A travel company has defended itself after it was put on a”dirty list” by a human rights group.

Bales Worldwide,in Junction Road, Dorking, was placed on the internet list by The Burma Campaign UK in a bid to get the company to sever its business ties with the south-east Asia state.

Burma is ruled by a military regime frequently condemned for human rights abuses.

The campaign believes that by trading with Burma companies keep the regime in power. It attacked Bales Worldwide for bringing money into the country through tourism .

A spokesman said: “We are calling for companies not to invest in Burma as the regime uses their income for doubling the size of the military.”

The organisation is particularly upset about companies supporting tourism.

The spokesperson said: “Many human rights in Burma are directly related to tourism. The rulers use forced labour to beautify the cities and build hotels. Directly and indirectly money is going to the regime.

“We are calling for tourists not to visit Burma until we have democracy.”

And the campaign believes that the “dirty list” works. A spokesperson said: “Some companies have found out they are on it and have withdrawn from Burma. But some are still investing and their profits come at the pain of the Burmese people.”

However, a spokesman from Bales Worldwide strongly disagreed. She said: “There are conflicting and well-documented views on whether or not British tour operators should promote tourism to Burma.

“Bales Worldwide is a non-political organisation and we believe that there is as much potential harm inflicted by isolating the country as by allegedly supporting the regime by sending tourists.”

She added: “We use a privately owned Burmese ground agent for all of our services and only use internationally managed non-government hotels.

“Tourism brings essential employment to the local communities and we believe this important point should not be overlooked.

“That said we are at present not going to Burma due to Foreign Office travel advice. However, we will return to Burma when safe to do so.”

Louise Hector, a spokesperson for Dorking group of Amnesty International, said Burma has one of the worst human rights records in the world.

She said: “Amnesty does not call for boycotts on tourism, but we do hope that people only travel to Burma in the full knowledge of the appalling situation there and with a commitment to do something about it on their return.

“Forced labour is used to build tourist facilities like hotels and golf courses and the military government takes a share of profits, with the money going back into the military in order to suppress the sort of dissent seen recently.

“The use of torture in Burma is widespread and systematic. People are arrested and imprisoned because of their opinions.

“There is widespread use of forced labour, rape is used by the military, there’s forced relocation, the use of child soldiers, and civilians are used as porters carrying equipment through minefields.”

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