[Travel] What's the most oppressive regime you've ever visited?

[marlowe]

What's the most oppressive regime you've ever visited, and were you personally affected by the oppression?

Were you able to turn a blind eye to the oppression and just enjoy the place as a holiday paradise?

Did you go somewhere specifically to experience the cultural aspect of the oppressive regime?

Did you personally become a victim or a target of that oppression?

Or did you go there through duty?

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

Met Police. Selhurst Park...

 

[Wellesley]

Mother-in-law's.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

The US maybe? Singapore?

Vietnam tried to be oppressive but it was a bit of a joke really, they'd come and stare at you and you'd look sheepish and then they'd drive off and we'd carry on enjoying our curfew-breaking pints in the bar.

Malawi back in the '90's perhaps when they made men cut their hair and you had to hide certain books at the border - although the country itself was extremely chilled.

Never gone somewhere famous for its oppression for good reason

 

[Stat Brother]

East Sussex.

 

[half time scores]

Yorkshire.

 

[Bold Seagull]

East Sussex.

Ha ha, it's funny, I was on the Saddlescomb Road on Sunday and hadn't even realised that having barely passed the Waterhall Golf Club I hit a Welcome to West Sussex sign. I shuddered and the temperature definitely dropped 2 degs.

 

[Eeyore]

West Midlands. Most away days in the early 90s. Before the human right for law abiding away fans to be left in peace was passed onto the policing units.

 

[nicko31]

Has to be Burma (early 90's), slaves of women building roads with their bare hands. Just tried to put as much hard currency into local people as possible, though the minimum requirement of FEC purchase (foreign exchange certificates) could not be avoided, this went straight to the junta.

A humbling and memorable experience, albeit quite restricted where you could travel

 

[Guinness Boy]

What's the most oppressive regime you've ever visited, and were you personally affected by the oppression?

Probably China for me.

Were you able to turn a blind eye to the oppression and just enjoy the place as a holiday paradise?

It wasn't a holiday paradise, it was visa runs from Taiwan. Mostly to Hong Kong as you couldn't get to the mainland direct from Taipei in those days. Spent a day on the mainland on one of the trips though. Not enough time to "feel" the oppression other than the very limited internet access. Just enjoyed food and seeing more of the area

Did you go somewhere specifically to experience the cultural aspect of the oppressive regime?

Did you personally become a victim or a target of that oppression?

No and no.

Or did you go there through duty?

Only duty in that I was working in Taiwan and I had to leave and update my visa and alien registration card in Honkers.

Taiwan was probably the closest I've come to seeing the effects of an oppressive regime though. It was a democracy when we were there but it had previously been a military dictatorship. There were loud speakers everywhere and occasionally they would blurt out very loud Public Service Announcements (somethimes at 8am on a Sunday after a long night's drinking ). Mandarin is tonal and, over a loud halier it just sounds like they want to shoot you. However, we once asked one of our translators what it was saying and she said they were reminding people to wear a coat as the weather forecast was a bit chilly. The coldest it ever got while I was there was 10 degrees C one night.

 

[knocky1]

Syria. Not affected directly by the oppression but could sense it. Visiting Homs a year after Assad senior had killed 10,000 in the early 90's was not a happy experience.
Close second Saudi Arabia. Was able to live a good life partying and enjoying the freedom of the desert.
Pinochet's Chile was personally fine but the fear was evident in the people.

 

[Easy 10]

1901 club.

 

[Guinness Boy]

East Sussex.

Wait till the Locals Only Republic of Withdean declares independance shortly after the start of May......

 

[Stat Brother]

Wait till the Locals Only Republic of Withdean declares independance shortly after the start of May......

Shirley though being about to tow it away and leave it somewhere else would be a win for everyone?

 

[chimneys]

Archer/Stanley/Belloti.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Unfortunately it has become Turkey, although have also been to China and agree with most of the above.

What is going on in Turkey is terrible, and it shames the rest of the world that because it is such a strategically important country, not least with a border to Syria, Erdogan is largely getting away with it.

A 'coup attempt' that was, let's say, very convenient, gave him the licence to sack and imprison tens of thousands of independent professionals including civil servants and the judiciary, and brand anyone who disagrees with him (especially journalists) a terrorist and chuck them in jail too.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Belfast 1968. I'd made friends with another Wren whilst in Plymouth, who had since got married and invited me over. It was just one year before the troubles started and the atmosphere was tangible.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Communist Poland. Almost arrested for not having my ticket validated on a Warsaw tram.

 

[Trufflehound]

Vietnam tried to be oppressive but it was a bit of a joke really, they'd come and stare at you and you'd look sheepish and then they'd drive off and we'd carry on enjoying our curfew-breaking pints in the bar.

Don't know if it's changed, but it used to be dead easy to spot (and avoid) the government spies following you around in Vietnam: they were the only ones dressed in patent leather black shoes, while every 'normal person' wore flip-flops... Stood out like beacons.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Communist Poland. Almost arrested for not having my ticket validated on a Warsaw tram.

At least the tram wasn't cancelled...'those Commies, at least the trams ran on time...'