John North Editor & Publisher

The recent tragic events in Myanmar, which have made the front pages of Americaís daily newspapers, bring back both haunting and delightful memories of my visit to what used to be known as Burma.

While what has happened recently exemplifies government tyranny at its worst, I have not been in the least† surprised ó based on what I saw during my foray there ó† by the ruling military juntaís heavy-handed clampdown on the massive protests, which were led by the much-revered monks in that overwhelmingly Buddhist country.

Indeed, my only surprise is that the junta let the protests continue and expand as long as it did before sending in the military to crack heads and especially rein in the monks. In the aftermath, the government has claimed about 10 protesters were killed in its crackdown, while human-rights groups have said that hundreds were killed ó and many more beaten or jailed. Having seen Myanmarís government in action, I would tend to believe the latterís claims.

Back in 2001, when I was traveling through Southeast Asia, I decided to take a sidetrip adventure to Burma, based on curiosity ó and my hazy memories of Kiplingís delightful poem, ìMandalay.î

My decision to visit Myanmar was politically incorrect in two ways.

Nowadays, I discovered, Kipling is widely derided by the world literary establishment as a defender of British colonialism, and his once-revered works are frequently shunned. However, I can separate Kipling, the man of his time, from his timeless works, which I see as splendid.

Then, I learned that a number of democratic governments recommended against anyone visiting Myanmar because they felt tourist dollars help to prop up the brutal dictatorship. But, as a truth-seeker at heart, I wanted to see the situation for myself.

I booked a roundtrip plane ticket from Bangkok Thailand, to Yangon (the former Rangoon). There, I took public buses on the literal road to Mandalay ó and into more remote rural areas. I discovered that it is a good idea to starve and dehydrate oneself before taking native buses because restroom breaks tend to be rarer than unbiased news reports in this totalitarian regime.

Indeed, as a lifelong journalist, I was dismayed to see that no foreign newspapers were available in Myanmar, and the few produced in the country were among the most censored of any country I visited.

In the two cities, as a rare Western visitor, I had frequent occasion to chat with ultra-curious Myanmar citizens, who questioned me intensely in low tones about news of the outside world ó and sought to inform me of the grim conditions of their country outside the tourist bubble.

One dissident, who heard that I used to be a journalist, went to extraordinary effort to arrange a driver to pick me up from my hotel one night to see his ìmagic showî at a disheveled storefront in Yangon. Upon arrival, I noticed I was the only audience member; and, after a perfunctory opening during which the dissident established that the coast was clear, he closed the curtain on the outside world and addressed me directly on the dire straits of the freedom-fighters of Myanmar. His angst and his amazing dedication to the cause of freedom left an indelible impression on me.

My own dealings with government and police authorites were thankfully rare. But I couldnít help noticing the contrast between the bedraggled general population and the smartly dressed junta officials, escorting beautiful young women in opulent attire, and being chauffered in gleaming luxury cars.

On a lighter note, I noticed several bars named after Kipling in Yangon and Mandalay. However, I never could find anyone in any of them, including owners and employees, who could correctly identify who Kipling was. One bar patron guessed that he was a pop singer.

What most remains with me from my Myanmar foray is the natural beauty of the country and the sadness ó and dignity ó of the people, who smiled and laughed only rarely, and seemed more keenly conscious of their surroundings than most Westerners.

China props up the junta through its economic aid, but I hope that pragmatic county will see the wisdom in joining the world community by pulling back its support, lest the world boycott the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Ultimately, I hope the Myanmar people can rise up and prove unstoppable in their quest for freedom. As Kipling advised us, ìGardens are not made by singing ëOh, how beautiful,í and sitting in the shade.î

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John North, publisher and editor of the Daily Planet, may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .