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Myanmar - more commonly known as Burma - is probably not a place that often crosses your mind. Situated south of Nepal and sandwiched between India and Thailand it is a country that has been forgotten by the Western world in many respects. There are two reasons for this. Firstly no western countries trade with Myanmar (its official name since 1989) and therefore we have no vested interest in the country. Secondly, the ruling authorities of Myanmar make it exceedingly difficult for anyone linked to the media to gain access to the country or its news.

Myanmar was the world's largest rice exporter when in 1962 a military junta took control of the government. Following this the previously peaceful and prosperous country became increasingly isolated, poor and unsettled. In 1988 there was a popular uprising and following this a coup that transferred power to another military group called the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). This group claimed that they would hold democratic elections but waited until they thought public support for democracy had dwindled in 1990 to do this. Despite SLORC's efforts, the public majority was with the National League for Democracy (NLD) - which is fronted by the infamous Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi - but SLORC simply refused to relinquish power, killed a load of NLD politicians and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, where she remains to this day in a heavily guarded house in the capital city, Yangon (previously Rangoon).

I visited Myanmar last November. There continues a debate about whether or not it is ethical to visit the country; whether "tourism helps or hinders the restoration of democracy and human rights". Some argue that we should isolate the government financially as much as possible in order to force reform (this course of action is promoted by Aung San Suu Kyi). As you are obliged to exchange money at immigration, you are funding the corrupt military junta that rule and oppress simply by entering the country and furthermore there are few hotel choices that are not in some way funded by the government. The alternative opinion is that financial hardship is only ever passed onto the ordinary and innocent Burmese people and ignoring them only leads to Westerners forgetting that the country exists and the hope of the people diminishing. It is also widely acknowledged that whilst countries such as China and Singapore continue to trade with Myanmar it is unlikely that financial circumstances with force the government to relent.

I know that I have been truly blessed with an opportunity to visit Myanmar. I stayed with relatives, was granted a social visit visa and exempt from the exchange of money at immigration. It is a country that has been mainly excluded from the gap year travellers' hit list, and looks set to remain this way for the near future, or as long as the British government discourages travel there. In the space of ten days I was able to travel extensively around the country, seeing parts that are strictly offlimits to a tourist, such as a military town and hospital. My overwhelming feelings whilst travelling around Myanmar were of sadness at the tragic state of a country with such abundant natural resources, and surprise at how safe I felt in such a supposedly unsettled environment. This sense of safety is, of course, brought about by the induced fear used to 'control' the Burmese people.

The government do all that they can to make it difficult for us to have a window on their country. This was exemplified in several ways. Firstly, whilst planning my trip I had great difficulty in organising my visa as noone that I spoke to at the Burmese embassy in London could speak or understand English fluently. Secondly, despite its fascinating cultural history and natural beauty, the government is highly suspicious of anyone wanting to visit more than once a year - so much so that it is practically forbidden. It is hard to comprehend the degree of oppression and corruption that the Burmese people are controlled by (think Orwell's 1984 and you are getting there). Hearing the stories of my father's old friends showed me how desperate people are to tell you about their plight. Here are just a few examples: I was told that the wife of the country's top general has the nickname of "Mrs 10%" because she takes 10% of any business in the country at any given time. The Burmese media is truly a revelation. It consists mainly of television programmes and newspapers showing the top military figures doing rounds of visits to schools, hospitals, factories and the like. It is propaganda in its most blatant and sinister form.

Despite such political tyranny, the Burmese have a certain extent of religious freedom. Currently nearly 90% of citizens are Buddhists, 5% Christian (mainly Baptist or Catholic), followed by groups of Muslims, Hindus and Spiritualists. Whilst political dissent and Myanmar seems to go hand in hand, there is no history of religious intolerance or discrimination in the country. This sounds brilliant, but in reality it is slightly more complicated. Firstly, it is stipulated the government should be wholly Buddhist. And no-one in the government is permitted to be married to a foreigner. Secondly, such is the government's paranoia of any pro-Western or democratic notions being promoted, that they are liable to be extremely hostile to Christian missionaries from abroad. In fact, having searched the internet extensively I found only OMF sends missionaries, and Christian Aid and International Christian Mission support native Christians evangelising in Myanmar. It is a more isolated country than you might think. Hotmail is banned and inaccessible. The only internet server is provided by the government (only the very rich can afford such a luxury as a computer anyway) so that they can monitor and ban any 'undesirable' sites. Any news that we hear of Myanmar in the West, including reports in the infamous Aung San Suu Chi are often outdated and inaccurate, or rather, toned down. As I discovered from speaking with family friends, the truth is often much more cruel and brutal than we in the west are ever likely to find out.

So what can we do about Myanmar? We can pray! Myanmar desperately needs our prayers; for the native people and their daily struggles to survive, and that more of them will come to know Christ, that more people would have access to the Bible - at present more than 50 groups in Myanmar who have their own dialects have no part of scripture in their own language - that those in power would be just and righteous, that Christians in the country might take comfort and be strengthened in the knowledge that "blessed are the persecuted because of righteousness" (Matthew 5:10), and that more of us in the West would be aware of the situation in Myanmar.

Lastly, I was really encouraged to hear from several non-Christian people in Myanmar that in their country Christians are widely regarded as kind and honourable people, widely trusted and usually well educated. That is a great attitude to be able to build upon and work with. Indeed, it would be amazing if we could hear the British public speaking so highly of Christians.

Anonymous