Quote:
Originally Posted by Blommetje
...I ran into a Danish guy telling me that the north of birma and northeast part of India is in quite a civil war and that is is dangerous. Very dangerous. He advised me strongly to only travel between roughly Rangoon and Mandalay, not outside of this area.
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No, I don't think that is the case at all.
The northeast part of India (the Assam) is culturally different from the main part of India, and the Indian government has a fairly strong presence there, primarily to keep any desires for independence in check. But there is certainly no conflict going on.
There are some ethnic groups in northwestern Burma (essentially, across the border from the part of India that I referred to above) who are not very happy with the central government of Burma, but those issues would not affect a visitor in any way.
I lived and worked in Burma for a year back in 1991, way the heck up in the northwestern part of the country, about 20 miles east of Imphal, and encountered no security concerns at all. The Burmese people are generally very gracious and polite, and you would have no reason at all to become involved in any disagreements that might exist between the local people and their government.
Having said all that: You should investigate what permissions YOU might need to visit those areas. Neither India or Burma (Myanmar) permit completely free movement of tourists in those far outlying areas. You may need a special visa to visit certain parts of either of the two countries.
Michael
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