from BKK to Mandalay,then onto Bagan,Ngapali,Yangon before returning to Thailand.With recent killings of both Muslims and Buddhists in Thandwe close to Ngapali and with bombs going off in Yangon including The Traders hotel yesterday how concerned should I be about travelling to Myanmar?

[Halfaboy]

In the past years I have been quite some times to Myanmar. Not only to the touristic areas but also to the outskirts of the country. Although being a single traveller safety has never been a problem. I have never been hassled for anything (except for Bagan). Once certain regions are considered unsafe you cannot go there anymore as authorities will not allow you to do so.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Halfaboy

[Ystradyfodwg]

Thanks for the quick response Halfaboy.I have no concerns travelling to Mandalay and Bagan but was a little worried in seeing that the killings in Arakan have moved to Thandwe which is the next town to Ngapali and also yesterday's bombing of The Traders hotel in Rangon and surrounding areas which seems a new development.Still looking forward to my vacation and thanks again for your response.

[SeaVisionBurma]

There are certainly reasons to be concerned at this time, and in the light of last night's explosion at Traders Hotel in Yangon it is understandable that there will be apprehension from travellers travelling to Myanmar.

The Australian Embassy in Yangon sent me an updated travel advice warning this morning. You should check with your own government's travel advisory service.

For general travel in Myanmar in most areas I believe it is still safe to travel - however if you are planning to visit Ngapali be prepared for possible restrictions in the coming weeks and months, as Rakhine state is currently under heightened security and travel to some areas is prohibited.

If you have booked internal travel in Myanmar through a local travel agent, ensure your contact details are current and that your agent can contact you by email (and phone if possible) just prior to and during your trip.

Usual common sense rules apply - keep abreast of local current news and events, avoid demonstrations or large public gatherings, and be mindful & respectful of local customs and etiquette, especially in sensitive areas.

Other Myanmar forum regulars will be able to offer their own advice and insights hopefully to assist.

Apart from all that, stay safe and enjoy your travels!

[Ystradyfodwg]

Thanks very much SeaVision Burma for your latest thoughts on this matter.Burma has been on my list to visit for a number if years but have always put it off due to negative views from the Western Press plus also the problems between the Buddhists and Muslims reoccurring these past few years.I travel independently and have visited Cambodia just after the 1997 coup,Sri Lanka during the civil war and Nepal during the Maoist uprising but obviously with the recent ethnic tensions and bombings I'd be stupid not to take notice and plan my travels carefully.Im in contact with a British national who lives in Ngapali who assures me there are no problems there.The British Embassy at the moment still says travel to Ngapali and via the airport in Thandwe is safe.Lets hope everything calms down quickly and the country gets back to normal as soon as possible.Thanks again.

[EvanGrigoriTrzcinski]

Does anyone know if it is safe to stay at the Traders Hotel? What sorts of people stay there?

[SeaVisionBurma]

Does anyone know if it is safe to stay at the Traders Hotel? What sorts of people stay there?

Traders mainly used by higher end foreign business people and NGO's on bigger budgets. Along with Parkroyal and Sedona, it is the main business hotel for Yangon.

Is it safe to stay there? That question is very much a matter of an individual's personal perspective really. My guess is that it depends on whether you mind that a bomb just went off in one of the rooms 36 hours earlier.

As I understand there were a few guests checking out due to the explosion, but it is business as usual given the large number of guests already staying there.

[Tomtomtom69]

Does anyone know if it is safe to stay at the Traders Hotel? What sorts of people stay there?

Traders mainly used by higher end foreign business people and NGO's on bigger budgets. Along with Parkroyal and Sedona, it is the main business hotel for Yangon.

Is it safe to stay there? That question is very much a matter of an individual's personal perspective really. My guess is that it depends on whether you mind that a bomb just went off in one of the rooms 36 hours earlier.

As I understand there were a few guests checking out due to the explosion, but it is business as usual given the large number of guests already staying there.

I was at the Traders Hotel earlier this year for a drink with a local Burmese friend. I didn't stay there as I felt their rates at over US$200 a night were a bit over the top - although 9 years ago when my budget was much lower I recall their US$40 a night rates, a far cry from now. Not only that, but this year they are doing some refurbishments and Agoda states clearly that construction noise will be present during the hours of 9am-6pm except Sundays I believe, which is a good reason not to spend US$200+ a night only to have to put up with noise, even if you may largely be outside of the hotel during these hours. But this may not be the case for all guests, as some people might be working in their rooms to prepare for meetings, or be relaxing after coming back from a busy morning/afternoon seeing the sights etc.

[Tomtomtom69]

There are certainly reasons to be concerned at this time, and in the light of last night's explosion at Traders Hotel in Yangon it is understandable that there will be apprehension from travellers travelling to Myanmar.

The Australian Embassy in Yangon sent me an updated travel advice warning this morning. You should check with your own government's travel advisory service.

