BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures

This year's Reith Lectures will feature pro democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi

One of our Southeast Asia country specialists, Mark, has just emailed me to point out that this year’s Reith Lectures will feature Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

It was only back in Nov last year that she was released by the Burmese government after 15 years under house arrest and I wrote a corresponding blog about it, which you can read here.

Entitled Securing Freedom, the Reith Lectures will be part of a wider series which will also feature former MI5 Director-General Baroness Manningham-Buller. The lecture presented by Aung San Suu Kyi will be broadcast on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on Tuesday, 28 June 2011.

Tickets for Aung San Suu Kyi’s lectures will be available through BBC audience services.

Why ‘Stay Another Day’ in Cambodia?

A young girl in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh

It’s only in the past decade or so that Cambodia has really begun to embrace international tourism with open arms but it’s also now doing its bit towards encouraging visitors to participate in local Responsible Travel (RT) initiatives.

Stay Another Day is a project that lists all of the country’s sustainable organizations. So, for example, if you were to travel to Cambodia it would provide you with the opportunity to find out the best way to contribute to improving the welfare of the local people in the area you were visiting.

Note, the Stay Another Day campaign has also been rolled out in Laos and Vietnam, so if you’re thinking of going on a trip to one of these countries then feel free to ask one of our country specialists about how you can get involved in local sustainable projects.

Find out more about Stay Another Day [.pdf]

Responsible Travel & Audley

As part of our commitment to RT we support and promote a number of charitable concerns in Cambodia. To find out more visit our Responsible Tourism in Cambodia section.

The Big Brother Mouse annual report

The Big Brother Mouse website.

One of the charities we support in Southeast Asia, Big Brother Mouse, has just emailed us to tell us that they have now produced an annual report of what they did last year – and previous years.

The charity, which is in effect a publisher, aims to promote reading to both children and adults throughout Laos. The numbers show steady increases year-on-year, which of course all bodes well for the future.

Read about what they had to say and look at the numbers.

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Michelle the baby orang-utan gets ready for freedom

Michelle the baby orang-utan.

Some good news on the conservation front, Michelle the baby orang-utan which our Southeast Asia team sponsored has recently been set free into the Kabili Reserve that surrounds the rehabilitation centre where she has spent her early years after being rescued on the edge of a palm plantation.

The plantation workers had sent dogs to chase her and her mother away and in the panic that ensued the two were separated from each other, the workers rescued the baby and took her to the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre.

She is now four years of age and although she is ready to go back to the wild she is still young and will continue to be monitored by rangers in the reserve to check on her progress.

The £6bn trade in animal smuggling

Elephant poaching continues to spiral out of control in many parts of Africa.

I’m sure some of you will have seen the report in The Independent on Sunday, which estimates that the annual trade in animal smuggling is now worth around £6bn a year. Not only that but according to the month-long investigation, much of this money ends up funding terrorism, drugs smuggling and even some civil wars.

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“African Cats” – the new Disney family film coming soon…

 

If you have small children, or if you just enjoy watching Disney films, then you might want to clear your diary for April 22nd (Earth Day) when “African Cats” premiers in cinemas.

It’s not an animation but a nature documentary telling the true story of two cat families: one a lion the other a cheetah. As far as I can gather most of the filming took place in Kenya’s famous Masai Mara National Reserve.

I’ve included the official trailer above so just click on it for some stunning shots and rousing music. If you like big cats; lion, cheetah and leopard – you’re going to love this movie! 

Note, Disneynature is also promising to make a donation to the African Wildlife Foundation for every moviegoer who buys a ticket during the opening week – so an added incentive to see the film!

Rare Javan rhino filmed in Indonesia

A Javan rhino has been caught on camera by the WWF

One of the world’s rarest animals, the Javan rhino, has been caught on camera on the western tip of Java by the WWF. Two adult rhinoceroses and their calves were filmed on motion-activated cameras in the island’s Ujung Kulon National Park as they wandered through the rainforest munching on leaves.

Only 40 individuals remain of the Javan rhinoceros with none in captivity, so the footage, which was taken at the end of 2010, is described as ’great news’. Conservationists hope to protect the existing animals by establishing a new population through relocation.

To find out more about the Javan rhino or to watch the footage, please visit the WWF website.

If you would like to find out more about tailor-made trips to Indonesia please visit the Indonesia section of our website.

Namibia’s entire coastline is set to be designated a national park

The Skeleton Coast is harsh, wild but starkly beautiful.

There was an interesting story in the news yesterday and I think a unique one as far as a conservation idea goes; for the first-time ever (as far as I know anyway) an entire coastline of a country is set to become a national park.

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Lord of the elephants

Mahout Khun Lord and his elephant Lychee. Photo by Carol Stevenson.

One of Audley’s most popular hotels in Thailand is the Anantara Resort, Golden Triangle, which is a property with a difference: it has a nearby elephant conservation centre where guests can learn how to look after an elephant on a mahout course. It also has a mahout with a difference – meet Khun Lord.  

Khun Lord is the most senior mahout at the camp and he is Thailand’s answer to an elephant whisperer. His training methods are unlike any other seen in Thailand. Rather than tell you what these are you’ll have to read the following text provided to us by Anantara, but I will say it’s quite amazing.

I’ve also added a slideshow of images of the property and its elephants, just click on them to see them full-size.

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Would you now travel to Burma?

Burmese opposition politician Aung San Suu Kyi.

With the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi a few days ago, the official Burmese opposition (NDL) is ending a 15-year campaign of urging foreigners to stay away.

Following these surprise developments I thought you’d like to read what one of our Southeast Asia managers – who has visited the country several times – has to say.

I’ve read with interest the recent news coverage on Burma and I’m encouraged that the NLD (National League for Democracy), Burma’s main voice of government opposition, has reviewed its stance on travel to Burma.

For those of us here at Audley that have been lucky enough to travel to Burma, we feel rather protective of the country and its people, particularly as we have operated in Burma for 15 years, and we all strongly agree that this shouldn’t be seen as a green light for mass tourism ventures.

The NLD still warns against the detrimental effects mass tourism can bring but now recognises that small numbers of discerning travellers with an interest in Burma’s situation can bring many positive effects to the ordinary people of Burma.

This change of stance reaffirms our own long standing position on travel to Burma and will not precipitate a change in how we operate in the country.

We will continue to avoid, where we can, the use of government-run hotels and services, and comply with the EU legislation on trade with Burma. We hope that more (but not too many) travellers will make their way to Burma and see how responsible, managed tourism can make a difference.

For those that have travelled to Burma, it is often considered one of the most memorable of their travel experiences – it certainly has been for me. I don’t think I’ve ever received a warmer, more genuine and welcoming encounter with local people than I had in Burma. 

We cannot ignore the fact that the issue surrounding travel to Burma will remain a complex one, but along with the recent release of Aung San Suu Kyi we hope that these small steps will lead to a more positive future for Burma.

If you want to find out more about the many arguments for, and against, travel to Burma, we have a detailed paper on our website.

Kate
Audley’s Product Manager for Burma

Are you someone who has disagreed with our pro-travel view on Burma? If so, do you now feel differently?  Would you now contemplate travelling to Burma in accordance with the NDLs wishes?

Please feel free to tell us what you think by clicking on the main title above and leaving a comment.