Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 537

By motorbike The motorbike ride to Chaung Tha (2hr;
K15,000 one-way, K17,000 day-return) is an attraction in
its own right.

Silver Coast 4km south of the village T 042 40324 or
T 09 520 0575. An acceptable alternative just south of
Shwe Hin Tha . Some of the cheaper, fan-cooled rooms are
a bit musty but they are clean and have small verandas.
For $40 you can get a room right on the beach. The
separately run Beach Point restaurant , ov erlooking the
sand, is one of the best in Ngwe Saung. $30

GETTING AROUND AND TOURS
By motorbike or bike Motorbike taxis (from K1000) and
bike- (K2000/day) and motorbike rental (K10,000/day
plus fuel) can be arranged with hotels or through the
helpful Tom Tom ( T 09 422 462904, E tom.tunlin@gmail
.com). He runs an uno cial tourist o ce at Sandalwood
Café (daily 5am-10.30pm) on the main road in the village
and is usually there in the evenings, while from 9am to
5pm he's more often at the Shwe Hin Tha hotel. Tom Tom
can also arrange various day-trips, including snorkelling
at Bird Island (K65,000 for 5-7 people), visits to an
elephant camp (K10,000/person plus $5 entrance and $10
to ride an elephant) and trips to Simna fishing village
(K12,000/person).

EATING
Most resorts and hotels have their own restaurant, but
it's worth heading into the village where there's much
more choice.
Ngwe Hline Si Main road. Serves some of the best dishes
you'll find in Ngwe Saung including a tasty spaghetti with
seafood (K3500). Daily 6.30am-10.30pm.
Royal Flower Main road. Although this restaurant is
aimed partly at foreign tourists, it also attracts locals and
the atmosphere is all the better for it. The menu is pretty
standard though, with plenty of seafood options - either
grilled or in various Chinese styles - all for around K4000.
Daily 7am-10pm.

7

ACCOMMODATION
The two places listed here are next to each other.
Shwe Hin Tha 4km south of the village T 042 40340
or T 09 4224 62904. The best value on the beach, with
options ranging from fan-cooled bamboo bungalows to
rooms with a/c and satellite TV ($50). It's on a great stretch
of sand with plenty of parasols a nd l oungers, plus there's
a restaurant serving decent food. $30

NGAPALI BEACH
If you're looking for pristine white sand,
clear blue sea and little to do other than
kick back with a cocktail and fresh

RECENT VIOLENCE IN RAKHINE STATE
The Rohingya , a Muslim minority in Rakhine State , have been described as one of the most
heavily oppressed groups in the world. Stripped of their citizenship in 1982, the Rohingya have
long been discriminated against by members of the state's majority Buddhist ethnic group,
the Rakhine, and tensions have simmered for decades. They boiled over in June 2012 following
the rape of a Buddhist woman, allegedly by three Muslim men. As homes and public buildings
in northern Rakhine State were burned by Buddhists, dozens of Muslims were killed and
around 75,000 people - the vast majority of them Rohingya - were driven into refugee camps.
Further violence in October 2012 saw another 36,000 displaced, and tens of thousands more
being cut off from essential services such as health care.
One result was that most of the state - including Sittwe and Mrauk U but not the money-
spinning Ngapali Beach - was closed to tourism. The government subsequently dropped the
restrictions, but anti-Muslim violence spread beyond Rakhine in 2013, with mob violence in
towns including Meiktila (Mandalay division). In October 2013 a mosque and homes were
burned in Thandwe, only 14km from Ngapali.
Many Buddhists in Myanmar, including some pro-democracy campaigners and religious leaders,
are vehemently anti-Rohingya and reject the use of the word Rohingya itself. They argue that the
community has only a relatively short history of settlement in Myanmar, and that they are in fact
Bengalis who belong in Bangladesh (which does not wish to take them). Outsiders who have tried
to work with the Rohingya refugees have faced opposition and intimidation from Buddhists,
including monks, and the presence of NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières is resented by
some Rakhine people who - counter to all evidence - see themselves as the oppressed group.
Many international observers have expressed disappointment that Aung San Suu Kyi has
refused to speak out in defence of the Rohingya, a stance that would be unpopular with many
voters. The topic is certainly extremely emotive within Rakhine State, and it can be alarming to
hear ordinary people repeating vehement anti-Rohingya propaganda.