David,

Oh the managed tours are most certainly going on in Myanmar. Telltale signs are the new vans with tinted windows (with functioning seatbelts!), with a cooler of drinks inside and guests that are not allowed to speak directly to anyone but their guide. This is why I make a point of using the words 'independent travelers' above.

There's no way to avoid giving at least a little of your money to Burma's regime when you visit, but you can drastically control how much goes to the regime, and that's part of what LP is trying to accomplish with the Burma guidebook. Is every hostel/restaurant/bus company listed without a doubt independent and not associated with the junta? Probably not. But most are.

And any time you see a business of any kind calling itself 'Lonely Planet Something', please report it at lonelyplanet.com. There are no officially sanctioned LP affiliate businesses anywhere in the world and LP actively goes after anyone using their name in any capacity.