Message from SWAN Debate continues to rage about whether or not tourists should visit Burma and risk giving money and legitimacy to the Burmese military regime. We have fed into this debate by exposing atrocities such as sexual violence, torture and murder by the regime’s troops in areas of Shan State out of bounds for foreign visitors, and urging the denial of all forms of support for the regime while these abuses continue. However, we realize that little attention has been given to more subtle forms of repression by the regime in Shan State, particularly related to culture. Given that experiencing local “culture” is a primary aim of tourists visiting Burma, we feel it is important to expose how Shan State culture, religion and history are being distorted and erased, and gradually replaced by the regime’s own homogenized and artificially imposed “Myanmar culture.” Most of this book deals with these aspects of culture which may be unknown to the average tourist. We have focused on Shan culture, but the process of repression is also happening to other ethnic cultures in Shan State and other parts of Burma. We have also included photos of areas of great beauty in Shan State that are out of bounds to tourists, but which may soon be lost forever due to the regime’s development plans, funded by Thai and Chinese investors. Finally, we have included information about some of the prominent political prisoners from Central Burma languishing in remote Shan State prisons – they will never be physically seen by tourists but their presence should be a constant reminder to us all of the cruel reality of repression in Shan State and the rest of Burma today. We wish to thank the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and all our other friends inside and outside Burma who kindly provided photos and information to be used in this book.