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Tourism
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2000-03-20 17:15:00-05
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Burma May Issue Instant Visas
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Burma latest Asian nation to consider changes to snag foreign exchange dollars. Human rights groups: "Don't invest your holiday money in torture and terror".
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Following the lead of other Southeast Asian nations, notably Cambodia, Burma is considering issuing instant visas to tourists upon arrival and instituting an open-sky policy for air traffic, coinciding with the opening of the new Mandalay International Airport. In Cambodia, tourist arrivals rose 69% in February compared to February,1999. The sharp rise in the tourism figures can be attributed to policy changes made by Cambodia to stimulate its tourism industry. In addition to the visa-on-arrival policy, Cambodia has pursued an open-sky policy, which allows more airlines to fly into the country. A new investment policy has opened up
investment to the private sector. Burma, however, suffers from low tourism because there are few direct flights into the country. Currently, flights to Burma from Europe, Japan or North America are from Bangkok, Singapore and Macau. With the opening of the new airport, about 20 airlines have expressed interest in opening new flights. Burmese authorities have not yet decided whether or not to issue traffic rights to all 20, however. Mandalay is one of four major destinations in a new regional package called " The Great Wonders of Suwannaphumi." Other sites in the package are: the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Ankor Wat in Cambodia and Luang Prabang in Laos. Human rights organizations strongly appeals to tourists not to visit Burma as the money will benefit the Burmese junta SLORC/SPDC's fight against the people and the democratic elected opposition. Reports of serious violations of human rights and genocide are abundant, and Nobel peace price winner Aung San Suu Kyi stated in 1996: "We are totally against the `Visit Myanmar' campaign. This is tantamount to supporting authoritarianism in Burma." A number of organisations has already pulled their business out of Burma. However, Procter & Gamble, Sony, Fujitsu and Mitsubishi are still doing business in Burma and ignoring the widespread boycotts and badwill among increasingly aware consumers and governments.
Related site: FreeBurma.ORG
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