My friend Kevin, AKA The Mad Traveler, is just back from Burma and posted this about the Visa on Arrival issue for there. I thought it might be of interest to some of you:
http://www.themadtraveleronline.com/travel-tips/myanmar-visa-on-arrival-warning/
Myanmar Visa on Arrival
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Your friend is correct that there is basically NO visa on arrival for tourists. The one exception is for people arriving from Cambodia or one city in China on the Myanmar Air International flight. There is a business visa on arrival. The other option he refers to is the pre-aranged visa which is available from travel agencies.
The Visa on Arrival Desk confuses many people. It is for the people on those two Myanmar Air International flights and for business visas. Travel agencies pre-arranging visas may meet people at that desk to put the pre-arranged visa into their passports.
His advice to get your visa from your own country before you go is good advice.