For general travel in Myanmar in most areas I believe it is still safe to travel - however if you are planning to visit Ngapali be prepared for possible restrictions in the coming weeks and months, as Rakhine state is currently under heightened security and travel to some areas is prohibited.

If you have booked internal travel in Myanmar through a local travel agent, ensure your contact details are current and that your agent can contact you by email (and phone if possible) just prior to and during your trip.

Usual common sense rules apply - keep abreast of local current news and events, avoid demonstrations or large public gatherings, and be mindful & respectful of local customs and etiquette, especially in sensitive areas.

Other Myanmar forum regulars will be able to offer their own advice and insights hopefully to assist.

Apart from all that, stay safe and enjoy your travels!

Most foreign governments tend to be on the conservative side, when it comes to foreign travel. According to the Australian government, even Thailand is a high-risk destination, blah blah blah, but if such advice was taken literally by every Australian traveller, it would greatly impact Thai tourism, and the same can be said for Myanmar.

In particular, I'm not impressed by the lack of accuracy in parts of the Australian government's advice, given that they were very quick to report on this bombing, which is important, but on the other hand, information about other things such as overland travel across 4 Thai-Myanmar crossings has not been given. Instead, they talk about only 2 Thai crossings and one China-Myanmar crossing, based on information from like 10 years ago (the China-Myanmar crossing is said to open soon officially, but up until recently most travellers have only been allowed across with a permit and tour; this is not mentioned at all by the Australian government). The 4 Thai-Myanmar crossings have been open for overland travel since Aug 28 and why the Australian government isn't even capable of providing accurate and up-to-date information about this is less than impressive. Similarly, they recommend against being in border regions with Thailand, China, India etc. even though many of these areas are now open for travel - in fact they have similar advice for China and Thailand - stay away from certain border regions with Myanmar, Cambodia etc. yeah right!

Hence I would monitor news reports about incidents in the country and in general, I think travelling to Myanmar should be quite safe, but yes of course do follow SVB's advice to avoid large public gatherings etc. Myself I'm heading across the Mae Sot-Myawaddy crossing later this week and will be travelling to Hpa-an and Yangon, which I'm very much looking forward to.

[Tomtomtom69]

Thanks very much SeaVision Burma for your latest thoughts on this matter.Burma has been on my list to visit for a number if years but have always put it off due to negative views from the Western Press plus also the problems between the Buddhists and Muslims reoccurring these past few years.I travel independently and have visited Cambodia just after the 1997 coup,Sri Lanka during the civil war and Nepal during the Maoist uprising but obviously with the recent ethnic tensions and bombings I'd be stupid not to take notice and plan my travels carefully.Im in contact with a British national who lives in Ngapali who assures me there are no problems there.The British Embassy at the moment still says travel to Ngapali and via the airport in Thandwe is safe.Lets hope everything calms down quickly and the country gets back to normal as soon as possible.Thanks again.

I'm pretty sure Myanmar is a lot safer than Sri Lanka was during the civil war or Nepal during the Maoist uprising; even years ago this was the case for Myanmar. I'm thinking you were very careless to travel to those countries during times when it was really not recommended, and now you are questioning travel to much safer Myanmar? Something is not right about how you assess risk. Despite these small bombings, Myanmar is quite safe, and Ngapali has never been affected by sectarian violence. Just go and stop worrying - if you survived a civil war, you'll certainly be OK in Myanmar!

[gregk0543]

If you are flying into Ngapali you should have no problems.

Also if you are a caucasian foreigner even rioters arent going to be out to get you.

So really foreigners have nothing to fear in Myanmar in that regards.

You will not be allowed to go to areas that are hot with anger and communal strife.

The bombings have been small. But by there nature random and unpredictable. No one was killed at Traders Hotel.

They have reported arresting someone in connection. Motive is unknown. Target is unknown.

You have to be pretty unlucky to get hurt in this way in Myanmar.

If you think travelling by plane is an acceptable risk then travelling in Myanmar is just as safe.

How lucky do you feel?

Your biggest danger in Myanmar is getting food related issues.

Prepare for that as best you can.

Edited October 16, 2013 by gregk0543

[lovetotravel]

agreed your biggest issues would be around getting sick from food or injured when in a dodgy transport. since that big lawsuit in sipidan, forgien governments are getting much more cautious and issuing cautions about almost everything. but, the potential exists. just as it does here in thailand.

[robertson468]

I am an ex military man and have been to several internal security situations and as you can see, I am still here, despite being a target for the terrorists. Since retiring, I have also traveled to many different Countries and unless you have all out rioting or the like, I have traveled to where I want and refused to let these cowardly terrorist restrict my life style. Do what you want to do and forget these psychopathic extremists, but if you are exceptionally unlucky and get wiped out by a bomb............too late to worry. Or you can stay at home and look at all these exciting places you would like to go to, on your TV and then get run over by the local bus the next time you furtively sneak out of your house! You should also note that the Embassies are issuing updates on the present security state in Myanmar.

[DagonKhan]

SVB nailed it. Common sense needs to be exercised.

