9. Burma
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in SouthEast Asia bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand. In Myanmar, the internet, mainstream media, local news transmissions and tourism are heavily controlled by the government. There are some available tourist destinations in Burma including big cities such as Yangon and Mandalay and religious sites in Mon State and Pindaya, along with nature trails and ancient cities and beaches. But in spite of the government interest to encourage tourism much of the country is off-limits to visitors, and interactions between foreigners and the people of Myanmar are subject to police scrutiny. Though Visas for tourists are generally easy to get, Burma has recently experienced the transition from a military government to a civilian one and several regulations for visitors and prospective tourists are enforced in the country under penalty of imprisonment. The authorities of Burma prohibits tourists the use of flash drives and voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) in Internet cafés and visitors that are found taking pictures are harassed and often deported from the country. If found, tourists working on press reporting from Burma are detained and charged with criminal offense. In 2001, an order for local officials was issued by the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board to limit “unnecessary contact” between ordinary Burmese people and foreigners.