I will add this; in my personal experience, if a riot breaks out, don't panic. I could cite numerous examples of how Burmese people actively helped foreigners get to safety in such situations. Ask for help and you'll get it.

These bombings are nothing new, Trader's has been hit at least twice before. They're always small bombs, once they were even packed as bars of soap. The local news is now advising people not to pick up a discarded cell phones, as one was found the other day in a shopping centre (before it went off) in Yangon. Shopping centres and supermarkets are favourite targets for bombs, most of which I doubt you will visit as a tourist. I do find the bombings concerning, they're too indiscriminate. It is of concern that they planted it in someone's room as well. Yes, I'd be worried if I were staying in such a hotel.

Civil unrest doesn't concern me half as much as the bombings do.

[SeaVisionBurma]

One unhelpful post removed. Lets keep the advice constructive thanks

[flyingdoc]

Some very sensible replies.

I have encountered no problems driving from Pagan to Yangon. There are killings everyday in Thailand in the South, but they are not reported, for fear of adversely affecting the tourist trade!

[talisman01]

I was in Yangon when the bomb at Traders went off. Local reports have stated that the chief suspect/s responsible had stayed in the affected room prior to the injured American lady and her family checking in. If this is really how it happened then it suggests the act was random and not targeted and probably designed to scare more than anything else.

[Tomtomtom69]

Some very sensible replies.

I have encountered no problems driving from Pagan to Yangon. There are killings everyday in Thailand in the South, but they are not reported, for fear of adversely affecting the tourist trade!

They are reported daily by various Thai news outlets, but generally don't register specially in the consciousness of most international travellers who are only familiar with Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai anyway. In particular, only very major loss of life (such as 10 deaths in one go) would be reported by any overseas news outlets, with the exception of such fine internationally minded news outlets such as SBS or ABC in Australia. Forget about Channel 7, 9 and 10 news as all they can report on is local news and anything else dramatic they can show to their less worldly, less focused everyday audience that cares more about whether Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have split up than whether an earthquake killed 100s of people in Pakistan for example.

[Tomtomtom69]

Thanks very much SeaVision Burma for your latest thoughts on this matter.Burma has been on my list to visit for a number if years but have always put it off due to negative views from the Western Press plus also the problems between the Buddhists and Muslims reoccurring these past few years.I travel independently and have visited Cambodia just after the 1997 coup,Sri Lanka during the civil war and Nepal during the Maoist uprising but obviously with the recent ethnic tensions and bombings I'd be stupid not to take notice and plan my travels carefully.Im in contact with a British national who lives in Ngapali who assures me there are no problems there.The British Embassy at the moment still says travel to Ngapali and via the airport in Thandwe is safe.Lets hope everything calms down quickly and the country gets back to normal as soon as possible.Thanks again.

Who cares what the western press thinks, their sensationalist reporting style doesn't reflect the daily realities of Myanmar or any other place although it seems like a large number of people took them at face value. I for one would never have held myself hostage to previous policies (which have thankfully ended) such as a trade embargo with Myanmar. Rather, if I was doing business with Myanmar years ago I would have acted more like the Chinese and less like the Americans. In any case, Thailand has just as many, if not more bombings than Myanmar (even if they're mostly in the restive south) and that has deterred few people from visiting Thailand and should similarly deter few people from visiting Myanmar.

[marquis22]

Maybe the incidents mentioned by the OP are isolated and not on a regular basis.

And really what are the chances of something similar happening where you happen to be?

Do people still visit London since a bomb went off there a few years ago?

Also I think still many people visit Boston, New York and Mindanao!

Take the big step and go, why let Terrorists ruin your holiday.

[loumaripol]

My wife and visited Yangon then travled by the day train to Mandaly from there to Bagan and back through Yangon via Air Bagan 3 weeks ago.

The train was not worth it. Very uncomfortable 15 hours! The booking office is in a dark shed not near the station. Opposite the Trader Hotel then across the street. US Dollars in perfect condition only. Very helpful staff though. The circle train ticket may be purchased on the train platform.

The currency exchange scammers around Yangoon station are bad news but not too bright. Avoid engaging in conversations in tourist areas. My wallet was lifted in Scott market in Yangon, but that can happen anywhere.

Mandaly seems angry. Not too much to see. I would not return. Strongly recommend staying in old Bagan. We did and were able to walk to anything we wanted to see. The horse cart guys are pests.

Buying domestic airline tickets required a vist to a travel agency. We bought ours in Mandalay. No choice in carriers - I am sure the agent is paid to sell the airline of the day. The safety of all the domestic airlines is not great. Airport navigation aids and approach discipline seem to be recurrent issues. (I am a retired airline employee)

Of course you should go. Check locally about security for your destinations. Be alert, use your hotel's safe, and carry only the cash you need. Normal travel precautions for an unstable country. Marquiss22 is correct. Life is risk, enjoy your trip!

Edited November 20, 2013 by loumaripol